The Second South American Inquisition Part 4
MALARKEY
Jo & Trevor Bush
Thu 24 Nov 2011 22:17
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So the saga continues........... And this last part
is, as far as we are concerned, the best bit.
Cusco is regarded as the capital of the Inca Empire
and all things 'Inca' emanate from there. Our whole trip to South America was
organised to prepare ourselves for a grand trek that ended up at one of the 'New
Seven Wonders of the World'........Machu Picchu, 'The Lost City of the
Incas'.
A bit melodramatic I know but after talking to
those that have been there, it sounded a bit special and I am pleased to say, it
didn't disappoint.
Enroute from La Paz to Cusco we took a much
deserved rest from roughing it and checked into a lovely lodge in
Copacabana overlooking Lake Titikaka. It was total luxury compared
with some of the dodgy hostels and rough camping we had been used to.
We had a warm, dry, attractive bungalow, ensuite bathroom with hot & cold
running water 24 hrs per day (not to be taken for granted in this part of
the world), a cosy fire place, hammocks in a private garden where we could
gently sway in the sunshine while taking in the most splendid
view..............marvelous.
    Nice little
pad
Nice n
cosy
Nice n
warm
Nice little view
Alright, alright, enough of that old tosh and lets
get on with the good stuff.
Since the lost city of the Incas was found and
announced to the world, it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
It has then been promptly overrun by tourists ever since. So treks, like
the famous 'Inca Trail', are now so well trod, one has to book months
in advance to even set foot on this ancient path over the Andes. In an attempt
to get off the beaten track, we chose to go on the Lares Trek instead. This trek
took us over the peaks surrounding the Lares Valley and ultimately ending up at
the Machu Picchu site. Perfect,.........a lesser known Inca trail with no
Japanese tourists with umbrellas to negotiate.
   The Lares Hash
Harriers
A knackered trekker at the
campsite Brave
faces at dawn
It might well have been more peaceful, in fact we
were the only tourists on the mountain at the time......(just us and a few
local Indian llama farmers), but it wasn't any easier. The narrow rocky paths
rose to around 5000m up amongst the clouds. And sometimes the clouds were full
of snow so they weren't too welcome. It was a fairly tough trek but our
physical preparation stood us in good stead, cos we yomped it. Besides Marlene
(Dietrich), a Dutch tri-athlete who sets trekking records just for fun, we were
the first home, in front of much younger and fitter stock.
   The weather was
foul
The going
tough
but we got to the top in the
end
And dare I say it........yes, trekking wasn't
just pointless waste of energy, but quite satisfying and rewarding. The views
were truly fabulous and it was great treading paths once trod by the Incas and
virtually unchanged for over the past 500 years or so. But, nothing we had just
done, quite prepared us for Machu Picchu.
At the end of this part of the trek, we took
the local train into Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu. There we
luxuriated in a 4 star hotel and sampled the delights of a great little town.
We would liked to have spent longer in Aguas
Calientes but an even better spot beckoned.
  Aguas Calientes in the
rain
Cusco in the sun
We left the hotel at the crack of dawn just
when the morning mist was lifting from the ancient ciudad...... A totally
spectacular site which no picture will give justice. This historical sanctuary
was being unveiled before our very eyes.......mesmerising.
    The mist lifting over Machu
Piccu
The
unveiling
The lost
city.......found
There to see it
The city itself was a marvelous piece of ancient
architecture but it was the spectacular location that made it a truly stunning
place. The mountains were like two green pitons rising up into the sky and
the city nestled happily in their bosom. No wonder it took until the early
20th century for it to be discovered. Machu Picchu can not be seen from the
valley and who would believe that anyone would build a city high up in the
mountains between two peaks. Only the Incas,........suckers for punishment and a
good view, would do such a thing. And one other truly bazaar fact about this
enigmatic race was that they only reigned for around 100 years. In that time
they built a marvelous network of townships connected by a maze of
trails and then promptly disappeared off the face of the Earth. There are many
theories for this and I like the idea that the Spanish
Conquistadors developed a taste for Inca meat washed down with a nice glass of
Rioja, (I would have like to have said Chianti and made some sucking noises like
Hannibal Lecter, 'Silence of the Lambs'...... but Chianti is
Italian).
There's no point me babbling on, the pictures tell
the story better than me. But be assured, you really have to be there to fully
appreciate the majesty of the place.
   Any further trekking after this would have
been a serious anticlimax. So back to Lima, where Joanne took me kicking
and screaming around the shops to buy a vacuum cleaner........yes, a vacuum
cleaner, of all things. As painful as that was, it was in the knowledge,
that we were only one more flight from being back home on the
boat in Panama.
So this little jolly in South America was
over, but an even bigger adventure is before us. We transit the Panama Canal
next,.....our first step towards crossing the Pacific Ocean to New
Zealand.
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