So - where did I leave off, in my novel, I mean, blog, describing this busy and incredible trip? It seems that the last time I was on-line was last Thursday, here in Cusco. Almost a week without Internet?!? Yes - the withdrawal pangs are painful...
Well, in those six days, I discovered a lovely but often disregarded little town on the tourist circuit, hiked a tougher-than-expected 33km of dirt, rock and STEPS at altitude, contracted some GI tract bug that had me somewhat debilitated along the way, and reached the magical city of the Incas, known as Machu Picchu.
Let me, once again, take you through the details in chronological order, as this seems to be the most logical way to tackle this.
After spending a night in Cusco last Thursday, we set off by bus Friday morning, driving through continuously breath-taking scenery. The mountains are high (but not high enough for snow), sharp, sheer, and awe-inspiring. We drove past Saqsaywaman (pronounced "sexy woman"), a special archaeological site near Cusco which I will visit tomorrow. We headed towards a very small indigenous village in the hills where the Planeterra Foundation (a subsidiary of G.A.P.) provides assistance to the locals by teaching girls and women weaving and knitting skills allowing them to sell the ubiquitous "Peruvian textile goods" seen everywhere, and by providing the men work as porters on the Inca Trail and other treks.
This community was dirt-poor. But proud, apparently happy, and close. Hygienic conditions were limited at best - no hot water coming out of a tap anywhere within miles, and yet, every girl and woman was colorfully dressed, with beautiful loooong black hair all braided with ornaments. The men were "in a meeting" - discussing the various aspects of portering, a.k.a. carrying lots of heavy loads up and down mountains to make the tourists happy...
A quick word about the people of Perú, from what I have observed so far. They are very warm and friendly, usually smiling. Most - nay, all - look of native (Quechuan, Aymara, and other tribes) descent, and most speak or at least understand a native language as well as Spanish. They are fiercely proud of their culture and heritage. To be descendants of the Incan empire is nothing to sneeze on, after all. In the cities (ie, away from the dirt-poor villages), people always look very clean, are cleanly dressed (perhaps not chic but then again, I'm walking around in hiking clothes), and obviously have a deep respect for their fellow human beings. I could speculate and say that it relates to either Inca values or Christian ethics - but I'm not an anthropologist.
One common behaviour I've seen in many places is the morning washing of the public space in which they operate or live. In the village we were in last Saturday (more below), and again at the market in Cusco this morning, it is a common practice to scrub the area in which one works. At the market this morning, the person working each stall started the day by washing and scrubbing the floor area in front of their retail area. I can't say, from that behaviour, that the country is or looks clean, but nonetheless, it reflects a very Japanese-like respect for people and things. The village example (don't rush ahead now!) will illustrate it better.
The other key behaviour is the fact that I have seen NO ONE begging in this country. EVERYONE has something to sell: bottled water, a song, postcards, carrying your bag up the mountain, knitwear... name it, you can find it, and there's a price attached to it. You can bargain for everything - though sometimes it seems almost ridiculous to do so. As an example, a bottle of spring water that sells for $1.50 or $2 at Mac's Milk back home goes for $0.30 or $0.60 here (more on the Inca Trail...) -- I can live without the extra $0.30 cents in my pocket, some people here may not.
Back to the narrative... After visiting the village, we drove through the Sacred Valley of the Inca, a beautiful fertile valley deemed "sacred" because it was, in essence, the "food basket" for the entire Inca empire. After stopping in the market of Pisaq, and at the Pisaq ruins (interesting, but our guide was preaching the mystical ways to us.... a bit annoying...), we had lunch in a completely unexpected location, the "Estancia Alhambra", a luxurious restaurant surrounded by lush gardens. The buffet was impressive and the food absolutely delicious.
After lunch, we stopped at a local "pub" where they make maize (corn) beer, the brew favoured by the local population. It's rather vile, I thought, but then again, it's cheap! Of note was the adjoining Guinea Pig farm - no, they're not bred for pet stores! They were very cute - about 200 of them in one big room, squeaking happily away. Little did they know of the fate awaiting them...
We then headed to the small town (and ruins) of Ollantaytambo (O-yan-tai-tam-bo), and I found myself enchanted by the setting. The ruins of the old Inca city spread upwards on the mountains west of the town, in terraces built by hundreds of thousands of men, centuries ago. Stones cut precisely and carried from the quarry 15 km away, then positioned in exactly the right spot, reminded me greatly of the statues ("moai") we saw on Easter Island last fall. Of course, we couldn't help but ask... "but why...?", and once again, the answer was, "for the gods...". What has humanity not done in the name of its gods?
The three internet cafés in town had lost their connections (satellite), so I wasn't able to post anything on Friday. With Chris and Harriet, Clive, Norm, Suraj, Brian and Mary, Claire and Gareth, Keith and May Nah, and our guide Carlos, we all ended up at a local café-restaurant that offered great coffee and great food. Two hours of trivia questions later, we settled for the night at the Hotel Orquiedas, ready to tackle the trek the next morning.
I'll stop here for this entry, and will start another one for the trek!!!
Ollantaytambo Hotels
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