Machu Picchu: My Second New Wonder

The road we took to get to the top

This past weekend I went with the ISA/ELAP group to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.  We took a bus and train to get there, and stayed in a town called Aguas Calientes at the bottom of the mountain on which Machu Picchu sits.  A tourist bust took us to the top of the mountain, taking the scariest hairpin turns all the way up and passing other big busses on the single lane dirt road like it was no big deal.

For our official tour of the ancient city, a friend of Kenner’s happened to be our guide.  The two or three hour tour took us from outside the ancient city with that view of Machu Picchu you always see in pictures, into the city through various old plazas, thrones and places of worship.  The city was thought to be built for nobles and it was all constructed by hand, not even with the help of animals, for all they had were llamas and let’s face it, llamas can’t do much except pose for pictures (which they so kindly did for us as they wandered aimlessly in the terraces around the city.  Classic.)  Also, these terraces which surround the city all the way down the mountainside are made of dirt from Cusco and the Sacred Valley, meaning the Incas went to the trouble of moving all that dirt for miles by hand.  When the Spanish arrived, the Incans destroyed their trails leading to this city so that it would remain hidden.  Their trick worked, for scientists (an American from an Ivy League, I believe) didn’t find it until 100 years ago.  Cool, huh?  (Or rather, chevere, ¿no?)  Machu Picchu proves the brilliance of the Incans.

Traffic jam on the Inca Trail

After the guided walk, we went on a beautiful hike along part of the Incan trail toward La Puerta del Sol, an ancient foundation with amazing views of the mountains along the way.  After a full day in Machu Picchu, we relaxed our exhausted muscles in the hot springs of Aguas Calientes (hence the town’s name, “Hot Waters”).  At night we went out for yummy pizza and fun karaoke, with a mix of English and Spanish songs.  That night I fell asleep with my windows open (much warmer than Cusco, as it is about 4,000 feet lower) listening to a band playing, marching around the city at 1:00 am.  The next day I’d find out the reason behind the late-night music.

Walking along PeruRail Tracks

Andy and I at the falls

Sunday morning we hiked the PerúRail tracks into the jungley forest.  It was quiet and peaceful, the air was clean and fresh, and the exercise felt so good: I was in my happy place.  There was fascinating vegetation: avocado and coffee bean trees, bright flowers of reds and yellows, palm trees, and hydrangeas as big as my head.  At the end of the trail, our feet were treated to the coldest of water in the gorgeous waterfall.  We played on the rocks and took fun group pics, making Andy promise to put them on the ISA website.  On the way back we stopped at a less-than-exciting butterfly garden where we were only able to spot two butterflies with the help of a barefooted Chilean who came out of nowhere and vanished as fast as he’d appeared. 

Pineapple

Banana trees

Locals praying at the shrine

After lunch Shauna and I decided to wander the city away from the touristy parts.  Upon crossing the bridge to the more local side, we immediately came upon a big fútbol game with people watching from all sides.  We followed the persistent music to find a band playing and locals eating, drinking and dancing.  We enjoyed the music and the man passing out pisco sours offered us some, even though we were clearly tourists.  We continued until we saw a shrine two stories tall full of bright colors, pictures of Jesus, Incan designs, and burning candles.  Continuing on, we came upon a small street filled with, yet again, a band and people eating, dancing and drinking.  This time when we passed through a woman pulled on my arm and gave me a glass of chicha.  “¡Baile! ¡Baile!” she told me.  “Dance! Dance!”  So, after a little resistance, we stayed and danced.  And how thankful I am that we did, because that experience turned out to be my favorite from Perú thus far.

The warm and welcoming Manuel

For nearly an hour we stayed and chatted with these locals, the nicest and most welcoming people I have ever met.  They asked us about our country, our studies, our purpose here and how we liked Perú, and they told us about their community, Machu Picchu, and this feast day of a saint I’d never heard of, which explains the music all night and day.  We even had inside jokes with our new friends by the time we left.  (All this in Spanish – it was a confidence boost in my language abilities!)  The whole time they were giving us drinks that we had no chance of finishing, and I’m sure they would have fed us if we hadn’t had to leave before they cooked their bucket of chicken (literally a giant bucket full of whole, raw chickens, which one man made talk and dance for us) and huge leg of a cow (casually thrown over another man’s shoulder as he carried the heavy load into the house).  The whole time we couldn’t stop laughing and it all seemed too much like a dream.  We were experiencing local culture as best as we could simply because we’d wandered off the beaten path (don’t worry Mom, we were still very safe!) and happened upon the kindest community.  All the stereotypes and stories I have heard about Latin Americans being happy, warm, welcoming and generous were made very true and real to me this weekend in less than an hour with Manuel, Leo and the other perfect strangers turned fast friends.  I can’t do it justice with words or pictures.  It was a beautiful exchange of culture, laughter, love, and human connection.

So while some remember their visit to Machu Picchu for the ancient ruins, the llamas, or the mountain views, I will always remember it for the amazing love of the beautiful people of Aguas Calientes.  

Aguas Calientes