I did not get back to my hotel until after midnight last night so I decided not to ride on towards Bolivia today. I'm just going to take a rest day in Cusco.
Yesterday morning began with my alarm going off at 3AM. A tourist van picked me up in front of my hotel at 3:30 and we drove around Cusco picking up other passengers until 4:00. From my understanding there has been some damage to the rail system so the van had to take us to Ollantaytambo which is a town about 2 hours from Cusco. We met our train at a small station in Ollantaytambo. The train ride to Aguas Calientes took just under 2 hours but it was so beautiful passing through a steep canyon. Aguas Calientes is a small, landlocked town only accessible on foot or by rail. It is the jumping off point to visit Machu Picchu.
Since it was hard for me to predict which day I would arrive in Cusco exactly it was difficult for me to get tickets for Machu Picchu. I finally decided just to purchase a packaged ticket from Peruways. It included the hotel pickup, bus and train transit to Aguas Calientes, entry to Machu Picchu and an English speaking guide. All for $330 which I thought seemed reasonable. A bit out of my usual travel budget but something I didn't feel I could miss.
In Aguas Calientes, I met my guide, Andre, who was in his mid 30s. Andre had been working as an Inca Trail and mountaineering guide since he was 17 years old. He is a stoner, shaman kind of guy and we had a really fun day together. I told Andre that I wanted to hike up to Machu Picchu instead of taking the bus and he agreed. It took about an hour and a half of some very steep hiking to reach the citadel. Andre suggested that we go directly to climb the small peak of Huchuy Picchu before visiting the citadel. That climb was much steeper and took an additional half hour.
Along the way Andre offered me some coca leaves to chew. I took 5-6 leaves and poked them in my mouth. They were bitter like coffee. A little unpleasant. Andre then held out a small black lump of something and said take a little of this. He pinched off a rice grain size piece. I took it and put it in my mouth. It tasted amazing and brought out the caramel favors of the coca. Andre said that this was stevia paste with anis. Soon I could feel the mild stimulant effect of the coca. Similar to caffeine but I could tell the world was slightly enhanced with the colors of the sky and jungle more vibrant.
When we arrived at the peak, I got my first view of the citadel. Andre said, "Don't see it with your eyes, feel it in your heart." "Take off your shoes and feel the earth." I did.
We've all seen the iconic photos of this place and it has been featured in so many documentaries, but being there did "feel" different. The mountainsides surrounding the site are nearly vertical offering a dizzying parallax when you try to take it all in. Andre and I sat at the top of Huchuy Picchu for quite a while watching the clouds while he explained the significance of what I was looking at. How the Inca Trail was connected through here and how the site was aligned to astrological phenomenon.
Eventually I put my shoes back on, we took some photos and headed down to walk through the ancient city. In comparison with the Mayan and Aztec sites I had visited in Mexico and Central America, Maccu Picchu was quite modern and was only occupied for a short time. It was built in the 15th century and was abandoned when the Spanish sacked the Incan capital of Cusco in 1532. The site showcases the Incan's architectural, agricultural, food storage and irrigation technology as-well-as their understanding of social structures and astronomy. Machu Picchu was not a capital and probably had less than 500 inhabitants. Its overall importance to the Incan Empire is a matter of debate. It is still a humbling place to visit.
Continuing with his assertion that Machu Picchu is a place to be experienced and not just seen, Andre would have me "feel" the energy in the rocks and had me look for icons cast by shadows. Often you could see the profiles of faces or animals silhouetted on a rock or cliff face. The Incas often left indigenous rocks in place and integrated them into their architecture to establish a harmony with the original nature. Andre led me through a short ritual at one such stone. I recognized the practice as a form of Qigong, though Andre did not know the term. Qigong is part of Chinese Medicine and many martial art practices in which practitioners try to focus their "Qi" or vital energy. Andre led me through a brief meditation and then a few movement exercises. We then hovered our hands a few inches from the boulder. I could "feel" the vibration tingling in my fingers much the way static electricity feels.
As we continued our walk through the citadel, Andre carried on expounding on his philosophy of the world. I couldn't be quite sure if he had his historical facts correct but I didn't really care. Somehow the universe had provided me with this kooky but wonderful experience.
In the end Andre, explained how I should get back to Aguas Calientes. We took a selfie together and then he left me alone to reflect. I relished the silence that was only occasionally interrupted by a passing group. I think that the Peruvians, with the help of UNESCO, do a very good job of limiting access to the site. There were other people about but it never felt crowded and there were plenty of places that I could find quite solitude. I could pick up on an enormous sense of pride amongst everyone involved. The Peruvian's are proud of their Incan ancestry and they are so happy to share it with the world.
The sun up on the plateau was intense and despite my sunscreen and forehead protection, I was getting scorched. It was almost 2PM and I could tell it was getting ready to rain. I took a bus down the steep and mountain giving earned respect to the driver who navigated the switchbacked decent with control and expertise. Twice he had to back the bus several hundred feet along the precipice to allow an oncoming bus to pass.
My train wasn't until 7PM so I had several hours to pass in Aguas Calientes. After a delicious lunch I wandered around a found a municipal football (soccer) pitch. There appeared to be a soccer camp going on with least one hundred children participating. I sat in a small covered bleacher section with the parents and watched. It was a good way for me to listen to Spanish.
By the time my train arrived it was long past dark and it had been raining for several hours. I slept all of the way back to Ollantaytambo station. From there, I found my bus back to Cusco finally arriving back to my hotel a little after midnight. Very tired but happy.