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Macchu Picchu's Gonna Gittchu …part 2
The alarm woke us at 4am and in the pitch blackness and with full brass monkey gear on, including rather fetching head torches we started to stomp the steps to the Macchu Picchu citadel. I think my brain was playing tricks with me, even though I had read up on the climb to Macchu Picchu I thought it would be easy. We stomped over 1800 steps and it nearly finished me off!!..some of the steps were knee high which made it more of a mountain climb. After about 50 steps we both decided that there was no way that we could keep up with the younglings whizzing past so we let them go on ahead. However, it was a bit like the hare and the tortoise, we passed them about another 100 meteres further on and they were completely burnt out…hee hee!!. As the light began to change we could see the top of the Macchu Picchu mountain and were worried that we would miss the sunrise over the city because we were going so slow. I was beginning to feel despondant and old when suddenly there was a loud whirring right next to my ear. In true Laura fashion I flapped about doing a slappy laderhosen dance thinking it was a gigantic jurrassic jungle spider but as I turned around I saw the most beautiful humming bird about a foot away from me. Amazing! (I know I have over used that word but it really was !) the sight of this little bird spurred me on and after one hour and forty minutes we reached the top. As we entered Macchu Picchu city, right on time, the sun appeared over the top of the mountain and cast magical shadows over all we could see. I got a bit choked it was so beautiful. No wonder the Inca people revered the sun and nature, you can absolutely understand why with no technology to make sense of it all, of course you would worship this amazing golden glow that arrived in the sky everyday. We walked further into the site and Huber pointed out how the sun had cast shadows in the shape of condors and pumas where rocks had been strategically placed by the Incas. He explained how they built the temples and houses using hemetite tools splitting the rocks and bricks perfectly and then putting them together like a huge puzzle. no mortar required. They even used circular stones at the foundations to counteract the force of earthquake activity..very clever! Ray and I walked up to the temple of the condor . On the floor of the temple is a rock carved in the shape of the condor's head and neck feathers, making a three-dimensional bird. Huber explained that the head of the condor was used as a sacrificial altar. Under the temple is a small cave that contained a mummy. A prison stood directly behind the temple, and was made up of human-sized nooks and crannies and an underground maze of dungeons. According to ancient writings, an accused person would be chained into the nooks and crannies for up to 3 days to await the deliberation of his fate. He could be put to death for such sins as laziness, lust, or theft. Oh dear I know a few people who would stand absolutely no chance!! While we were taking some piks, a flock (I think thats the collective noun?) of parrots flew over us chattering away. It was so lovely to see them flying over the Urabamba Valley below. Just the day before we had been to a pub in Cusco where they had a parrot sat on his perch all alone, whistling and cawwing at anyone who walked by just for a bit of company. That made me sad and i stood there having a very long conversation with him but the sight of these parrots doing what parrots are supposed to do was so uplifting. We wandered around this magical site for hours and then met up with Huber again for the last bit of the tour. He showed us some pictures and told us more stories of sacrifices and Inca history and then , just at the end he said "look at this picture", it was the standard Macchu Picchu tourist pik, then he turned it 90 degrees and it showed the face of an Inca warrior. It completely blew me away!!!….Ray and I ran up to the same position as the picture was taken and took some of our own and lo and behold we also found the Inca warriors face….amazing!!….is that why they built there?… because the profile of the mountain looked like the profile of a human?? ….so wonderfully weird!! After a fantastic morning and once we had said goodbye to the grazing llamas, we decided not to take the bus but to walk back down the steps. The pain was intense on the 'ol' knees, hips and ankles but so worth it. Begs the question though, why, when the Incas were such tiddly people did they build such high steps..crazy little Peruvians! We borded the Peru Rail train from Aguas Calientes and headed back to Cusco. Another amazing adventure…am so pleased we have 'bagged it' and I thoroughly recommend it and despite the steps and my joints taking a hammering I would go back in a heart beat…
- comments
Olly Oliver It's a Pandemonium or Company of Parrots. X
Em I rememebr seeing a 'pademonium, of budgies in Australia. Not Parrots but still amazing - keep it coming Lor. Its great x
Steven silver In the words of the luckiest person I know........amazing x
Fiona Collier Laura, I love it. Every last delicious word. It does sound so achingly & utterly exquisite - regardless of the altitude sickness; I think that is the Baby Cheesus' punishment for being so hedonistic!! And I can categorically inform that it is a 'company' of parrots.. you lucky luck luck. Get well, keep safe xxxx
Jen Beresford Loving the blog Laura! You are a inspiration! Hoping to follow in your footsteps one day.....xx
Dorrie Oliver Wow Lor, You brought it all back… made me quite emotional What a truly wonderful place it is. Did you see how they positioned the stones /window’s to mark the summer and winter solstice – it was all so precise without any technology. Awe inspiring. Can completely see why nature and the sun was such a huge part of their belief system. I am impressed with your walking up to the top. Did you like Ageaus Calientes? The train through the valley was amazing too. So so glad you got to do it x
David Grinaway what can I say.......Amazing.