This weekend, I ventured to the main tourist attraction of Peru, Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Inca’s about 72 miles from Cusco. Its literally a city on a hill or rather, a plush and rocky mountain. Getting there was indeed an adventure. First, I must say, getting to Machu Picchu in and of itself is not easy, there is no straght shot, all options involve many transfers. There are a few complicated ways to get there, 1) the famous Incan trail in which people walk for 4 days to get there 2) alternative trails that takes between 3-5 days of trekking or biking 3) you can go by train/ bus which involves like 2-3 transfers or 4)you can go by car which also involves 2 transfers. Seeming that my lungs can not keep up with my legs on a regular day, I elected to take it by car. Also, my host dad’s brother has a travel agency and we (3 other volunteers, Tiffany, Effie and Marie) went with his agency.

Machu Picchu itself was great, but I must also say that the overall trip was probably the worst tour I have been on.  It took 12 hours to get to the Machu Picchu town which is less thatn 100 miles from Cusco, we we have to go over and around mountains. We got picked up at 7 am and had 12 people all with backpacks in a 12 passenger van. We went on a dirt road so that trip was more like a roller coaster ride, very bumpy and rather scary. There were dogs, people and rocks in the middle of the road and we literally crossed 3-4 rivers and came across 3 roadblocks. All of this was experienced with the background 80′s music playing in the van, such as “Locomotion,” “Beat It” and “Slow Hand.” We were also less than a foot from the edge of a cliff the whole time. This gave the term “living on the edge” a new meaning. Upon every sharp turn, and believe me there were many, the van driver would blow the horn to warn any drivers speeding the other way. The road was fitted for one car and more often then not we had to scootch by another van. Needless to say, we had some close encounters. At one point on the trip, we drove through a stream bed next to boulders the size of living rooms. The river was low because it was the dry season, but you could tell that during the rainy season all of the road and the rocks would be under water. The views from the cliffs were stunning though and at one point there was a waterfall gushing from a random whole in the side of a rock mountain.

The absolute most annoying thing about the trip was that it was supposed to be bilingual and the driver only spoke to the Spanish speakers. Thus, every time we stopped, we had not clue what was going on, because he just didn’t talk to us. We stopped for lunch in Santa Teresa and then got dropped off at Santa  Maria where we caught a hydro electric train to Aguas Caliente. There we waited standing up in the hot sun for over an hour. We got to Aquas Caliete where we ate dinner and our next tour guide was to give us the breakdown for the day. Again he spoke in Spanish for about a half hour and then when we asked him for and English version he simply said “bring some water.”  Next annoying thing, we thought everything was included, because that is what we had been told, but we learned that we had to pay for our bus tickets up to Macchu Picchu. Thus, we had to be in line between 4 and 4:30 am to get on the line for out tickets and on the first bus that leaves at 6 to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu itself, is kind of an amazing place. We got there about 6:30 and were able to watch the sun rise from the top of a mountain. Its  jungle-like mountainous area so every edge of the whole Incan city has a fabulous view of mountains and valleys. There were remnants of dwellings and temples and it is believed that about 600 ppl lived here during its height. Its one of the new wonders of he world and about 2500 pple a day visit there now. Alpaca’s live and graze there. There are agricultural terraces, a sundial, towers, fountains and a main square. We climbed to the guardhouse at the top, which took quite a while and we had to take a few rests. Steps are still not my friend here, but the sun was beaming and the sky was clear and a ocean of blue. One fun fact – what takes most trekkers 4 days now an Inca messenger would run in 8 hours. Machu Picchu was not discovered by the Spanish when they arrived, which is why it is still well preserved. The Inca’s destroyed the bridges and abandoned Machu Picchu so that they wouldn’t find and destroy this masterpiece.

This  whole trip made me think about the trails, tribulations, sweat and struggle it takes to discover or uncover a masterpiece. As I have learned from my time in Peru, to see or uncover something great, it’s usually a long a bumpy road full of rocks, roadblocks, setbacks but time, patience and perseverance will lead you to something wonderful.

Randonmess

The way back was equally as horrible, or maybe more since I had cold and flu symptoms, was up since 3:30 and could not have a comfortable position in the van on top of the honking and bumpy road.  Also, for some reason our van seats were wet and covered with black plastic bags. We still got wet. We even encountered a strike in which gas truck were blocking the road. We had to get out and convince the towns people to let us go by.

I read Desert Dawn by Waris Dirie on my way there. This is was an awesome book about a Somali women who was once a nomad in Somalia until she she ran away at 13 and ended up becoming a fashion model. She was the victim of female genital mutilation along with 70 million other women around the world. Desert Dawn is actually the sequel to Desert Flower- which is the story of her life from nomad to becoming a model. The book I read was about her returning to Somalia to find her family after 20 years. Her name Waris, means dessert flower in Somali.

Being a Waris (Dessert Flower in Somali)

Sometimes in life you just have to put one foot in front of the other

You must journey when you have no strength to walk

Grow when rains are scarce

Bloom despite the dry and cracked earth

You must survive and emerge with newness of life

Like a desert flower

which stays alive between blessings