Machu Picchu - August 22nd, 2013

    Machu Picchu, there is a reason it is considered one of the Wonders of the World. I was glad I got to spend a whole day here, with all its rewards and challenges. The day began with Rebi and I meeting the group who had just got off the Inca Trail near the Sun Window. We weren't able to make it all the way up to the Window before the tour began though. It was great being with everyone in the group again.  

       The first place we visited in the Temple were the agricultural terraces before making our way over to the first sacred area. The area was supposed to represent the center of the world and had a rock that a compass could be placed upon. The area was large too and had unfinished windows (not all the windows had the three sections to represent the Puma, Condor and Serpent), but it was still really cool. From there we worked our way higher up.

     At the top we reached the Sun Altar and the the Altar to Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the huge mountain that you see in the background in every picture in Peru, it is a huge peak and it was used for initiation ceremonies for youth. Once you reach the top after crossing through the Puma Cave you are seen as initiated. The altar in the picture above is for those who couldn't climb the mountain cor ceremonies. Being at this mountain was seen as symbolically making the climb, since the Altar is the highest point in Temple area.

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                                                      The Sun Altar

                                             Wayna Picchu

    After we were at the Temple the group separated with a few of us choosing to make the climb to Wayna Picchu. I was one of the folks who decided to do it. What an amazing climb it was! Most of it was completely uphill and through caves and around the face of the mountain. When I reached the top I felt alive. There is nothing quite like reaching the top of a mountain.

                                           Machu Picchu from Wayna Picchu  
 It was here I took pictures with my Mom, Step-Dad, brother and another member of our group who had made it to the top. It was great to sit and reflect, and for some time it was just our group up there.

  After that we decided to make our way down. Seeing a sign to the Sacred Cave we decided to visit there too. It was there I hit trouble. I was almost out of water and completely ran out when we reached the caves.

     The first cave was the Moon Goddess Cave. It was here I rested and recuperated. It was a peaceful place and there birds who had made this cave their home.

      The final stop was the Sacred Cave which was full of meteors where we all meditated for a while to get rid of thoughts or feelings that didn't serve our growth in anyway. The thoughts of course are always with us, but it did help me get rid of my worry about the climb I was about to make to get back without water.

    The journey back to Machu Picchu was physically the most difficult thing I've done. With our limited water supply and me completely out we eventually made it back after 2 hours of mostly climbing uphill from the Sacred Caves which were at the bottom and backside of Wayna Picchu. It was here I learned how to make the most of my body and just how powerful the mind can be for pushing forward. It was hard but, the visit to those caves was worth it nonetheless.

                                            The Condor's head in the Temple of the Condor

     The last place we visited was the housing area and the Temple of the Condor. Both were beautiful areas and emphasized once more just how religious this place had been. One of the theories I learned was that it was a Monastery for religious Inca and with all the religious sites there (seven, plus the Sacred Caves) I could see why it was. Each area is made to compliment the land and honor the symbols that are supposed to be mean something more than just the physical world (though there is a chance there might be all there is). I learned the power of endurance, and even found peace in physical hardship on the trail while at the same time got to walk through history. Machu Picchu, I shall return.

Journey to Machu Picchu - August 21st, 2013

       After visiting Cathedrals and experiencing the big city it was in a complete change of pace that I found the most connection.

        An essential part of Incan Spirituality is honoring the land. The land itself is seen as a Temple, which is why the buildings were built to compliment the mountains or to use the pros and cons of any given location and make the most of it.

     I was not able to do the Inca trail proper, but with my guide Rebi we did our own version of the trail. A more modern version where the railroad and the river were our guides to Aguas Calientes. The journey to Machu Picchu was religiously siginifigant for the Inca. It was a pilgrimage where at the end and arriving there you were supposed to find yourself and connect to the spirits. This would be my version of this.

      Along the way we would pass tons of Inca Sites and at least one Holy Site where we would take lunch. First, I shall start at the beginning though.

     After taking a bus for an hour we got off in a small village and began our trek along the railroad. To our left was the river and many times donkeys and horses sitting idly by watching us. After about an hour we reached the first site which was an Inca Fort along the river. We explored this place for a bit before continuing onward.

     Our next stop was into the desert. It was here Rebi pointed out the different things that were used for coloring the Alpaca and sheeps wool. It had a rugged beauty to it and reminded me a lot of exploring Zion or Arches National Park in Utah. We also ran into an Inca Barracks and Noblemen's house while all along the way passing cows and farms. We also passed Inca farming terraces on the other side of the river that were probably used for feeding the armies that were posted here.

      Next we arrived in a tiny village where there were sections of an Inca Wall that was almost completely invisible because of the overgrowth. It was after passing here that we arrived at an Inca Holy site, which was the halfway mark.

    The Inca Holy site was an altar and a giant black stone. The stone had been carved to have a puma, condor and serpent on its snake to represent the 3 worlds the Inca honored. It was here we talked and took lunch. Before us was the rainforest and a complete change in landscape.

     The forest was beautiful. We saw a snake at one point and tons of birds. The one disadvantage was it soon got dark as we passed out of the forest into the Jungle. It was here that trust key. Rebi's light through his phone was the one thing keeping the path clear. Time was lost in the dark and with it understandable fear. I was going somewhere I had never been to before and we'd passed a few places that were covered with big steel gates. I had no idea what Aguas Calientes looked like or if we would have to go through a gate and passed security to get there too.

    Thankfully that was not the case and the arrival was one of the best experiences I can describe. There is nothing like earning the right to go to a place by physically walking there, and this was one of those times. I can see why it was seen as religious. Its a lot of work to go over the mountains to get to where you want to go. Not to mention physical excretion is a great way to clear the mind.

     After arriving we talked family, the past and treated one another to drinks and disco. It was the end to a great journey. We had finally arrived and the next day would be a place covered in Holy Sites. The city of Machu Picchu.