I'm currently back in Europe, after a couple of flights taking me from Cuzco to Madrid. I spent a week in Madrid, trying to learn a bit more Spanish and re-immersing myself in Euro-culture again. (Grunts aren't accepted as communication here, it seems!). The Spanish I'd picked up in Peru seems to give me a few strange looks when I try to speak it in Spain.
I'd spent around 3 weeks using Cuzco as a base, and I'd grown quite attached. It's a very tourist friendly place, and there are a number of opportunities to get out and do some interesting things. For a price, of course.
The Plaza de Armas in Cuzco
Looking down on the city from the mountains
Becca had come out to meet me for a couple of weeks, and I had persuaded her to join me on some Via Ferrata, a climbing system where metal rungs have been permanently installed into the rock, along with safety lines, bridges etc. We spent the day climbing up the system, before rappelling off, and back to the ground. This was near the town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, so the views from high up were amazing.
A couple of days later we set off on a 4 day trek of the Lares Valley, north of Cuzco. It was breathtaking scenery, with a maximum altitude of around 4,600m above sea level. We stopped and camped the first night in a small community called Huacahuasi.
Horses in the Mist. My Dian Fossey moment at Huacahuasi
The community of Huacahuasi
A Huacahuasi local in traditional dress
The trek through the cloud in the Lares Valley
The ultimate destination of this excursion was Maccu Picchu, the famous "Lost City of the Incas" west of Cuzco. It was re-discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, and the city itself sits between the mountains of Maccu Picchu and Huayna Picchu (Old Mountain and Young Mountain, respectively). Along with the Nazca lines, it is a site and a sight I have wanted to see since I was in my early teens.
Chuffed!
The restored city and Huayna Picchu in the background
Apparently, the original name of the city is unknown. The name "Maccu Picchu" was given to it due to its proximity to Maccu Picchu mountain, but the city seems to have been a haven for religious and intellectual people from various Inca cities around their empire, who would make pilgrimages to it via the network of roads. Some of these roads are now open to tourists as the popular Inca Trails.
A portion of the site, and the stunning surroundings.
As I'm getting closer to home, my drive to continue to write this blog is waning a bit. I'm becoming more concerned with finding another source of income from the Real World, as opposed to the imaginary one that I've been living in since November 2010. I'm satisfied that I've managed to tick off a hell of a lot of things from my bucket list, and I've managed to share a number of them on these pages. I may continue to write, but if not, I will wish you all well and ciao for now!
Ross Harper, Paris, April 2012
