My Own Odyssey

The last time I was in Peru was with Mom, Dad, and Alicia on my way home from my mission. I was suffering from a pretty serious case of mission weird and although I remember being impressed by Machu Picchu, didn't really remember it. I did remember wanting to hike the trail to Machu Picchu instead of taking the train, so this spring break I decided to do that.

With 5 Manhattan friends I headed to Peru. I had a very cool feeling as we touched down in Peru of being "home." I have never felt that way about NYC, perhaps it is because I am really not classy enough to live here. We stayed in Cuzco and visited a bunch of the Inca ruins around the city and got our lungs acclimated to the altitude. There really is a noticeable difference in your ability to breath, especially when climbing stairs. We ate papas a la huancaina and big choclo with goat cheese and drank chi cha.

On Easter we went to Mormon church, which I loved and then to Ancient Inca church at Moray. Bascially we went there to lay down at the bottom of these bowl shaped farming terraces to "get the energy from the Pacha Mama" which is apparently what the locals do when they need guidance or help in their life. That night we went to Easter mass at the Catholic church, a long held tradition of mine.

We met with our guide on Monday morning for last minute instructions and he took one look at us and with a disapproving head shake said, "I don't know why you decided to do this hike in THREE days." The hike is a rigorous 4-day hike, but since there were no permits left for the dates that we wanted, we signed up to do it in 3 days. He said it would be really hard and we left feeling a little frightened.

The next morning we left at 4 am to drive through the streets before all the protestoring farmers from the country took to the streets again and got violent.

After making some last minute alterations to my clothes we started down the trail. We hiked past some amazing ruins and through breathtaking rainforests. The trail was beautiful and had a very special spirit about it. Toward the end of the day we started to climb and endless path of stairs. We were headed to Dead Woman's pass at almost 14,ooo feet.










We stopped about halfway up the mountain and camped for the night. This was the view from my tent. When we arrived at camp the 12 porters who accompanied our guide and the 6 of us on our hike had our tents set up, along with a dining tent and a cooking tent. They proceeded to serve us a 5 course meal complete with a full set of silverware and a table with table cloth and folded napkins. I felt like a rich person on an African Safari.






The next morning we woke up and hiked the rest of the way up Dead Woman's Pass, stopping to breathe every few steps. That altitude really gets ya!! We summited at 7 am then started the descent. Turns out the descent is really hard on your knees. Once we got to the bottom we started to climb up the stairs again to the next pass. The hike would have been really hard, had the views not been so breathtaking. On the passes it was always either raining or misting because you are quite literally in a cloud. We met up with the porters and our chef for a three course lunch and then continued hiking up and down stairs until we got to the final camp that night. We slept there and in the middle of the night the parasites took their vengeance on Cristi. She had a really rough night and then the porters ran her the 3 hours to Machu Picchu the next morning. She spent her time at Machu Picchu on a bunk bed in a back room and then was rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Cuzco.
For me, Machu Picchu was a totally different experience this time. It was originally built for the Inca, the ruler of the Quechuan people, as a spiritual retreat or temple. He would go there a few times a year when he was seeking spiritual guidance or clarity. It was a holy place for him. What I found so different this time is that the Inca had to make that long trek to be able to make it to the temple. He had to really want that spiritual guidance, he had to plan for it and he had a long hard road to prepare to recieve that guidance. Coming to this holy mountain after having made that trek made it seem so much more special. I really loved the spirit that is present in Machu Picchu and it doesn't hurt that it is nestled in one of the most picturesque vistas I have ever had the good fortune to behold.