Cuzco and Machu Picchu, Peru

Cuzco and Machu Picchu, Peru

A Travelogue by 

Karen Soro

Note: Our trip to Machu Picchu was part of a longer tour that included other wondrous places such as a cruise through the Galapagos Islands, touring the cities of Cuzco, Lima and Quito, and day trips to other inexplicable sites such as Ollentaytanbo. Since it was so action packed I have decided to break it down into smaller segments. On our trip the group began this segment of the journey in Cuzco, the ancient Incan capital, and returned back to Cuzco after three days of exploring the Machu Picchu ruins. We were amazingly fortunate because just a few days after we departed a devastating flood washed out the entire valley and railway. Some people who were hiking the Inca trail were killed and tourists had to be air lifted out of Aguas Calientes . Looking at the new itinerary of the Smartours tour it seems they have had to rearrange some things but I am sure it is still absolutely fantastic ( and, as always with Smartours, a true value.) 

So this adventure begins high in the Andes Mountains at a town, once a Kingdom, called Cuzco. Cuzco was center stage for the glory and the demise of the Incan Empire which extended through all of Peru, Ecuador, a large portion of Chile and corners of Argentina and Columbia. Cuzco literally means “Navel of the Universe” in the Incan language and it is there that they erected enormous temples to the sun and huge complexes for their royalty. The town is also where Pizarro and his brothers set up the first Spanish stronghold as witnessed by the large numbers of Catholic churches (built right over the top of the Incan temples!) and huge cobblestone plazas and streets.

Cuzco is a lovely town, full of native people and their llamas donning their brightly colored attire. There are open air markets, buskers, vendors, restaurants and shops of all manner. There are great hotels, tidy bed and breakfasts, parks and an inordinate number of ancient sites to explore. We stayed there for three days and took part in  some remarkable excursions to see sites like Sacsayhuaman- which rivals Machu Picchu.

Sacsayhuaman occupies a site on a mountain above the old city of Cuzco. It is an ancient fortress built of megalithic stones- some weighing 300 tons that were transported 50 miles across the rough mountain terrain. The Incas did not even possess the knowledge of the wheel and they had no horses-so how this feat was accomplished is a mystery. In fact, the Spanish, upon first seeing this site, declared that it was the work of demon and evil spirits. Later the Spanish dismantled the top stones to use in the construction of their cathedrals. Needless to say, archeologists are still investigating the site and in recent years have begun using ground penetrating sonar discovering that the stones are actually laid much deeper into the ground than once thought, and thus are even larger and heavier. There is also evidence of a massive flood.

In the evenings we visited the main plaza in the center of town called The Plaza of Armas (Square of the Warriors). It has numerous restaurants, lovely artisan shops and two imposing cathedrals. We got a seat a fantastic restaurant on the second floor of the arcade surrounding the plaza listening to a native band play the haunting pan flutes (my favorite!) and watching the moonlit  Andean world go by. Wonderful!

After taking in as much of Cuzco as we could, we boarded “The Hiram Bingham” vista dome and set out on a journey that took us through some of the most amazing scenery on Earth. The train follows along the course of the raging Urubamba River and makes five switchbacks, called “El Zig Zag”, to enable the train to climb the steep incline and enter a very narrow swath of land known as the Sacred Valley. Quick glimpses of The Inca Trail and ancient terraces would appear like ghosts out of the jungle and the rocky mountain tops towered for hundreds of feet above the glass roof of the train. We were served afternoon tea on white linen table cloths as the train slowly made its three hour hourney to Aqua Calientes.

Aguas Calientes (meaning hot springs) looks like a town straight out of a scene from Indiana Jones. It is situated deep in the jungle and two roiling, muddy rivers converge in its center. The hotels and shanty houses of the residents cling impossibly to sheer the sides of the mountains and extend over the banks of the rivers. Laundry fluttered from the rooftops. We stayed at the Inti Inn, a small hotel tucked down a tiny stone alley. The hotel was extremely clean and comfortable and there were loads of great dining choices nearby. It was the perfect base to explore Machu Picchu!

We caught a bus from town the following morning and began our final assent to the ruins of Machu Picchu. A thin gravel road carved into the side of the mountain zigzagged its way up the steep incline. About 20 full sized buses traveling in each direction slowly made their way up the hill- gears grinding... honestly, these were some tense moments! I kept my gaze steadily on the bus floor and tried not to look!

When we arrived at the top , early that summer morning ,the mountain was shrouded in a thick blanket of fog. As the day warmed and the winds crept in, the mist lifted we could see terrace after terrace, dwelling after dwelling, fountains, temples.....all cut from enormous stone. 

What was this place....? Well that is the question, isn’t is? I mean thats why you go! What is it indeed! Who built it? Why? When? How?

Here is what we KNOW- A historian and adventurer from Yale University named Hiram Bingham first stumbled upon the ruins in 1911. He was actually looking for a place called Vilcabamba, the fabled lost city of the Inca, when he was led to the site by a local guide. Bingham was convinced he had found the lost city but further research showed that is could not possibly be Vilcabamba- but he had found something that no white man before him knew existed.

When giving their tours the guides on site have their pat answers for the tourists questions - none of which makes any sense to me whatsoever. Here is the standard spiel-  the city was built between 1450 and 1470. Somehow it eluded Pizarro and the rest of the Spanish marauders that destroyed the Incan empire. Then, with the entire Incan empire either dead or subdued, it fell into disuse until Hiram Bingham “discovered” it in 1911.

And that is pretty much the end of what they KNOW.

But you don’t go to Machu Picchu for what they know- you go for what they don’t know. It must be one of the most mysterious places on the planet.

What seems very apparent to me, just at first glance, is that Machu Picchu is a very ancient site dating back thousands of years not hundreds. There are at least 3 different building “periods”, the earlier of which were much more advanced than those of the later years. 

Look at my photos carefully- the base or bottom of the structures are monoliths! These are stones weighing hundreds of tons and fit together with amazing precision so taht a piece of paper can fit between them. Now, as I understand it, scientists can not know when a stone structure was built- they CAN date the rocks by looking at what fossils are in them- they CAN carbon date the remains of humans and animals that they find among the ruins- but they cannot tell when a rock was carved and put into place. So when was the foundation of Machu Picchu laid? It’s anyone’s guess.

How was it built? These stones are enormous! And while there was a rock quarry on site- how do you budge stones like that? We don’t know. What they do know is that there were never any horses in South America until 1524- only llamas and alpacas-and they didn’t have the wheel- so whoever did it, whenever they did it- they moved those stones into place by some unconventional means.

Upon the monumental stones of the foundation there are scores of rocks (smaller but still huge) that are cut with uncanny precision and laid row upon row making up a maze of dwellings, halls, fountains and walkways.

 Lastly, there are smaller stones that people of with a lesser skill set, piled up on top of the others, obviously to repair the  existing structures -this part of the construction appears to be  akin to walls you may find along the county roads of Ireland or the “slave” walls found in parts of the southern United States.

The Incas are given credit for the construction- but the Incas themselves will tell you that they did not build Machu Picchu- or Sacsayhuaman, nor many of the unexplainable monuments that dot their landscape.  The Incas tell a story about a cataclysm and epic flood that happened many thousands of years ago, when the “Land of Mu” sank during an earthquake. Some of the people of Mu had been forewarned by a prophet and they set sail to various parts of the globe. Some of the people found their way to the Andes where they met another race of beings called the “Apu” who already existed there, dwelling inside the mountains and among these gigantic, monolithic structures. The people of Mu asked for, and were granted, permission to stay in the new land. The people who came from Mu were the descendants of the Incas - but who were the people who were already there? And where did they go?

All of these mysteries are fun to contemplate when you are among these impossibly beautiful ruins. You can almost feel the air crackle with electricity, and indeed, it is said that there are powerful vortexes of energy on the mountain. While there are always a lot of tourists around- the place is vast and there are plenty of opportunities to wander away and have some time alone. And hey, If you are not into that you can always follow the guided tours- the  views are just as jaw-dropping and stupendous and you will be glad you went!

How to go- We went with Smartours-  http://www.smartours.com/galapagos.shtml

They take care of everything! 

  

Barcelona- A Travelogue

Okay, the first thing to say  is that 24 hours in Barcelona is not enough- but it’s all I had, so I made the most of it. It is also fair to say that I can pack more things into a one day period than most people can cram into two weeks, but hey, I am a pro at this thing called life! When life beckons- I go!

WHY would anyone stay in Barcelona for just one day, you ask? Well, let’s face it, the airlines are making the trip to Europe from Memphis hard these days. We wanted to go to Athens, Greece, but because of some strangeness in the air traffic world, in order to get there, we would have to go to Toronto, have a long layover, then Amsterdam with a 9 hour layover, then Munich, ….you get the convoluted picture. So instead of fighting it, we embraced it. We saw it as an opportunity to see some European Capitals that we had always wanted to see. So, with massive amounts of effort by Julie Butler at Peacock McCarty Travel, instead of sleeping at the airport in Milan, we were taking in the sights of Spain.

The first thing you notice about Barcelona is that it occupies a lovely location. It is ringed with hills, the Mediterranean Sea laps at its shores and it is washed with sunshine- Ah, yes, a very good geographical location indeed.

The second thing you notice is the foresight that went into planning this remarkable    (and very old) city. Broad, pedestrian friendly boulevards, 68 urban parks, and a huge promenade that runs the length of their oceanfront beaches (their beaches are the best urban beaches in the world) allows residents and visitors alike to fully enjoy the place. Vendors and buskers work their trades and the sweeping sidewalks are full of activity and life. The city has a program where the residents can, for about $50 a year, borrow any one of thousands of bicycles from one of the hundreds of stands dotted through out the city. So there are loads of people enjoying the fabulous weather while going from work to lunch or work to home, or out for the evening, you get the picture.

Our hotel, The Barcelo Raval, was amazing (thanks again, Julie Butler!) and located right off of La Ramblas, the famous main street in Barcelona that runs almost a mile and is lined with shops and cafes. Its huge, pedestrian friendly, cobblestoned median is filled with shopping stalls, artists, open air taverns and restaurants just as it has been for centuries. Start at the northern end of the street and walk down towards the sea.

At the southern end of La Ramblas, near the beach and by the statue of Christopher Columbus, is a tourist information booth where you can purchase tickets for the Hop On- Hop Off tour bus. This is a really good idea for people who want to make the most of limited time. You will want to see the work of Antoni Gaudi, the famous architect- no doubt you have heard of him- and since his work is sprinkled though out the city, a tour bus is definitely the way to go.

Gaudi is famous for his over the top whimsical style. He designed and built a cathedral along with some homes, gardens and public buildings. His master piece is a Cathedral called “Sagrada Familia” which he started in 1882 with construction continuing today. You can disembark the bus there, which apparently everyone does, but because the place is so absolutely packed it is hard to get a good view or even really appreciate it. Instead opt to jump off the bus at the Casa Mila, a famous home that was designed and built by the master.

The bus takes you through many of the different neighborhoods of Barcelona including the Palace. We jumped off the bus at the beaches, walked through a huge food market, had lunch at the Cathedral and saw ancient Roman ruins. We were back at our hotel in time to enjoy a sunset cocktail at “Bar 360” and a dip in the small rooftop pool, a perfect way to begin our night.

Friends had told us to dine at a place called Los Caracoles a restaurant located in the Gothic District not far off La Ramblas. It was founded in 1835 by the same family who runs it now. The place is like some medieval labyrinth with a central (and very busy) kitchen. The menu was great and the ambiance even better. A mariachi band roamed around playing acoustic renditions of songs by REM and making the entire experience slightly surreal. This place is busy at anytime of the night and day so be sure to make reservations.

The walk back down La Ramblas to our hotel now had a completely different vibe since it was now well into the evening. It was just as busy but now there were more performing artists and people lounging in the street side taverns. We made our way slowly back to the room, enjoying every second of it.

A taxi picked us up in the morning and took us back to the airport where we would catch our flight back to Memphis. The ride there was lovely and we past many places we had left unexplored…but that’s okay, it just gives us a good reason to go back!

Where To Eat-  Los Caracoles, 14 Escudellers…be sure to make reservations!

Where to Stay-  Barcelo Raval, 17 Rambla Raval

Norway- a Travelogue

It was the thought of the searing July heat in Memphis that made me do it. It was just early June and already I was finding the weather oppressive. My mind became focused on a gentler clime so I started pondering the possibilities.

Have you read “A Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy”? Do you remember the part where one of the architects who designed planet Earth said he had won a special achievement award for designing “all the fringy bits” of  Norway? Well, that’s when I knew I would have to see them and so, when I saw a cruise through the Fjords offered by Celebrity Cruise Line, I booked it!

Yes, this year, instead of roasting in the inferno of a Memphis summer, I was plying the deep calm waters of Norwegian  Fjords and visiting idyllic, tiny towns with names like Stavanger, Geiranger, Alesund, Flam, Olden and Molde and discovering beautiful northern European capitals like Oslo and Bergen. And I would see all of this while my floating four star hotel deposited me on their doorsteps and patiently awaited my return.

The cruise leaves from Amsterdam so we made arrangements to stay there 2 days before the cruise departed and 3 days after it returned. We had been there before so we knew how lovely Amsterdam is. For those of you who don’t know- KLM offers a direct flight from Memphis to Amsterdam so it’s easy- and boy, is it fun! Walking in Amsterdam is like walking through a living museum. While strolling along the picturesque canals you are likely to pass places like Rembrandt’s art studio or Anne Frank’s house and there are interesting museums on just about any subject you can think of. Amsterdam boasts a little over one million people and there are 600,000 people who ride bikes as their main form of transportation which is fascinating to watch- but we were reluctant to try.

The cruise leaves right after sunset and makes its way along the Amstel River to the North Sea at dusk. You pass through ancient lochs and windmills until you reach the open water- then we settled in and enjoyed the ride while the Captain made his way North to a town called Stavanger.

Fjords are an amazing feat of nature- caused by glaciers from the last ice age some of the steep granite walls rise 6000 feet above you while the fjord itself is only a 1000 feet wide. The crystal clear water in some places is 4000 feet deep. The ship glides slowly past thousands of waterfalls .Blue skies mainly prevailed but many times heavy fog chased us down the fingers of the gorges. Tiny towns, neat and trim , painted red and with grass growing on their roofs occasionally dotted the waters edge.

Each day we explored a different town. The ship would travel through the North Sea at night then begin its trek inland into the fjord at sunrise. By 7 a.m. we would be ready to disembark and begin the day’s adventure. Some of the towns we visited like Olden, Flam and Geiranger quadrupled in size when the ship was in port.

Norway is a place to hike and take in the stunning scenery. Tim and I would do a bit of research for each of the stops, pick a great hike to do and get started as soon as we could disembark the ship. Some days we would climb a mountain, some days we would hike to a glacier, other days we explored lovely towns and took taxis to their highest points and walked back down! Always, we met wonderful people and we still have not stopped marvelling at the dreamlike landscape that surrounded us.

The best hike we did was in the Flam Valley. Flam itself is a miniscule town with a famous scenic railway that took us nine miles almost straight up to the top of the valley. There we got off and walked back down through the most spectacular scenery  I have ever seen. The mountains closed in around us and bright blue glacier water rushed past us on its way to the sea. After a while we walked past a goat herd of about 100 or so, who unattended, were walking single file in the other direction. A little further on we found a tiny farm with a tiny path-side store selling plates of fresh goat cheese and wild raspberry juice. We sat down and partook- waterfalls crashed around us-it was magic.

On other days we visited the lovely busy cities of Oslo and Bergen. Norway has one of the highest standards of livings in the world and no where is it more apparent in these cities that are inhabited by well heeled people and lovely residences. It is said that ALL Norwegians’ own a beach cottage,a city house and a boat and that looked to be quite accurate. Norway hadn’t always fared so well, after World War 2 their economy stagnated but then in 1969 they found oil in the North Sea. Instead of handing over their resources to the likes of Exxon or Shell- the Norwegian government kept the riches for the people. They now have a free University education available to all, universal health care and a social services package for the elderly- they are cared for from the cradle to the grave.

Norwegians are a beautiful race of people, tall and strong and they are known for their work ethic. They keep their country neat and tidy and love the natural world. They live in an orderly, gorgeous world- and one day I shall return.

Prague- A Travelogue

“We have been lied to”-that was my first thought as I looked around this amazing, thriving city for the first time. You see, I am of an age when I remember the “Iron Curtain” and we learned in school that anything behind that “curtain” was poor and ramshackle. Those pathetic souls existed in hovels, stood in bread lines and wore thin scarves over their heads to ward away the driving snow. Maybe that is not what they told you but that is what my mind had conjured up.

So, imagine my surprise when I found this gorgeous city, just barely 22 years out of communism, full of life. Stores and restaurants are packed. Mercedes and BMWs ply the streets and well heeled business people and tourists alike are shuttled from one part of the beautiful, spotless city to another via clean trams, a metro subway, buses, commuter trains and even a funicular.

I have to confess that I had suspected it. My passion for exploring this world has put me in many situations where I have met many fellow travellers and I often pose to them this question: “what is the best place you what ever seen”? Prague is a hands down favorite of many folks and that was true even back in the early 90’s.

It is no wonder why! The city’s’ fairytale spires reach up over your head like magic wands. Cobblestone lanes meander in labyrinth fashion taking you from one stunning vista to another. Towers, that you suspect Rapunzel may still be captive in, stand on every corner. Huge stone plazas that have served as market places for centuries bustle with commerce. A romantic castle stands sentinel over it, the astronomical clock still chimes, apostles dance…and yes, a river runs through it.

 Prague has been standing since before the 9^th century, with the “old” town growing up around the Vysehrad Castle and the “new” town, meanwhile, growing up during the middle ages. From our hotels’ location, right by

Wenceslaus Square

and situated on the dividing line of “old” and “new”, it was an easy walk or ride to anywhere. The city’s  past is fascinating, from the myth of its founding princess to the Velvet Revolution, so before you go do some research because every step you take in this remarkable city is steeped in history. Here, I will just hit what I found to be the highlights:

The Astronomical Clock- located in the

Old Town City Square

, it was made, at the latest, in 1410, while the tower dates back to 1380. It stands testament to the knowledge of our ancestors and charts the course, not only of time, but all of the heavens, seasons and zodiac. Be sure to watch this clock twice: once in the daylight as the clock is striking the hour when the twelve apostles dance around and death, avarice and vanity make an appearance. Watch carefully! There are all sorts of things going on! Then, watch it again at night, when a cleverly orchestrated light show is projected on it and tells the story of history of Prague. Open air restaurants and taverns surround the tower, so get there early and grab a front row seat.

The Charles Bridge- Spanning the River Vltava and built in 1355- this amazing bridge connects the old town with the castle. Dotted all along it are 30 mostly baroque statues. Now open only to foot traffic, the place is alive with vendors and street performers. Take a stroll over it and walk towards the castle at sunset- just as the sun goes down musicians dressed in medieval costume stand on the top of the castle walls and play. I stood there stunned as they did a haunting rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Unbelievable! I still get goose bumps thinking about it. It will be one of those things I carry with me till the end.

The Vysehrad Castle- The stroll up or down the hill to the castle affords great views of the city and the self guided tour at the top is a must. There you will see the great halls of the palace where they would throw unpopular politicians out of the window

 ( an action called defenestration- what an interesting idea!), the “Golden Alley”  where the common people lived and the intricately built St. Vitus Cathedral.

TRAVEL TIPS- You will need a GOOD map! Buy one as soon as you get there- try to find the” city map-guide” PRAGUE 1:15000 with photos and texts. You can find them in the currency exchange shops around town.

Wear comfortable, low or heeled shoes- you are going to be walking a lot and the streets and sidewalks are cobblestone. Leave the cute designer heels at home.

Get up early and plan to stay out late! Some of the prettiest parts of the city are best seen before and after the crowds leave.

Bring a good camera! This place is a photographers dream!

We visited on the first week of September 2011- the weather was warm- pack shorts, sundresses, sandals and a light jacket.

How we got there, where we stayed and what we ate:

 Upon arrival at the Prague Airport we were whisked away in a limousine sent by the Sheraton Hotel (for an additional $80 roundtrip-if we had hired our own taxi it would have been $100).

Our hotel was The Sheraton at

Charles Square

, a lovely 4 star establishment in the heart of it all.

We had dinner at a wonderful, romantic restaurant located on the river front called The Hergetova Gihelna at Kampa Park-go at sundown- have reservations!

Karen Soro is “The Downtown Realtor” in Memphis, Tennessee. She and her husband, Tim, travel extensively. Her articles and/or photography has been published by Frommers Online, The Commercial Appeal, The National Sierra Club among others. You may reprint this article with permission- just send me an email.