Caminando por tierras sagradas

Dear all,
One and a half day after Lotte and Christoph left, exactly three weeks before I leave Cusco and just before I go the the Plaza de Armas to hopefully collect the cameras with which four shoe shining boys photographed their lives, I finally found a little space of time in which I can attempt to put all the beautiful moments of the last two weeks in to a readable blog.
Tonight exactly two weeks ago I was impatiently reading a book and looking out of the window to see if it was a taxi stopping in front of the door. And then, still suddenly, they were there, standing in front of my light blue iron door: Lotte and Christoph! Although I had been looking forward to their arrival for quite a while, it was still a bit unreal that they were here, in my Cusco life, as if fallen from the sky!


They are here!!!

Sunday we went to see the last day of Carnival in a very little village one hour from here called Lucre. It was nice to get out of the city, see one of those little sleepy towns, walk around there a bit and assist the Carnival festivities. As the only gringos in town we were welcomed over the microphone and directed to the seats right in front of the stage, the indicated place for ‘nuestros amigos extranjeros’ the host thought :) Although it was rainy and cold it was nice to see all those bright colored dress and all those people, young and old, who had come from their isolated communities to dance or watch the dances here in this little town.


Carnival in Lucre


Spectators

Monday I took Lotte and Christoph to Inti and it was actually quite special to be able to show them the place that has started to mean so much to me, to introduce them to kids that have taken an important place in my heart in the last weeks! We also went around Cusco, for Lotte and Christioph to get to know the city a bit and to organize the trip of the coming days.
Tuesday we took the bus to Quillabamba and got off, already in the dark, in the tiny little town of Santa Maria. There we got a taxi to the also tiny little and even more isolated town of Santa Teresa. The taxi driver had warned us that the road was bad because of landslides and true, we were not even driving for fifteen minutes or there was a van stuck in the mud that one landslide had left behind. Lotte and I first thought this was men’s business and sat with the other women who were watching the men pulling and pushing the van. But soon our ‘emancipate’ nature could not stand this and we were standing, covered in mud, behind the van, our full weight in the struggle. After a while we managed to get the van out. The taxi behind us got up at once but our own taxi needed three tries and some pushing and when it arrived on top it had a leaky tire…so we squeezed ourselves in the van and surrounded by a smell of coca leaves, sweat and dust we closed out eyes once in a while not to see the abysm that led, on our left, to the wild streaming river below. Once in a while somebody had to go out to take some stones off the road, other times we had to drive through considerable streams of water or over way too narrow bridges. I swear, I prayed! Just a few minutes drive before Santa Teresa the taxi in front of us had stopped and so we couldn’t pass. A small exploratory journey outside was enough to see why. A part of the road had just disappeared into the abysm and a bit further you could hear stones falling down. After a bit of discussion cars were called to come and pick us up from the other side and we all walked past the crumbling road and the falling stones, to climb into the back of a random car and finally arrive in Santa Teresa, with a story to tell to our children and grandchildren :) In Santa Teresa we found the nicest camping, had a good night of sleep and woke up the next morning to see the mist slowly reveal a beautiful cloud forest landscape.


Cloud forest


Our `campsite´

We took a taxi for another half an hour and then walked the train tracks to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. It was a beautiful walk even though it rained almost continuously.


The walk along the train tracks

In Aguas Calientes we pitched our tent and went into this the horrible, overpriced and unfriendly town to fix everything we needed for the next day: information, food and overpriced tickets. We had an early night in our tent next to the raging river Vilcanota that made a point in showing humanity the less friendly face of Pacha Mama. Pacha Mama showed us her friendly face the next day however, because we had splendid weather at Machu Picchu. Christoph walked up and Lotte and I went up by bus. We entered the sanctuary at around 7.15, just when the mist was starting to take leave. It was very special to be there…I had wanting to come here for so long, we had circled this mountain the whole previous day, coming each time closer to this place that somehow has something magic. I had been prepared for the fact that it might be less that I expected but it was not. Seeing those perfectly geometrical figures with the beautiful mountain watching their back appear, slowly from the mist, was really something spectacular. I had to pinch myself once in a while to realize ‘I am really here!’
We had a friendly guide that took us around for two hours and then left us at the foot of Wayna Picchu the mountain you all know from the postcard pictures of Machu Picchu. The climb up there was deadly steep, especially as our water and food was in the mandatory locker. But we made it up there and the view was absolutely stunning! After our descent we had lunch and then hung around the ruined for another hour or so, just to feel the atmosphere, the sun and to enjoy the gorgeous views. We walked down to Aguas Calientes which killed our knees step by step but was a nice way to let go of the place and come into the ‘normal’ world again.


Machu Picchu waking up


Lama waking up!


Tempel of the sun


Royal entrance door


Postcard view, it still feels unreal that I made this picture!


Looking down at Machu Picchu from Wayna Picchu

On Friday we took the way too expensive train to Ollantayambo, firstly because it saved us a lot of time and secondly because none of us was feeling really like being on the road between Santa Teresa and Santa Maria again…at 11.40 we arrived in the lovely town of Ollantaytambo, pitched our tent in the beautiful garden of a hostel, had some lunch and then went on a stunning walk along one of the surrounding mountains. The view, with the valley and its river, the green fields and the snowy mountain tops far away, was breathtaking. The temperature was nice and I had one of those profoundly happy moments of pure thankfulness!


Enjoying the good things in life


Nice walks


View over Ollantaytambo


Sistas


Be-a-utiful!

Saturday we took a van to Urubamba and from there a combi to Maras, a little forgotten town already on the planalto that leads eventually to Cusco. From Maras, we walked through the incredibly green fields with again the snowy mountains at the horizon to the town of Moray, known for its Inca ruins in circular form were plants were acclimatized in all kinds of different artificially created climatic spheres. Although the acoustic of the place was amazing the walk was worth the effort in itself! We took a van back to Maras and from there the locals who were preparing for a procession to honor Saint Joseph indicated us the way to the Salineras, the Inca build but still used salt winning reservoirs. This walk was amazing as well (and it was down hill!). Our legs were starting to get used to the walking and it was really relaxing. The salt reservoirs were stunning and through them we walked all the way down to the road back to Ollantaytambo.


Gender relations on the planalto :)


Moray


`Ok lady, if you don´t have sweats for us, than at least take a picture of us!´


Salinas

Sunday we made our way back to Cusco with a small detour over Pisac to come home dirty, tired but absolutely satisfied.


Pisac market

For me, after such a week of holidays, knowing that I had only 4 weeks left and really a lot to do, to get ‘back to business’ was hard the first day. However the ever enthusiastic welcoming by the kids made me happy again and soon I was in the middle of it again!
Lotte ad Christoph left Thursday night to La Paz to go and explore the Bolivian jungle and to continue their bi-continental trip! It was really very nice to have them here, to be able to show them what I am doing here, and to share with them those wonderful days.
However it ‘has been decided for me’ that one time Machu Picchu was not enough :) Next Wednesday the teachers of Inti are realizing their long standing dream of taking the kids to Machu Picchu, and I am going along! Although it is going to cost me way too much money I’ll just put that under ‘research’ costs and I’ll have to live with that! I am really looking forward :)

Love
Sara