finishing the trek, impressions of Villarrica
ok, well im only going to write a bit and then add more later.
juan, 27, is ok i guess. he should be back in spain by now i reckon. we never saw him. we tried for 2 straight days to find him in cuzco, at hospitals and such, and just missed him before he flew to lima. we kept going to places we heard he was and it kep turning out that he had just left... it was like carmen freakin sandiego!
machu picchu was absolutely amazing. we started off from the nearby town at 430 in the morn, my travelling companion, leah, was deathly sick (thought she is fine now i believe), so we lagged behind the group and arrived at the summit at about 630 i believe. i didnt mind arriving late though as it was an arduous trek up the hillside for my good friend leah and i needed the company as well. plus machu picchu wasnt going anywhere afterall...so the summit. there really isnt a way to describe it but ima give it a go.
the first thing one notices atop the old mountain (the meaning of machu picchu in quechua--the andeans believe smaller mountains are older) are the neighboring mountains. they shoot up fom the winding valley like tall, majestic spires wreathed in the morning mist. i think i stared ahead at the opposite mountain for about 15 minutes, so awed was i, and we were waiting for the rest of the group...
upon entering the outer gate you see an ancient stone city, each building made with incredible precision and insight, though there are no roofs as they wanted to be that much closer to nature. it is staggering how it was built, its immense size and beauty and architectural genius. the surrounding mountains and crisp air must have provided a much different ¨city atmosphere¨than what we´re used to in the west, more in tune with the land and the blessings of the earth. we toured the grounds of machu picchu and learned about the condor which represents vision, about the puma which represents strength and war, and about the snake which represents the afterlife and the underground. all doors and walls are trapezoidally shaped to provide a stronger foundation--since peru is known to have earthquakes. there was a large bowl filled with water with which one could look at the sun (since looking at the sun, which was their chief god, unaided was prohibited) and the stars. also they had an ancient clock which took the sunshine and, with a rock spire, deflected the shadow pointing to a time.
we climbed waynu picchu (young mountain) and stood atop what seemed like the tallest mountain in the valley. waynu picchu is what is seen behind machu picchu in all the famous pictures. from here machu picchu seemed small, yet one could picture it in the midst of these great mountain ranges and appreciate it all the more. seeing machu picchu was unforgettable, it is one of the highlights of my life, and is truly deserving of the title ¨one of the new 7 wonders of the world!¨
the trip to villarrica was looong (3 straight days on bus) but well worth it. im having a great time with feña and his family and feel so welcomed and honored. more on this...in the next blog.
love
juan, 27, is ok i guess. he should be back in spain by now i reckon. we never saw him. we tried for 2 straight days to find him in cuzco, at hospitals and such, and just missed him before he flew to lima. we kept going to places we heard he was and it kep turning out that he had just left... it was like carmen freakin sandiego!
machu picchu was absolutely amazing. we started off from the nearby town at 430 in the morn, my travelling companion, leah, was deathly sick (thought she is fine now i believe), so we lagged behind the group and arrived at the summit at about 630 i believe. i didnt mind arriving late though as it was an arduous trek up the hillside for my good friend leah and i needed the company as well. plus machu picchu wasnt going anywhere afterall...so the summit. there really isnt a way to describe it but ima give it a go.
the first thing one notices atop the old mountain (the meaning of machu picchu in quechua--the andeans believe smaller mountains are older) are the neighboring mountains. they shoot up fom the winding valley like tall, majestic spires wreathed in the morning mist. i think i stared ahead at the opposite mountain for about 15 minutes, so awed was i, and we were waiting for the rest of the group...
upon entering the outer gate you see an ancient stone city, each building made with incredible precision and insight, though there are no roofs as they wanted to be that much closer to nature. it is staggering how it was built, its immense size and beauty and architectural genius. the surrounding mountains and crisp air must have provided a much different ¨city atmosphere¨than what we´re used to in the west, more in tune with the land and the blessings of the earth. we toured the grounds of machu picchu and learned about the condor which represents vision, about the puma which represents strength and war, and about the snake which represents the afterlife and the underground. all doors and walls are trapezoidally shaped to provide a stronger foundation--since peru is known to have earthquakes. there was a large bowl filled with water with which one could look at the sun (since looking at the sun, which was their chief god, unaided was prohibited) and the stars. also they had an ancient clock which took the sunshine and, with a rock spire, deflected the shadow pointing to a time.
we climbed waynu picchu (young mountain) and stood atop what seemed like the tallest mountain in the valley. waynu picchu is what is seen behind machu picchu in all the famous pictures. from here machu picchu seemed small, yet one could picture it in the midst of these great mountain ranges and appreciate it all the more. seeing machu picchu was unforgettable, it is one of the highlights of my life, and is truly deserving of the title ¨one of the new 7 wonders of the world!¨
the trip to villarrica was looong (3 straight days on bus) but well worth it. im having a great time with feña and his family and feel so welcomed and honored. more on this...in the next blog.
love
3 Comments:
both the agency and hostel knew where he was, at the time that we were asking for him. but they didn´t tell us anything.
ill be getting out a new mass email today or tomorrow. im expecting a blog about FF anytime as well...
haha, sorry i wasn't actually much company at that time. oh, have i read this post? that's odd, i commented but i don't remember reading what you wrote.
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