I did not realize how much the long train ride combined only 4 hours at the site would be exhausting. Next time, I will stay at the base town a couple of days. This way a number of visits to the site would give me greater confidence in negotiating the treacherous stairs. I would not be as rushed or tired. I did the best I could and was happy to have made it to Machu Picchu.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Machu Picchu V
And then the weather would change.
The rows are for planting of different crops and medical herbs.
And of course the stairs!!!!!!
The Sun Temple and the the Inca architecture of cut stones.
x
Machu Picchu IV
The sky got dark, misty, thundering and raining. It was beautiful. I went off on my,own just to sit in the rain on some stone ledge and take it all in and enjoy the moment. Through the bad weather and fear of hurting myself falling on the steps it was just perfect to sit off by myself. The problem with guides are they always have the need to talk (that is their job) and there are times where you want silence just to appreciate and live the moment.
Machu Picchu III
Mr. Machu Picchu in a brave moment
I bought a cheap poncho at the entrance. Good thing I did but the cheapness of it made it very hot underneath.
I arrive @ Machu Picchu
I am here. A long train ride, 3.5 hours, then a 30 minute bus ride to the site. A private guide comes with the train ride. We make our way into the site. We climb stairs, and then climb stairs to a small hidden perch of a room where it begins to rain hard. The guide gives us a through overview of the history of the site before we move on.
I have a hard time more so then usual navigating the wet stone steps with my lack of depth perception. At times it is downright precarious and scary for me. I keep going and do my best and challenge my fears. The height we are at is over 8000 feet. I hope I did not embarrass myself too much with how slow and silly I must have looked. However, noting could take away from the beauty of the site. The only word I can describe it with is---sublime!
I have a hard time more so then usual navigating the wet stone steps with my lack of depth perception. At times it is downright precarious and scary for me. I keep going and do my best and challenge my fears. The height we are at is over 8000 feet. I hope I did not embarrass myself too much with how slow and silly I must have looked. However, noting could take away from the beauty of the site. The only word I can describe it with is---sublime!
A happy but not entirely fearless man :)
Our guide
The view from the train...
The train cuts through mountain passes and valleys as the river with bridges runs along the route. The train follows the original route walked by Hiriam Bingham when he "discovered" Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu....Hiriam Bingham Train
I am off to the big dog, Machu Picchu. I met some young girls at the hotel who were hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu a 4-5 day trek. We got to talking and I told them I was going the wussy way---By Train. However, the train I was taking is the Orient Express Hiriam Bingham Train. Wow, what a train it is 5 star luxury all the way. Superb service and beautiful appointments with wonderful local musicians playing in the bar car. I waled into the car was shown my private table and the train began to take off...I pulled out my Iphone click on John Coltrane and listened to "My Favorite Things" as I smiled and sat back....Here are some photos.
The bar car
The observation car
The dining car and me just a sitting and relaxing.
Temple: History
The modern day city of Cuzco in the Andes Mountains of Peru was founded, according to legend, by Manco Capac, the first emperor of the Inca civilization. Unlike many ancient capitals, Cuzco was primarily a governmental and religious capital, with few residential structures; and it was the Inca capital city from the mid 15th century up until it was conquered by the Spanish in 1532.
The most architecturally interesting structure in the city of Cuzco has to be the one called the Qorikancha. The Qorikancha (also called Intiwasa or Sun Temple) was said to have been built by Manco Capac; but certainly it was built before 1438 when it was enlarged by Pachacuti, who also built Machu Picchu. In the sixteenth century, the Spanish destroyed the Qorikancha and built the Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) Convent and Church on the ruins, but the smooth basalt foundations, typical of Inca architecture, are still extant.
The most architecturally interesting structure in the city of Cuzco has to be the one called the Qorikancha. The Qorikancha (also called Intiwasa or Sun Temple) was said to have been built by Manco Capac; but certainly it was built before 1438 when it was enlarged by Pachacuti, who also built Machu Picchu. In the sixteenth century, the Spanish destroyed the Qorikancha and built the Santo Domingo (St. Dominic) Convent and Church on the ruins, but the smooth basalt foundations, typical of Inca architecture, are still extant.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Photos of the Temple/Monastery
I am off to Machu Picchu so not much time to blog but here are some great photos and captions of the Temple/Monastery. Realize before the Spanish the Temple walls and courtyard were covered in gold and silver sheets!!!
The Courtyard
The Temple throne where the king sat so absorbed the morning rays of the sun. Now it is behind protected glass.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Well, not totally shot.
I did manage to get out in the afternoon for some espresso. i met an interesting expat from Orlando who now lives in Cusco. We had an informative chat about Cusco and traveling in general.
I did manage to find the energy for a visit to the important Inca site in town Qorikancha and Cathedral. The site now seems re bizarre mixture of Inca, Colonial and modern architecture. The biggest abomination is the metal and glass roof and modernize second floor.
Qorikancha was once the richest temple in the Inca empire; all that remains today is the masterful stonework.
In Inca times, Qorikancha (Quechua for ‘Golden Courtyard’) was literally covered with gold. The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing about 2kg. There were life-sized gold and silver replicas of corn, which were ceremonially ‘planted’ in agricultural rituals. Also reported were solid-gold treasures such as altars, llamas and babies, as well as a replica of the sun, which was lost. But within months of the arrival of the first conquistadors, this incredible wealth had all been looted and melted down.
Various other religious rites took place in the temple. It is said that the mummified bodies of several previous Incas were kept here, brought out into the sunlight each day and offered food and drink, which was then ritually burnt. Qorikancha was also an observatory from which high priests monitored celestial activities. Most of this is left to the imagination of the modern visitor, but the remaining stonework ranks with the finest Inca architecture in Peru. A curved, perfectly fitted 6m-high wall can be seen from both inside and outside the site. This wall has withstood all of the violent earthquakes that leveled most of Cuzco’s colonial buildings.
Once inside the site, the visitor enters a courtyard. The octagonal font in the middle was originally covered with 55kg of solid gold. Inca chambers lie to either side of the courtyard. The largest, to the right, were said to be temples to the moon and the stars, and were covered with sheets of solid silver. The walls are perfectly tapered upward and, with their niches and doorways, are excellent examples of Inca trapezoidal architecture. The fitting of the individual blocks is so precise that, in some places, you can’t tell where one block ends and the next begins.
Opposite these chambers, on the other side of the courtyard, are smaller temples dedicated to thunder and the rainbow. Three holes have been carved through the walls of this section to the street outside, which scholars think were drains, either for sacrificial chicha (fermented corn beer), blood or, more mundanely, rainwater. Alternatively, they may have been speaking tubes connecting the inner temple with the outside. Another feature of this side of the complex is the floor in front of the chambers: it dates from Inca times and is carefully cobbled with pebbles.
The temple was built in the mid-15th century during the reign of the 10th inca (king), Túpac Yupanqui. After the conquest, Francisco Pizarro gave it to his brother Juan, but he was not able to enjoy it for long – Juan died in the battle at Sacsaywamán in 1536. In his will, he bequeathed Qorikancha to the Dominicans, in whose possession it has remained ever since.
I did manage to find the energy for a visit to the important Inca site in town Qorikancha and Cathedral. The site now seems re bizarre mixture of Inca, Colonial and modern architecture. The biggest abomination is the metal and glass roof and modernize second floor.
Qorikancha was once the richest temple in the Inca empire; all that remains today is the masterful stonework.
In Inca times, Qorikancha (Quechua for ‘Golden Courtyard’) was literally covered with gold. The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing about 2kg. There were life-sized gold and silver replicas of corn, which were ceremonially ‘planted’ in agricultural rituals. Also reported were solid-gold treasures such as altars, llamas and babies, as well as a replica of the sun, which was lost. But within months of the arrival of the first conquistadors, this incredible wealth had all been looted and melted down.
Various other religious rites took place in the temple. It is said that the mummified bodies of several previous Incas were kept here, brought out into the sunlight each day and offered food and drink, which was then ritually burnt. Qorikancha was also an observatory from which high priests monitored celestial activities. Most of this is left to the imagination of the modern visitor, but the remaining stonework ranks with the finest Inca architecture in Peru. A curved, perfectly fitted 6m-high wall can be seen from both inside and outside the site. This wall has withstood all of the violent earthquakes that leveled most of Cuzco’s colonial buildings.
Once inside the site, the visitor enters a courtyard. The octagonal font in the middle was originally covered with 55kg of solid gold. Inca chambers lie to either side of the courtyard. The largest, to the right, were said to be temples to the moon and the stars, and were covered with sheets of solid silver. The walls are perfectly tapered upward and, with their niches and doorways, are excellent examples of Inca trapezoidal architecture. The fitting of the individual blocks is so precise that, in some places, you can’t tell where one block ends and the next begins.
Opposite these chambers, on the other side of the courtyard, are smaller temples dedicated to thunder and the rainbow. Three holes have been carved through the walls of this section to the street outside, which scholars think were drains, either for sacrificial chicha (fermented corn beer), blood or, more mundanely, rainwater. Alternatively, they may have been speaking tubes connecting the inner temple with the outside. Another feature of this side of the complex is the floor in front of the chambers: it dates from Inca times and is carefully cobbled with pebbles.
The temple was built in the mid-15th century during the reign of the 10th inca (king), Túpac Yupanqui. After the conquest, Francisco Pizarro gave it to his brother Juan, but he was not able to enjoy it for long – Juan died in the battle at Sacsaywamán in 1536. In his will, he bequeathed Qorikancha to the Dominicans, in whose possession it has remained ever since.
Today I am shot...
I work up at about 8 am which is unbelievable for me. My legs hurt, I feel tired all over and my ears are ringing. I will just catch up on the blog as you can see from the postings below this one. I got a big day tomorrow Machu Picchu
Chinchero
Our last stop was the Chincheto Ruins. The area had a beautiful view of the Andes with large open grassy fields. The church was built over a Palace and now stands in disrepair.
Chinchero is a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta at 3762m about 30km from Cusco. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. .
The village may have been an important town in Inca times. The most striking remnant of this period is the massive stone wall in the main plaza which has ten trapezoidal niches. The construction of the wall and many other ruins and agricultural terraces (which are still in use) are attributed to Inca Tupac Yupanqui who possibly used Chinchero as a kind of country resort. Entrance to the main plaza and ruins requires a 'boleto turistico'.
In the main plaza an adobe colonial church, dating from the early seventeenth century, has been built upon the foundations of an Inca temple or palace. The ceiling and walls are covered in beautiful floral and religious designs. The church is open on Sundays for mass.
Chinchero is a small Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta at 3762m about 30km from Cusco. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Chinchero is believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. .
The village may have been an important town in Inca times. The most striking remnant of this period is the massive stone wall in the main plaza which has ten trapezoidal niches. The construction of the wall and many other ruins and agricultural terraces (which are still in use) are attributed to Inca Tupac Yupanqui who possibly used Chinchero as a kind of country resort. Entrance to the main plaza and ruins requires a 'boleto turistico'.
In the main plaza an adobe colonial church, dating from the early seventeenth century, has been built upon the foundations of an Inca temple or palace. The ceiling and walls are covered in beautiful floral and religious designs. The church is open on Sundays for mass.
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