Go, tell it on the mountain!

In the company of llamas and the ruins of the ancient Incan empire, Rijuta Dey treks up to the dizzying heights of Machu Picchu in Peru

November 21, 2014 09:02 pm | Updated 09:02 pm IST

mp_Peru

mp_Peru

The stern-faced immigration officer looked at my battered passport, and in the split-second before he looked up, I muttered the most desperate prayer I have ever sent heavenward — I didn’t want to imagine the hassle and heartache if he refused me entry. I had just witnessed a co-passenger from Madrid being refused, and a volley of rapid Spanish hadn’t helped his cause. Unfortunately, my knowledge of the world’s second-most-spoken language didn’t extend beyond hola and senorita .

He stamped my approval, and I thus stepped into Lima, Peru’s capital city. The chaos, noise and pollution of Lima reminded me so strongly of India. My taxi driver spoke to me in Spanish, with his head turned backwards instead of keeping his eyes on the road, completely ignoring my expression of incomprehension. I scrambled onto the front seat, only for him to show me a YouTube video of a saas bahu Hindi serial. “India!! Very beautiful woman!” he shouted joyfully. What better welcome could I ask for? Lima is a sprawling concrete jungle, best looked over in a day or two — the wonders of Peru lie beyond it. Most tourists descend upon the country to make a beeline for Machu Picchu, as did I. Only, I chose to take the much harder, and more rewarding route, and trekked my way up, instead of taking a train to its dizzying heights.

I arrived in Cusco from Lima after an overnight bus journey, gasping for breath. The ancient capital of the Inca Empire — an advanced South American civilisation — is nestled among the jagged heights of the Andes, and the thin air demands at least two days of acclimatisation. There are several smaller places to visit around Cusco, such as Pisac, a quaint village topped by Incan ruins and ringed by the sacred Urubamba River. Pisac is famed for its market stalls that sell an array of products, many of them derived from llama wool and hide. This hardy animal dots the mountainous regions of Peru like stoic sentries, overlooking the breath-taking vistas with nonchalance.

The trek to Machu Picchu was most painful and exhilarating. My body was pushed beyond its limits. Even as I climbed past jaw dropping beauty, I had enough reason to stop dead in my tracks every 10 minutes. Over four days, I wound through gentle valleys inhabited by hardy villagers, lumbered across lush Amazon jungles punctured by roaring waterfalls, scarpered down cartilage-crunching heights, camped at a surreal site where the clouds swept beneath us as we looked down at yet another ancient ruin, and slept in tents beneath an explosion of stars every night. I stopped cribbing only when a thin Andean porter carrying immense luggage, bent double with age and labour, stopped to offer me a pinch of his coca leaves, so I could get some respite.

After the beautiful trek, Machu Picchu almost felt like a let-down. It certainly deserves its place as one of the wonders of the world, just that I had seen better sights. It is a feat of engineering of a magnitude that even my non-scientific brain could appreciate.

I left the cloud-covered Andean heights and made my way towards Lake Titicaca. The continent’s largest lake is a treasure trove of unique discoveries, including the shore-side city of Puno, with its excellent gastronomical attractions and laidback charm. Islas Uros, or the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, is its biggest tourist attraction, and for good reason. These man-made islands are constructed from buoyant totora reeds, and need to be seen to be believed.

No account of Peru is complete without mentioning its exciting, flavourful and varied culinary scene. Potatoes find their origin in Peru, and I had the good fortune of sampling at least 10 different kinds, as well as seafood dishes such as ceviche — fresh, raw fish cured in citrus juices. Be it a posh restaurant or a hole-in-the-wall joint, I did not have a single bad meal in Peru, an achievement considering I mostly did not know what I was ordering. I would simply look around, point, and hope for the best. And Peru always delivered.

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