Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Choquequirao, sometimes called "The Other Machu Picchu", or "The Adventurer's Machu Picchu", lives up to both of those names. Today we would become familiar with this most inaccessible of Inca ruins. As had become my habit, I was up before dawn, at first light. It was worth awakening this early to have some quiet time, and appreciate the views as the sun slowly illuminated them. I wish I were still on that mountain.
I remember those mornings on the hike vividly. When we didn't get up before dawn as I had today, we were awakened by members of the cooking staff bringing hot Coca tea to our tents.
After another wonderful breakfast, we were off on our day's explorations. Cesar is an impassioned guide, he imparted onto us the importance of appreciating where we were and what we were seeing. He has a love of nature and his people's culture and history, and he did all he could to impart the same upon us. I had no shortage of appreciation for where I was and what I was seeing. I could've spent twice as long at every place we'd visited thus far, and it still wouldn't have been enough. I loved every minute of this hike, and every inch of these mountains. We were soon engulfed by jungle, in this outer edge of the famous Cloud Forest. We learned about the local wildlife and flora, while being inundated with it.
During this small hike, we saw many unexcavated ruins, which gives one the sense of what it might have been like to walk amongst these ruins while they were still claimed by the jungle. I imagined myself an intrepid explorer, discovering a lost city long buried by the jungle canopy. These imaginings were interrupted by our arrival at our first set of excavated ruins. Cesar gave us a history of the region and the strategic significance of this city while we rested in a partially restored building. We were afforded our first glimpse of the day at the main section of the city.
A doorway overlooks the valley in which we camped. You can see our campsite framed by the doorway in the middle of the view.
You can't help but feel something on this mountain. It seems to speak to you, and to wait patiently for your reply. The ruins are pristine, as if they await the return of their occupants, who just stepped away for a moment. Imagine being at Machu Picchu all by yourself, without the thousands upon thousands of tourists swarming about. That is what Choquequirao is like. The 32 km hike that is the only way to get there is also insurance that the vast crowds that inundate other Inca sites never make their way here. It is an opportunity for the hiker to commune with the Inca, to have one of their greatest cities all to yourself. That is what it was like for us. We were the only group here on this day, and the city was ours. Much like Machu Picchu, you never forget when you crest the hill and get your first unobstructed view of the main square of the city.
Before descending into the main plaza, we took some time to appreciate the wonder of the observatory mountain, which the Inca had leveled off to perform their astronomical observations and rituals. It was, and still is, the ideal place to gaze at the stars.
(Photo by Ami)
Cesar had us each take a turn standing in the center, slowly turning in a circle to take in the panorama of snow-capped mountains that surround the site. The Inca considered snow-capped mountains to be very special, and always tried to build their major cities within view of at least one. Choquequirao has a view of at least 4, which meant this was a very special place indeed. The buildings are remarkably preserved and restored.
These stone loops were probably used as hitches for cloth adornments, which probably were curtains behind which, in the alcoves above, may have been mummies of respected ancestors. Who knows for sure?
The main plaza is a very inviting place, and you can't help but feel relaxed and at home here.
(Photo by Ami)
Before we would officially tour the main plaza area, we made our way down an arduous trail to a newly discovered portion of the site, the Terraces of the Llama.
Like many Inca terraces, they dangle ominously over a cliff. I love it.
Danielle got a photo of me taking the above photo.
Basically, the front approach to the city was the end of a long pilgrimage for many visitors, and they were greeted by typical Inca terraces with the exception that they had Llama designs (among other things) inlaid in the walls with white stones.
To get a true appreciation of the scale of this artwork, you have to view it from a distance.
These Llama depictions are unique in the Inca world, and only recently rediscovered.
After making our way back up the difficult trail to the main plaza, we toured the main portion of the city and learned more about the city's purpose and history. Choquequirao was never truly a lost city. The descendants of the Inca always knew it was here. Even Hiram Bingham was shown the city before he ever rediscovered Machu Picchu. It's impressive to think, however, that this city is only about 40% uncovered. I wonder what it will look like when excavations are complete. The city features impressive 2 story buildings, which are also unique in the Inca world.
Our tour of the main city wound it's way around and uphill to the temple of the Oracle.
This temple is a special place of great spiritual significance. Since fewer than 50,000 visitors have ever been to Choquequirao (compared to about that many per week at Machu Picchu), these places have not been drained of all their spiritual energy by throngs of people. This temple was constructed with acoustic specifications which allowed the voice of the Oracle to be heard by all those just outside of the temple, without the Oracle having to raise their voice. Here is the seat of the Oracle:
The Oracle window, with observatory hill in the distance.
Cesar mentioned that this seat had been the site of many unique experiences by some visitors that were sensitive to such things. He asked each of us to take a few minutes to sit by our self in the seat, while the rest of the group waited outside. When my turn arrived, I sat down and asked Oracles of the past if they had a message for me, or a sign. I then felt a strange warmth on my back, followed by a gentle pressure, as if nudging me forward. I went with it and leaned forward until my elbows were resting on my knees. Then, gravity seemed to shift forward, causing the blood to rush to my head and giving me the distinct impression that I was going to fall forward and land on the wall in front of me. I thought it may have been telling me to get out, but that didn't feel like an accurate interpretation. It seems it was telling me to go on, that my sign would come. I told this to Cesar and a couple of others, but didn't really talk much about it, since I didn't have any sort of interpretation for it. I left the temple with a strange feeling, in time to see the beginnings of what was going to be a spectacular sunset. The rest of the group decided to return to the main plaza below to watch the sunset. On my way down, however, I found a little spot, on the very tip of a smaller peak, that called out to me. It would be the best imaginable place to watch the sunset, as it was facing westward. You can see my little peak in this photo, slightly below and to the right of the trail you can see the others walking on.
This sunset was magical. The difficulty here is choosing one, or even ten, photos from the dozens I took of it. I'll see if I can limit myself to a handful. This is the beginning of the sunset, about as it was shortly after we finished our visit at the temple.
This may be my favorite shot:
I felt like I was living in a painting. It's amazing that for every sunset I witnessed in the Andes, the only cloud in the sky found it's way due west to be in the show. It was truly overwhelming, sitting there surrounded by, not only a unique and inaccessible lost city, but treated to the grandeur of these incredible mountains, as viewed by the refracted sunlight bending through the prism of our atmosphere as our side of the planet slowly rotated into the darkness. As I pondered this, I realized that the others may be concerned about my absence, and made my way back down the hill to the main plaza, where everyone was gathered. They weren't worried. Cesar gathered us around in a close circle to give a ritual of thanks to the mountain for protecting us and keeping us safe. He then informed us that this was his last trek as a guide for GAP. We shared a little moment of silence together, and thanked Cesar for his passion and knowledge, without which our experience would have been considerably lessened. We probably felt as close as we'd ever felt on this trip as we made our way back up to the top of observatory hill to await the darkness, and to greet the stars. In the gathering twilight, it wasn't that big of a stretch of the imagination to view the unfocused shadows of our group walking around the hilltop as the ghosts of past priests and astronomers, making their eternal rounds on top of this observatory.
As the light faded, we were kept company by a slim crescent of a two day old moon, which smiled down upon us from the heavens.
Once darkness had arrived, we all laid on our backs, using this open surface for its intended purpose, to view the stars. I laid a little ways away from the main group, preferring serenity in this moment rather than the gaiety of the group. As we looked at the stars, and I pondered once again my place in the universe, and thought back to my experience in the Oracle chair, at 6:45 pm on this day of August 15, 2007...
The Earth Shook
From our vantage point, it was merely a gentle rocking, as if the mountain were swaying in the wind, like the earth itself were trying to rock us to sleep. Much like it feels if you were lying in bed and someone were gently and rhythmically shaking the bed. I knew almost instantly what was happening, but the group members that don't live in seismically active areas were confused and concerned. "It's an earthquake!", somebody, maybe me, inevitably said. There was doubt from the group, for a minute, but I had none. "This is TOTALLY an earthquake", I reassured.
Here, members of the group experience their first earthquake:
(photo by Danielle)
This was no different than many of the small tremors I'd felt since I moved to southern California. This one, however, managed to differentiate itself. It went on and on. For more than two and a half minutes, the ground shook. Those of you that live in seismically active areas know that small tremors do not last that long, ever. So, amidst all the wonder and disbelief, I was somewhat trepidatious, knowing that this earthquake was actually very, very big, somewhere. Those concerns, however, were pushed aside by the circumstances. I was in the middle of an ancient lost city, in it's observatory looking at the stars, having just seen a magical sunset, after receiving a cryptic message from it's abandoned temple, and the earth was shaking, for minutes on end. I had asked for a sign, and the earth was giving me a quake. This was a trip that was filled with moments I will never forget, but this was the defining moment of moments. It is the first thought that enters my head whenever the trip comes to mind. It was a seemingly scripted climax to this journey of self discovery, perfectly placed on the final night before the beginning of the end of the trip. I was moved more than just physically as the ground beneath me swayed back and forth. In the shaking something in me awakened, and it remains awake.
We wouldn't find out until the next day, when we stopped on the trail out at a shop with a radio, that the quake had been an 8.0 and had wiped a town off the map, and done significant damage to another. There had been at least 510 casualties, with many still missing. It put a somber spin on what had been a remarkable and magical event for us. One the likelihood of happening was billions to one. Cesar had never experience it's likes in his many years of guiding in the Andes, and he was as moved as any of us were. That moment will live with me forever.
Next installment: The trek back, final days in Cuzco and final thoughts.
