Machu Picchu…. All I can say is wow. The journey began at 3:30 this morning. My alarm clock sounded as I rolled out of bed and into my clothes. I brushed my hair and teeth, and I was out the door. To say that my host family is the most amazing would be a complete and total understatement. Jorgito and Monica, my Peruvian parents, woke up with my roommates and me to see us off. The bus pulled away from Basilica Café at 4:00, and we embarked on a journey that we’ll never forget.

We rode the bus to a town called Ollantaytambo. That is the location of some ruins that we will visit on our return trip. We somehow managed to miss our train. At 6:30 in the morning this seemed like the end of the world as we know it; however, it definitely worked in our favor. The train ride was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We rode first class, so we got an unexpected breakfast and an incredible view. The mountains surrounded the tracks. We went from the arid, rocky views of Cusco to the luscious higher elevations of the jungle. I took in the scene drinking Inca Cola, listening to the artificial Inca Jungle ambiance from the train car speakers, and cutting up with friends.

We arrived to a town called Aguas Calientes. This is where our hotel was. We ran inside, dropped off our bags in the lobby, put on some makeup, (my hair was still a hopeless mess, but at least I had on lipstick), and we boarded another bus for Machu Picchu. This ride was interesting in a completely new sense of the word. Picture a one way street winding up a mountain. It literally looked like something off of a Road Runner cartoon. The bus kept me on edge because I was skeptical of the turn radius on that giant machine, but what really shook me up was when we met a few other busses on this tight fit for one. The bus driver gracefully threw the vehicle in reverse and backed down the mountain and into a crevice until the other busses passed. This was obviously not his first time to navigate the Andes, and we made it to the top with ease.

I could spend a very long time discussing the ruins, but I’ll limit myself. I can assure you that it was spectacular. I can’t even put together a descent looking lego house, and this Ancient Incan population managed to build an entire city out of igneous rocks. They had store houses, guest houses, temples, palaces, and lots of stairs. This people group worshiped the sun and the mountains. Every architectural aspect had some symbolic purpose. There were perfect replicas of the mountains carved out of stone. There were images of the sacred condor and places for storing mummies. One of the most impressive places was the tomb of the most famous Incan Emperor named Pachacuteq.

Machu Picchu was discovered by a Yale professor named Hirom Bingham. It was said that he took over one thousand pictures of the site. I am almost positive that UNA’s study abroad team gave him a run for his money. There were pictures with fraternity flags, the school banner, with llamas, with mountains, with big plots of fog, and LOTS of pictures of rocks.

After about two and a half hours of walking stairs and admiring the handy work of a very talented group of ancient people, my feet welcomed the bus ride back down the mountain. This is an experience that I will never forget, and I am so glad that I came to Peru for the Summer 2014 term.

Dallas Moore

Dallas Moore will begin his Senior year in the Fall. He is ready to go abroad for the first time, and be immersed into the language of Peru because he is a Spanish and Business Major. He has kayaked Cypress Creek on many occasion. Follow his blog as he checks out the Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca this summer.

More Posts - Twitter - Facebook