Travellive 7 - 2018

The Inca rail, equipped
with a glass-enclosed
carriage, allows
passengers to take
stunning photos of
the mountains while
inhaling the fresh
Incan air.
When I originally planned for
this trip I was so fascinated by
the legendary Inca Trail that I
prepared my luggage for a long trek
with hiking shoes, clothing and
other specialty items. However,
for unexpected reasons, we had
only four days in Cusco and the
surrounding areas; not nearly
enough time to thoroughly enjoy
this world heritage site.
LEGENDARY ROUTE ON INCA RAIL
The Inca Rail train departed at 5:30
am from Poroy station, about 30
minutes by taxi from our hotel.
Sitting in a car with wide windows
on the ceiling, we happily enjoyed
panoramic views as we cruised
through the Inca archaeological
sites, snow ranges and glittering
rows of trees. Red leaves floated
atop the winding river that cut the
road in two. Along the two sides of
the road were wide plateaus each
with llamas grazing on grass; in the
distance, snowy mountains appear
as if in a dream, a truly poetic scene.
The legendary rail continued to
unfold beautiful scenes after each
mountain pass much like photos
flipping through an album. The Inca
Rail, equipped with a glass-enclosed
carriage, allows passengers to take
stunning photos of the mountains
while inhaling the fresh Incan air.
The Aguas Calientes train station
is located in a nice little town with
restaurants, hotels, and souvenir
shops full of tourists. In the middle
of the town is a small church with
a lovely flower garden. Because the
town is 1500 m lower than Cusco,
the impact of the altitude isn't felt
here. There are two ways to get to
Machu Picchu from here: some small
trekking roads that lead straight to
the top of the mountain, or a shuttle
bus from a private company that
transports tourists up the mountain.
Gazing down from our gathering
point, the trains in the station
looked like scattered matches, while
the winding road along the cliffs
reminded me of the mountains in
northwestern Vietnam.
Our guide is an elderly man, he
appears to us as a perfectionistic
and is incredibly dedicated to his
job. Unlike other guides who talk
about the grandeur, techniques or
the mysteries of the "Lost City",
ours spoke in depth about each
architectural detail and its meaning.
Pisnou, our guide, is as passionate
about Machu Picchu as if it were
his native home. He said everyone
knows how famous and important
Old Mountain (Machu Picchu) is in
the treasure of world heritage sites
but not everyone recognizes that the
"Lost City" was often referred to as
Vilcabamba. He discussed the detail
of Mother Earth in the concept of the
"Three-Window Room" building as
well as the ideas behind the "Temple
of the Sun", he pointed out the
significant aspects in the so-called
Stonehenge of Machu Pichu.
TRAVELLIVE 105