In a temporary change in blogging course, I’m posting about my recent trip to South America—Ecuador, Peru, and our (wife and me) trip to Machu Picchu.  These don’t have anything to do with crime, but I thought you’d be interested in these places.  As a writer, traveling is one of the best ways I can use to not only “charge the batteries” but also to open my mind to new places, people, and ideas.  Something that’s good for all of us.  Here’s how to get up to Machu Picchu.

You will probably travel, with thousands of others, through the high city of Cusco.  (11,500 feet above sea level)  Most leave from there by bus over the tops of the Andes to circle down into the Sacred Valley.  It’s a long wide valley between mountain ranges where the Incas lived and farmed.  Their forts, temples, and even some of their cities remain to this day.  It’s called the Sacred Valley because it resembled the shape of the Milky Way—a place where their gods lived.

The valley is also sacred because in an area that would normally be terrible for farming, the sheltered valley is perfect.  Although it’s located at an extremely high altitude, because it’s near the equator and the valley focuses the sun onto the fields, it’s stuffed with farms and food.

The Urubamba River crashes down the middle of the valley to give water to the fields that stretch from its banks to the foothills of the mountains on either side.  A gravel road, about 1 1/2 lanes wide, parallels the river and brings you through old Incan towns:  Pisac, Ollentaytambo, and Aguas Calliente.  Some have Incan ruins, some are strategic spots for defense, and all have plazas surrounded by markets.  The best restaurant was The Blue Llama in Pisac—-for the name, at least!

You have to transfer to a train before you get up to Machu Picchu.  There are only two tracks: one into Aguas Calliente and one out.  There are no roads so you can imagine how easy it would be to get trapped in the valley.  The ride is slow and beautiful with the mountains coming straight down to the edge of the Urubamba—with just enough room for the train tracks.

From the train, you arrive in the small town of Aguas Callientes which straddles the intersection of the Urubamba and another river.  From the main plaza, you can turn south, look straight up into the air, and see the mountain that Machu Picchu hides on top of.  (8,900 feet above sea level)  Even today, you can see the ruins, which is probably the reason the Incas built it there.  Once again, how to get up to Machu Picchu means you must transfer to another transport and take a bus us the scary hair-pin turns that lead up the side of the mountain.  It takes about a half hour to reach the top.

You exit from the bus with thousands of other people, squeeze through only two ticket booths, and walk down a short trail that Hiram Bingham (the American founder of the ruins) himself walked.  The trail curves around the edge of the mountain until it opens onto a long terrace and you can finally see Machu Picchu.

More to come—