Communing with the Apus

En camino, on the road to the trail head.

View from the road, believe it or not

At the Choquequiroa ruins

View from the top

Sarah, Maria, our kick-behind guide, Erin, Anna, amd our fabulous cooks Genaro and Eber.

Llamas embedded into the terraces thought to have been constructed after the Spanish arrived when the Incas took refuge here in Choquequirao. They were excavated and opened for viewing only very recently. Our guide Maria had been to Choquequirao more than 20 times and it was her first time seeing these llamitas.

Exploring the ruins at sunset. They were deserted and magical.

Sunset as seen from the ceremonial circle.

Upon the last steps of our trek in Cachora, before we head for lunch and chicha.

We finished the Choquequirao trek four days before Ethan Todras-Whitehill unveiled it to the world in the New York Times Travel section (see link below). Instead of the traditional start-finish in Cachora, we started off in Huanipaca in order to do a round circuit. We were seven: our fabulous guide Maria, at 26 one of the smartest and toughest women I know, Eber our cook, his friend and assistant Genaro, and the crew of us chicas locas, Erin, Anna, Margaret and I. Margaret is my friend from college--we realized on the trek that we have been friends for 7 years, Anna is my rockus little sister, and Erin her totally hysterical and chill friend. Turns out there is someone in the world besides my friend Karl who eats faster than me, it's Erin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/travel/03inca.html?ex=1181966400&en=de12b1d53077974a&ei=5070

No matter where you start, it is a two day hike deep into the mountains to reach the ruins of Choquequirao. Though far smaller of a site than Machu Picchu, Choquequirao is thought to have been a cultural and religious center of equal importance. Upon the arrival of the Spanish, the Inca nobles and priests abandoned Machu Picchu so that the Spanish would not find it (that is likely why it was not destroyed or irreparably damaged) and retreated to Choquequirao, possibly in order to secure access to Vilcabamba, another important Inca center.

We spent our whole third day exploring the ruins, the morning in the ruins of the terraces below our campsite and the afternoon in the ruins of the temples, homes, and ceremonial center at the tops of the mountains above. The first time you come, the apus (gods of the mountains) allow you to make one wish with the offering of three coca leaves. When two massive condors flew right by our noses, the magic felt very real. Apart from a couple other tourists who we saw from afar and the keeper of the sign-in log, we were the only people around. As the sun set over the massive 6,000-plus-meter mountains in the far distance, I understood the power of the forces that the Incas had worshipped. I spoke with the apus. Whether they heard me or not I don't know, but I felt a deep sense of appreciation for the opportunity to see this wonder of the world. I hope that the plans underway to generate more tourism to this place do not rob it of its magic. The apus would not be pleased.