The First Seventy Years: 113 - Machu Picchu
Eric Biddulph describes his visit to one of the world's leading tourist attractions.
Eric’s book The First Seventy Years can be obtained for £10 by contacting http://mary@bike2.wanadoo.co.uk or telephoning 01484-658175.
All the cash raised by the book goes to a water aid project in Malawi.
My visit to Peru would not have been complete without a visit to Machu Piccu. Owing to time limitations I would have to make the trip on the tourist train. A severe gradient out of Cusco required the train to travel up to the ridge by means of a series of switchbacks, the conductor jumping off the train every five minutes to change the points. After about half an hour the ridge was reached and I was rewarded with a magnificent view.
The journey to Machu Piccu takes some four hours. During the latter part of the journey the train is overwhelmed by increasingly high peaks rising majestically up from the rail track.
The site of this ancient Inca city is some 700 metres up from the valley. The Lost Valley of the Incas has a mystery attached to it. It is thought by many that it was built in this remote area of the Andes to escape the rape of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 15th Century. It is known that the Spanish never found it. Indeed, the first European to set eyes on it appears to be Irani Bingham, an American archaeologist, who came across it during an expedition in 1911. It is ranked as one of the world's premier attractions. It is known that the Incas never knew about the wheel yet they still managed to move thousands of tonnes of stone up the mountainside to build this city. There are clearly identifiable sections ranging from sleeping accommodation to communal areas.
On the return journey the day was brought to a memorable end when the railway carriage lights were switched off to permit a spectacular view to be enjoyed of Cusco from the ridge. This ancient Inca capital providing a sparkling vista against a dark Andean skyline.
