Mystical Peru…where magical vibes are unveiled with Orient-Express styleBy Suna and Rusi Kanga
Exhilarated by the charm of courtyard gardens, ancient cloisters of colonial renaissance style, and a Baroque-style chapel with magnificent paintings, it was hard to accept a suggestion to get into bed. "It will help you get acclimatized," urged the receptionist. We check into the duplex suite, beautifully appointed with Peruvian paintings in gold frames, fine old furniture, pottery, fruits and flowers. The bed, tucked under the sloped ceiling, faces a pop-up television at its foot. The ultimate seduction of luxurious, monogrammed bed-linen makes it easy to turn in.
At Sacsayhuaman, a fantastic Inca fortress overlooking this puma-shaped city, the massive granite blocks pose many questions. How were the stones lifted and stacked on the mountain? Back in town, we check out the lively night scene. At the Inka Wall restaurant, whirling Peruvian dancers offer good entertainment.
HIGH LAKE TO DESERT
How were these ancient drawings etched into the forbidding landscape? Theories abound: some speculate that they either represented a solar calendar, astronomic observatory, alien landing strip or were just totems. A German mathematician, the late Dr Maria Reiche, discovered that the giant figure of a monkey coincided exactly with the constellation of Ursa Major. Perhaps, the drawings helped the Nascans determine the seasons of the year, so vital to the peoples' subsistence? Questions, questions! Peru's monumental multiple-choices queries make every answer a fascinating possibility. Mystical Peru keeps you guessing. www.orient-expresshotels.com and www.perurail.com. Kanga Concepts |
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The silence among us is palpable. It is 6 am and we are perched on a high ledge at Peru's greatest attraction, Machu Picchu. The Lost City of the Incas, located at an altitude of 2,400 metres, has us lost in deep thought. Why was the city built in a remote mountain location? What was its precise function? How did it remain a secret during 300 years of Spanish rule? Dawn dissipates the clouds hovering over the stony ruins and brings the city into grand focus. Cameras click, the spell is broken.
Flying Aero Continente from Chile, we land in the sprawling capital Lima. The road to the Miraflores Park Hotel skirts a suburban waterfront of gracious colonial buildings. Our suite is a preview of Orient-Express style. There is a private sauna with monogrammed bath towels, king-sized bed, fax machine and stationery and a grand ocean view. At the lobby bar, we sink into deep leather sofas and raise pisco sours to 'salut' prestigious travel. 
To understand Peru, one must first visit the treasure-filled museums of cosmopolitan Lima. The Anthropology and Archaeology Museum is a grand introduction to a 500-year history studded with stories of conquistadores who came in search of gold and discovered an astonishing cultural heritage. When Francisco Pizzaro, conqueror and first governor of Peru, arrived from Spain in the 16th century, he was held in awe as a White God. Within months, lured by the wealth of gold, Inca cities were ransacked and razed, and on the ruins of ancient temples rose elaborate churches. The significance of gold has prompted a popular expression. "When something is worth its weight in gold, we say 'it's worth Peru,' " notes a local. 
No city in Peru is as spectacular as Cuzco! Flying to an elevation of 3,360 metres, (about 12,000 ft), we land in what was once the fabled capital of the Inca Empire. Cuzco's location, as one of the highest cities in the world, adds to its heady charm, which is why one needs to avoid alcohol and keep sipping mate de coca, a pleasant, non-addictive herbal tea brewed from coca leaves (from which cocaine is made.) But we are not overly concerned as the Monasterio is the first hotel in the world to offer oxygen-enriched rooms. 
Built in 1595 on the site of an Inca palace, the magnificent hotel was a seminary for almost a century. Palatial style was regained in May 1999, when the Orient-Express Hotels took over the management of an existing hotel and renamed it Hotel Monasterio. The national historical landmark is the property of the Archbishop of Cusco. 
Cuzco is a delightful meld of three cultures: the native Quechua Indian, the conquering colonial Spanish and the modern. Strolling through the lofty, once-gilded temples and palaces, it is easy to imagine the pomp and pageantry of the ancients. "Cuzco was considered a sacred city and people had to purify themselves before entering the gates," notes our guide. The Koricancha, (Temple of the Sun), is the city's best-preserved Inca structure despite being stripped of its gold. 
Annually, about a million people visit Machu Picchu. Our journey to this sacred mountain-city begins with one of the world's great train rides. PeruRail's Vistadome, managed by the Orient-Express, races along the Urubamba River, past a breathtaking vista of meadows, mountains and raging waters. Snacks and drinks are served during the four-hour ride. PeruRail also runs a luxury train, the Hiram Bingham, on a daily round trip with fine dining offered both ways. 
A short bus ride up a steep, mountain road takes us to the only hotel at the top, a stone's throw from the stunning ruins. We are surprised to learn that Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude than Cuzco and can only be reached by train or by hiking the famous Inka Trail. The Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge's 31-rooms have an appropriately rustic mood derived from artistic Peruvian textiles and local ceramic wares. The food is delightful and service extraordinary and earth-friendly and recyclable products pay respect to nature. In the garden, indigenous blooms are lovingly nurtured. 
Strolling amidst the stony dwellings covered with moss, we marvel at the sheer scale of Machu Picchu. The spectacular ruins and the grandeur of the location take one's breath away! When American Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu during a Yale university expedition, the incredulous professor wrote: "Would anyone believe what I have found?" Overlooking the ruins like a benevolent benefactor is Huayna Picchu or Young Mountain, the towering form seen in most pictures. The more agile in our group trek up to the summit and are back within three hours. 
Machu Picchu's history is shrouded in clouds. Bingham believed it was a citadel during the Spanish war. Others theorize it was a ceremonial centre or religious university, or a refuge of the Virgins of the Sun, the chosen Inca women who escaped from Cuzco when the Spaniards arrived. Some say it was a secret location to cultivate coca leaves, abandoned when water ran out. Whatever the reason, Machu Picchu is the highlight of a region regarded as the archaeological capital of South America.
Esoteric groups congregate here to chant mantras, to talk about cults and cosmic energy and discuss books such as The Celestine Prophecy, a novel set in Peru that stirred interest in spiritual culture. Why did the Incas choose such a challenging location for their city? Llamas roaming the ruins make us wonder if reincarnated Incas are eavesdropping on glib explanations by the guides. "It's a very special place for Peruvians. The ruins are amazing at night especially at full moon when the granite stones glow," say a local.
From the high Andes we travel to the world's highest navigable lake. Peru is among five countries with the greatest biological diversity in the world. There are 50 mountains of 6,000 metres or more, 1,679 glaciers and over 12,000 lakes! 
From Cuzco, we take the Andean Explorer for the nine-hour journey to famous Lake Titicaca, Puno. On the PeruRail's first-class train managed by Orient-Express, meals are a highlight, enjoyed in cushioned, winged chairs at damask covered tables. Wining is promoted around the bar near the Observation Carriage where we down pisco sour. Attention veers between scenic views of rivers, 
mountains, meadows and herds of vicuna and alpaca and the onboard Peruvian dances, good luck ceremony and weaving displays. Lunch is an avocado salad with palms, chicken with mushroom sauce and dessert, served by smartly attired staff.
The world's highest navigable, Lake Titicaca shimmers like a silken blue sheet embroidered with mossy green. From our room at Hotel Libertador, we see silhouettes of floating isles where Uros Indians lead an unusual existence. A boat takes us to the islands anchored on thick totora reeds where friendly islanders live in reed huts and make a living selling crafts. At pretty Taquile island, we see Indians spin alpaca wool with drop-spindles even as they walk, taste quinua (cereal soup) and pegerrey (king fish) in a villager's home and shop for textiles.
More mysteries await us in a desolate desert where we fly to see the famed Nasca Lines. To appreciate the baffling geometry of the huge drawings in the Nasca desert we take to the sky. Our single-engine Cessna is buffeted by strong winds as the pilot swoops over the giant drawings on a desolate plateau. Created by ancient Peruvians along the western slopes of the Andean Cordillera, each form is precisely outlined and some are up to 900 feet long! A humming bird, monkey, dog, spider, whale, shark, aquatic flora and fauna and different birds… Amazement heightens as each giant pattern comes into view.