A solo trek to Marcahuasi

So I've been hanging around Lima for about four weeks not really knowing where or when to make my next move. I am enjoying myself and relaxing quite a bit but it has recently become apparent to me that my time in this part of the world is short and I need to get moving to cover more ground and see new places. So last week I set out for a quick solo backpacking trip to Marcahuasi, an ancient Incan observatory set at the top of a mountain not far from Lima. The mountain is topped with interesting rock formations resembling human heads, camels and even religious icons...if you use your imagination. Said to have been created by extraterrestrials, these rock formations definitely have unique shapes, unlike any I have ever seen. It is no wonder that the Incan people used this basin with its natural acoustics and magestic beauty to observe the celestial spheres dancing in the heavens.

My first (and only) night at Marcahuasi began with one of the most fantastic sunsets I have ever seen. I had spent most of the day in delerium, walking around camp in a daze searching for a shady place to rest after a sudden onset of altitude sickness. I had to drink more than half my water to ensure that I wouldn't drop dead at the top of the mountain and thus cut my trip down by a full 24 hours. However, once the afternoon sun melted into the horizon and shade settled over the rock basin, I became instantly energized and felt the urgent need to witness the puesta del sol, as sunsets are rare this time of year in Lima. I grabbed a jacket and my sunglasses and took a short walk out of the camp to go watch the show.

I found a rocky pier which jutted out of the basin and over the side of the mountain, revealing a group of burnt black granite spires to the south. Standing at attention like a hundred Incan warriors, the spires had surely seen this spectacle every day for their million year existence. To the west I could see a deep valley slowly filling with clouds rolling off of the Pacific ocean. Following the valley out to the perfectly flat plane of the sea I found the sun. Delicately balanced on the point where water meets sky, the hot ball of light turned a brilliant orange and eventually into a deep reddish purple until nothing was left. The sky followed suit after the disappearence of the sun and quickly went from blue to pink to purple night. I had seen sunsets before but nothing quite like this. Just as the show ended I turned to head back to camp and was stopped in my tracks by the most brilliant white moon I have ever seen. It was like a shiny silver dollar rising in the eastern sky. Its rays of light seemed to pierce my heart and once again, I was left breathless. All I could do was laugh to myself, knowing that only a handful of people have ever seen this same spectacle.

So after eating some soup and unsuccessfully attempting to light a fire (dried llama dung and green twigs being my only fuel option) I watched the moon dominate the sky for another hour and headed to bed. The trip to Marcahuasi, although being difficult with it's 16,000 ft elevation and extremely dry air, was a complete success. I can't say I have ever enjoyed being by myself so much. The next day I packed out and began the long journey home filled with bumpy, dusty bus rides and angry taxi drivers. I so enjoyed my trip that I am very anxious to get out of Lima and even out of the country. I am not completely sure where I will end up next but Bolivia might be on my agenda very soon. Until then, the wayfaring anthropologist wishes you well and thanks for reading!