Monday, 8 September 2014
Then there was the Temple of the Three Windows, this represents the geometric precision of Inca architecture, each of the 3 gaping trapezoidal windows frames a separate peak on the horizon. The Incas used trapezoid shapes for their windows and their doors, because this shape could withstand earthquakes.
After this, the main temple which stands above other areas of the citadel. There is a carving of a diamond shaped stone in the centre which is said to depict the Southern Cross constellation, but it is unsure whether this was intended or not. There is also a carving shaped like a mountain which resembles the shape of the mountain directly behind the carving. There is a place within the temple where priests prepared stuff for scared rites and ceremonies.
The last things I saw was the Temple of the Condor, where it is believed that animal sacrifices were made. I read somewhere that this was also a place to torture prisoners, but I did not get the chance to ask the guide this.
After this, I was free. My train ticket was only at 4.12 pm, and it was only about 11 am. Yesterday I was thinking about trying to change my ticket to an earlier ticket, but there were still some places that I had not gone to yet, including the Sun Gate, and I decided to walk around a bit more. First I went to the Inca Bridge, which is really a walkway between a small peak where we climbed, to the city of Machu Picchu. Then to the guardhouse which was really a view point.
Then I was in 2 minds whether to go to the Sun Gate of not, not because it was a 1 hour journey on foot, but because it was bloody uphill! In the end I told myself I will walk at least half way, and if I am tired I will turn back. For those who did the Inca trail, the first thing they would come upon is the Sun Gate, before they enter the city of Machu Picchu. So in a way, I did do a small part of the Inca trail in the end. The walk uphill was no joke, I stopped about 10 million times to catch my breath. The problem also was that I did not have any breakfast (I left the hotel too early this morning) and I ran out of water.
When I reached the half way point, I was in half a mind to turn back but the adventurous side of my brain kept telling me that i was already half way, I might as well finish it. When you're alone, you have to be your own cheerleader, supporter and fan. But I also had help, from the kind souls who were on their way down, who kept telling me to go on ahead because the view from the Sun Gate is worth it. In the end I made it, and I was glad I did, not just for the view but for doing it on my own, with a little encouragement from strangers. The Sun Gate is when you first see the city of Machu Picchu. From there, you can see the whole city, and it was a breathtaking view.
It took me only 1/2 hour to come down from the Sun Gate. On the way up and down from the Sun Gate, I made comparisons between Machu Picchu and the temples in Cambodia, most notably the Angkor Wat. While the shape of the buildings itself is different, the architecture is somewhat similar, in that big blocks of stone are chipped, shaped and polished into almost perfect squares or rectangles, and arranged so that a temple or a city is built. Machu Picchu was most probably built in the 15th century, Angkor Wat in the 12th century if I'm not mistaken. What is amazing is that people from different parts of the world, who had probably never met, had the same ideas, the same engineering and architectural knowledge, and the same purpose for building huge monuments - religious / administration purposes. It is almost as if humankind globally evolved at the same pace, at the same time. For the longest time I used to tell people that of all the places I have been to (including Egypt and Italy), I still think Angkor Wat and the other temples in Cambodia are the true masterpieces. And now there is Machu Picchu. Really, I can't decide which is better, I think it's a tie!
After my visit to the Sun Gate, I took the bus back to Aguas Calientes where I decided to treat myself with food, glorious food! And chicha morada, a traditional Incan drink made out of fermented corn. I didn't really like it, it tasted a bit like red wine. After that I went to the train station back to Ollantaytambo. I nearly missed the train, because there was no announcements telling us that the train has arrived, and suddenly a train worker came shouting my name and asked me to hurry up. What the hell! I was waiting in the waiting room for the longest time waiting for announcements! Or maybe I was blur. Whatever it was, I managed to get on the train and back to Ollantaytambo, where a van was waiting for me and a million other passengers to go to Cusco. I made the mistake of sitting right at the back, when I could've sat on one of the single seats, because there was a big sized man sitting next to me and I was squeezed between him and the window, it wasn't comfortable at all!
And then the van stopped about 4 blocks away from the plaza de armas in Cusco, I have no idea why they wouldn't just drop us off at the plaza de armas, and I was pissed off because I was already so tired, and now I had to walk 4 blocks to my hotel with my luggage! But then I bumped into my new friend Carlos again and I wasn't pissed anymore. God is good sometimes.
Then there was the Temple of the Three Windows, this represents the geometric precision of Inca architecture, each of the 3 gaping trapezoidal windows frames a separate peak on the horizon. The Incas used trapezoid shapes for their windows and their doors, because this shape could withstand earthquakes.
After this, the main temple which stands above other areas of the citadel. There is a carving of a diamond shaped stone in the centre which is said to depict the Southern Cross constellation, but it is unsure whether this was intended or not. There is also a carving shaped like a mountain which resembles the shape of the mountain directly behind the carving. There is a place within the temple where priests prepared stuff for scared rites and ceremonies.
The last things I saw was the Temple of the Condor, where it is believed that animal sacrifices were made. I read somewhere that this was also a place to torture prisoners, but I did not get the chance to ask the guide this.
After this, I was free. My train ticket was only at 4.12 pm, and it was only about 11 am. Yesterday I was thinking about trying to change my ticket to an earlier ticket, but there were still some places that I had not gone to yet, including the Sun Gate, and I decided to walk around a bit more. First I went to the Inca Bridge, which is really a walkway between a small peak where we climbed, to the city of Machu Picchu. Then to the guardhouse which was really a view point.
Then I was in 2 minds whether to go to the Sun Gate of not, not because it was a 1 hour journey on foot, but because it was bloody uphill! In the end I told myself I will walk at least half way, and if I am tired I will turn back. For those who did the Inca trail, the first thing they would come upon is the Sun Gate, before they enter the city of Machu Picchu. So in a way, I did do a small part of the Inca trail in the end. The walk uphill was no joke, I stopped about 10 million times to catch my breath. The problem also was that I did not have any breakfast (I left the hotel too early this morning) and I ran out of water.
When I reached the half way point, I was in half a mind to turn back but the adventurous side of my brain kept telling me that i was already half way, I might as well finish it. When you're alone, you have to be your own cheerleader, supporter and fan. But I also had help, from the kind souls who were on their way down, who kept telling me to go on ahead because the view from the Sun Gate is worth it. In the end I made it, and I was glad I did, not just for the view but for doing it on my own, with a little encouragement from strangers. The Sun Gate is when you first see the city of Machu Picchu. From there, you can see the whole city, and it was a breathtaking view.
It took me only 1/2 hour to come down from the Sun Gate. On the way up and down from the Sun Gate, I made comparisons between Machu Picchu and the temples in Cambodia, most notably the Angkor Wat. While the shape of the buildings itself is different, the architecture is somewhat similar, in that big blocks of stone are chipped, shaped and polished into almost perfect squares or rectangles, and arranged so that a temple or a city is built. Machu Picchu was most probably built in the 15th century, Angkor Wat in the 12th century if I'm not mistaken. What is amazing is that people from different parts of the world, who had probably never met, had the same ideas, the same engineering and architectural knowledge, and the same purpose for building huge monuments - religious / administration purposes. It is almost as if humankind globally evolved at the same pace, at the same time. For the longest time I used to tell people that of all the places I have been to (including Egypt and Italy), I still think Angkor Wat and the other temples in Cambodia are the true masterpieces. And now there is Machu Picchu. Really, I can't decide which is better, I think it's a tie!
After my visit to the Sun Gate, I took the bus back to Aguas Calientes where I decided to treat myself with food, glorious food! And chicha morada, a traditional Incan drink made out of fermented corn. I didn't really like it, it tasted a bit like red wine. After that I went to the train station back to Ollantaytambo. I nearly missed the train, because there was no announcements telling us that the train has arrived, and suddenly a train worker came shouting my name and asked me to hurry up. What the hell! I was waiting in the waiting room for the longest time waiting for announcements! Or maybe I was blur. Whatever it was, I managed to get on the train and back to Ollantaytambo, where a van was waiting for me and a million other passengers to go to Cusco. I made the mistake of sitting right at the back, when I could've sat on one of the single seats, because there was a big sized man sitting next to me and I was squeezed between him and the window, it wasn't comfortable at all!
And then the van stopped about 4 blocks away from the plaza de armas in Cusco, I have no idea why they wouldn't just drop us off at the plaza de armas, and I was pissed off because I was already so tired, and now I had to walk 4 blocks to my hotel with my luggage! But then I bumped into my new friend Carlos again and I wasn't pissed anymore. God is good sometimes.
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