WHEN I LANDED in Lima, I couldn’t really imagine what this city would look like. In the car on the way from Jorge Chavez to the hotel, I was surprised by the fact that all the television shows I saw didn’t fail in capturing Lima—the city is exactly the same like what we saw in movies or Latin America telenovela. The only different thing is that everyone actually speaks Spanish, not those dubbed conversation, and without lame detergent advertisements cutting your telenovela sessions.
I was so tired, but I really enjoyed seeing the city. I just had a 33-hour journey, including a 26-hour flight from Jakarta to Lima, with stops at Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam. This was officially the longest flight I’ve ever had in my life, and Peru would be the farthest place I’ve been to. I have just arrived in a different world.
The next morning, I noticed that the city wasn’t that unfamiliar. I saw buses full of people standing inside, crazy taxi drivers, traffic jam, and bus drivers shouting out loud. I guess a city would always be a city. Though I must admit the temperature in Lima was so nice in April.
I didn’t do sufficient research before I left for Peru. I chose to let things flew as they are, and allowed myself to be surprised by any possibilities that might happen during my visit to this country. And I did. Like any other tourist who has never been to South America, its endless line of mountains (Andes) amazed me. In Peru’s tourism webpage, they have a video about the country, and someone in this video said that gods were transformed into mountains. Now that I’m here, I believed that-wholeheartedly.
I remembered I was on my way to catch the Perurail train at Ollantaytambo, and while taking pictures of those mountains from the taxi’s back seat I couldn’t stop saying, ”God is great!” On the train to Aguas Calientes, I saw mountains, grass, and trees around me. They were so close and breathtaking, I felt myself shivering with awe.
Aguas Calientes, or the host of the famous Machu Picchu, is a small and clean town full of restaurants, stores, hostels and tourists. Lucky for me, during my visit the town hosted some kind of a parade or a carnival with music around the town. All around me everyone is wearing traditional clothes, dancing, singing, and looking very festive and joyful. I felt so blessed that I got the chance to experience all this.
It was not difficult for me to wake up the next morning, as I was all set for my one-of-the-seven-wonders-in-the-world moment: the trip to Machu Picchu! The sun rose since seven, and it rejoiced my soul. Suddenly I felt seventeen again. Or maybe it was because of the delicious pancake and hot chocolate I had for breakfast.
Machu Picchu is as amazing as what people said. The place is just stunning. The ruins are somehow sad yet full of triumphant and victorious past, with traces of superior intelligence. The llamas are super cute.
I could stay there all day, or probably three days in a row if I had the time.
The trip made me feel ecstatic. Euphoric.
The only thing that betrayed my love to Machu Picchu was the street market in the afternoon. Although I didn’t buy many souvenirs for myself, walking to the street market brought more joy to me. In seconds, I found myself surrounded by colorful patchworks, Inca dolls, silver jewelries, piles and piles of leather bookmarks and key chains. Another heaven on earth for me.
On the Perurail, on my way back to Cusco the next day, I opened the window beside me and took tons of oxygen. Going home and leaving such a beautiful place always gave a sour heart. But Cusco healed me real fast. The former capital of Peru, Cusco is a neat and ancient city. Traces of Spanish colonialism are so strong here, on landmarks and cathedrals, they made me feel like I was not in South America.
At night, oxygen got thinner, and I got served with a 13-degree Celsius for dinner.
I didn’t catch Spanish phrases that well, and only remembered “Buenos dias”, “Buenos noches”, ”quanto soles”, and “photograpicas senorita?” (Shame on me). But I did catch striking moments, captured new cultural experiences, practiced instant salsa, encountered a different culinary world, all of them amazing things I didn’t prepare myself two weeks before.
MUCHOS MUCHOS MUCHOS GRACIAS!
