Machu Picchu and Agua Clientes Peru 秘鲁马丘比丘 3/2019 (11)

28-29/3/2017. There is a place in Peru every traveler touring Latin America makes a pilgrimage to wherever he/she is. From Cusco, I tried to get close to it, by finding my way first of all to Aguas Calientes.

This was deep in a jungle and mountainous area. As we pilgrims drove deeper into this region, vegetation short and tall, foliages of lime and pine green appeared and then with more abundance and density. The hills, covered with stubby hair at the start of our drive, now became overgrown with wild vegetation.

After a two-hour bus ride and a two-hour train ride, I arrived at the small town of Aguas Calientes, surrounded by mountains. This was a moist place—the fog, the mist, the rain, the wet everything. After a heavy downpour, the creek that flows from the top of the hill down the town center looked very furious indeed.

This place felt like it was totally secluded from the world. The dense mist and fog that shrouded this place added to this feeling of isolation. This Peru should have been located somewhere higher in heaven; it conjures up so much mystique.

28-29/3/2017 到秘鲁或到拉美的游客都会到一个举世闻名的圣地朝圣。从库斯科我开始进军逼近这目标。我必须先到最邻近的小镇阿瓜斯卡連特斯 （Agua Clientes）。

启程时那些小毛头的山体，逐渐变得毛茸茸，最终变成茂密的树林。这是个深入山林的文明，路上一直下着雨，坐了两小时大巴和两小时火车后最终抵达这小镇。这小镇四面环山，这一雨造成怒水如万马奔鹏往下急冲。笼罩这小镇的大雾更使人感觉好像与世隔绝，是世外的世界。，

这秘鲁可真是有趣， 要不就是久旱不雨的沙漠，要不就是泡水海绵般的潮湿。这样冰火的两重天怎会不把人的脑子搞乱了。

Finally! Here I was at Machu Picchu, one of the world’s most visited attractions. I could understand now why this ancient structure remained undiscovered until the early 19th century. What hit me first was not how great the structure was. It was how and why on Earth would an elaborate structure like this be plonked onto an inhospitable and unreachable place? It was deep in the jungle, overgrown with vegetation, wet and foggy, rocky and mountainous, perched so high amid the clouds, surrounded by vertical cliff edges.

As with any real estate, it is always location, location, location. The Inca ruler has surely picked the best location to build his castle in the sky, for this to be so well-preserved for progeny today. For humankind, Machu Picchu is one of a kind. It is mind-boggling, bizarre, but also spiritual to many.

终于到了马丘比丘! 这是最受旅游者参观的世界遗产之一。使人惊讶的还不止那古老结构而是他所在之地。这地点，在密林深处，四面环山，置身峭壁上，高在云霄中，顺着陡峭的山体搭建，像个被空降的小村庄，完全与世隔绝。就因为这隐蔽地点，这马丘比丘到十九世纪初才被世人发现，后人才有机会为之惊叹。没有任何更能代表秘鲁的前生前世，它的神秘。 置身其中觉得是个荒谬的玩笑，不可思议，不靠谱，一切显得那么不真实。