The Lost City
Image Credit: Mishel Fevzi
Traits I adapted from my family pushed me to experience the trip of a lifetime.
Everyone I know has a specific personality trait that has been influenced by their family and stuck with them throughout life. Because of my dad (who is the most adventurous and knowledgeable person I know), I was taught from a young age the importance of appreciating different cultures and leaving my comfort zone to discover them. As life would have it, I’d inherit his love for travel, which has since only magnified the lessons I was taught as a child. Alas in 2023 travelling seems to have become more of an activity meant to impress people online, rather than an experience of cultural immersion and discovery. I’m very grateful that this trait I inherited from my dad exposed me to a whole new world, taking me on my most wonderful and eye-opening journey yet; Machu Picchu, Peru.
Something about the culture and heritage of Latin America has always captivated me. Built at the height of the Inca Empire, Machu Picchu is one of the most magnificent projects that humans have created. After hearing all of the tales of the “Lost City of the Incas” and all of the movies it inspired, I just had to see for myself. With all the legends and stories of the Incas in my head, I packed my bags and off we went.
If someone had told me that in the next 48 hours, I would get spit on by a llama, almost kidnapped by an Andean condor and accidentally drink a native herbal tea that’d give me the effects of a hallucinogenic drug, I’d think you were lying and quoting a cartoon movie to me. But as I said this trip was... the experience of a lifetime. We made our way to Cusco which sits at 3,399m high up in the Andes. Yes, it’s quite high. Yes, the altitude affects you. But the Peruvian people know all this, and as their bodies are adjusted to the altitude, mine simply is not. The Solution? Coca tea. It is meant to help with altitude sickness and pressure. At least that’s what they tell you. What they don’t tell you? Its effects resemble those of psychedelics for some people. A substantially altered state of consciousness as well as visual and auditory changes are all part of the effects. As luck would have it, I was one of those people, but hey, at least the altitude sickness was gone. Let’s just say after drinking Coca tea the environment resembled that of a video game with the scenery frequently changing all around me.
With my altitude sickness gone, our next stop was an animal sanctuary in Cusco. All the native wildlife: llamas, condors, guinea pigs, you name it. Having waited forever to feed a llama I got up close to it ...until one of them didn’t like the food I gave it and spit in my face.
Now still under the effects of the coca tea, I got a bit thrown off, walked in the wrong direction, and headed towards a tour guide who was showing the other tourists how they fed the Andean condor. Needless to say, I walked right into the space where they put the meat and being met by a choir of screams, I turned around to see the condor flying in my direction, aiming to pick me up. Luckily my baseball cap was the victim, instead of me. If you ever visit Peru, I’d recommend drinking your coca tea before sleep and not ending up fighting off a condor that’s your size.
The next day Machu Picchu awaited. We got there by bus and trekked for the next half. The first few moments I felt so tired from all the walking, and breathless, but the view on the way sure did help. After visiting I truly understand why they call it one of the seven wonders of the world. It’s a literal thousand-year-old city preserved in the middle of the Andes, with the high peaks of the mountains surrounding it. Looking around you truly feel on top of the world and disconnect from everything else. It’s maybe a bit cliché to say, but it really is one of those moments when life feels like a movie. It is especially in moments like these when a person realises just how far away we now are from raw, numinous experiences. People need elemental things, which was previously natural for us, but now we schedule things ahead of time, stay inside a lot and always within the frames of an artificial life we’ve created. It’s a shame how accustomed we’ve become to living life off a screen and forgetting to experience moments in the real world. This was one of the experiences and places where I realised just how natural it is for us to adapt to nature, crave it and experience these simple pleasures which we seem to forget about.
As we sat around hearing about the legend of Machu Picchu, I couldn’t help but think of all the history this place had seen and what life was like for the Incas back then. Used as a hiding space, since theoretically, deep into the jungle and surrounded by mountains, it vanishes into thin air: The Lost City. Truly one of those things you hear about in legends and tales- only I was standing right in the middle of it. Being there I thought about my dad and this “gift” he’d given as he passed down his love of travel. Learning about different cultures and leaving my comfort zone to go find them has always allowed a bit of magic into my life, exposing me to knowledge and adventure- qualities which I’m eternally grateful for.