There are places that affect us especially strongly. Climbing the mountains, we literally see the world – and our lives – in a completely different way, we discover something new for ourselves. And you understand this especially clearly when you find yourself across dozens of time zones right on New Year’s Eve.
One day on December 31, Anton and Irina Konstantinov, travel bloggers from Moscow (@uletimru), ended up on the other side of the earth – in Peru. They climbed above the clouds to look at the magical city of Machu Picchu from there, and at the same time understand something important.
Right under the sky
A holiday in another country is a way to get off the ground and do everything possible so that the next year of life is not like the previous one, – Anton recalls. “Traveling gave us the understanding that for the sake of impressions you can sacrifice something. A new phone or a vacuum cleaner is for a couple of years, but New Year’s Eve in Machu Picchu is a memory for a lifetime!
And here we are at the top of a mountain range, right under the sky. We stand and marvel at how fragile everything in this world is. The Spaniards easily destroyed the huge Inca empire. Earthquakes destroyed unique buildings. An entire civilization has disappeared. But something remained untouched.
Right under our feet – strawberries. Custom, forest, as we have in the middle lane. But it’s December 31st! It’s a miracle! And the ancient city below us seems to be the same miracle: the Sacred Square, the Temple of the Sun, the House of the Chosen Virgins – everything is in full view.
And another surprise here, from which it literally takes your breath away, is a stunning view of the Urubamba river valley.
The center of the world
Peru is a country of endless mysteries and mysteries. Take, for example, the famous lines in the Nazca desert. Who and why created grandiose drawings from them? Scientists claim that this is part of an ancient irrigation system, and ufologists are sure that alien ships landed here. There is no consensus. You can look at them from a helicopter or plane.
Lake Titicaca is not only a place where the hero of the film “Pokrovsky Gates” Kostya did not gather, but also another mystery – an ancient city was discovered at the bottom of this lake.
Another attraction is the Colca Canyon. It is almost twice as deep as the famous Grand Canyon in the USA, but there are many times fewer tourists visiting it. And in vain. It’s worth taking a look at this unique place, at least for the sake of giant condors that hover right over their heads, and their shadow covers several people at once!
And, of course, the former capital of the Inca Empire, the city of Cusco. In addition to the Koricancha temple, the legendary Sacsayhuaman fortress with walls in the form of puma teeth and other architectural monuments that have survived to this day, you should definitely go to the Armory Square. According to the legend, this is where the navel of the Earth is located.
Need to know
Tickets to Lima cost about 1000 euros. There are no direct flights. Fly with a transfer through Paris, Amsterdam or Madrid. To save some money, you can try to buy a ticket from Spain. But this is an option for extreme sportsmen.
The best time to travel is summer. In winter it is humid and therefore it seems cool. Plus, it’s the rainy season.
The tropical village of Huacachina offers sandboarding and buggy rides.