It has been two full days since I have landed back on US soil from my Peruvian adventure. I am still processing the experience in many ways. Before leaving, I had heard from many people how traveling to Peru was a life changing experience. I suppose having traveled extensively throughout the world and seen many a "once-in-a-lifetime" sites, I was a little jaded to these comments. Of course I was quite excited to see Machu Picchu, one of 2007's New Seven Wonders of the World. But the truth was that I had never traveled to South American, and although was versed in Mayan culture, knew virtually nothing about the Incans or current day Peruvians.
In the past ten, but especially last five years, traveling to Peru has gained much popularity. As a world traveler, yoga teacher, and newly founded international yoga retreat conductor, I was definitely interested to add Peru to our list of retreat destinations. I read some books about Peru years ago and had wanted to go for a long time. We met with a friend who had traveled with a particular spiritual guide, and decided to make this destination #3 (our inaugural trip to India & Thailand is coming up this January 2016).
Communicating internationally provides its own set of challenges. Sometimes you have to wait days for a response and often the response is not inclusive of the information that you need. Sending money is another stressful situation, especially since you kind of, sort of know the receiver, but kind of, sort of - not really. And when booking an international trip of this scope, that can be a little scary. But, as our spiritual guide would often remind us, "You need to trust."
We left in the late afternoon on September 6th for JFK airport with our intent to sleep on our overnight flight and arrive in Peru the next morning feeling refreshed! And as luck would have it, the flight was relatively empty, allowing us to lie down. I slept through some meals because I would have rather slept. And so, arriving in Peru being excited and alert, we were ready to go!
Trusting that the flight would be quiet enough to sleep had worked. Now we had to take a second flight from Lima to Cusco, Peru which entailed gathering our luggage and going through customs, then reboarding the plane by going through security - in just over an hour. We flew through like the wind. Another section of travel down. Once in Cusco we were to gather our luggage and find a man holding a sign with our name on it. And there he was. No problemo!
I had been warned about the altitude sickness. Cusco, Peru boasts an altitude of 11,000 ft. above sea level (Machu Picchu is merely 8,000 and, to give you some idea of the difference, the average New Jersey altitude is 250 ft, and yet only 1,803 at its highest point). I had told many people that I would not have any issues with the altitude, and was not surprised to feel just fine in Cusco awaiting the car to the train to Machu Picchu. We respectfully drank our first of many coca teas as it is said to help with the altitude.
Our spiritual guide (who I will discuss in more detail in pt. II) owns a tour company and several hotels in Peru. He arrived to join us for our trip on the train to Machu Picchu, and so we had some time to talk to him one-on-one about our interest in leading groups to Peru for yoga retreats. He said that he saw us bringing many groups to Peru, perhaps several times a year! "Ok," I thought, "I'm game."
The train ride to Machu Picchu is breathtaking. Traversing the valley and along the Urumbama River with mountainous peaks surrounding the train, you do not want to close your eyes for fear of missing a beautiful moment.
We were to arrive in Machu Picchu and meet a group of Australians who were also traveling with our guide on a spiritual tour. Our guide is quite popular and it took us several months to coordinate dates that could possibly work. The compromise was to travel with another group, but we had no idea who they were or where they were from until we actually met. Another lesson in trusting the Universe!
Our group was led by a fantastic woman named Judy who has led spiritual tours around the globe for many years. Her group consisted of 12 unique individuals from Australia, 10 women and 2 men, who would shape the course of our trip for the better as they offered their unique perspectives on Peru, traveling, energy, life and more.
For the next two days we visited, hiked, and meditated in and around Machu Picchu. I could bore you forever with the details of Machu Picchu, but instead, for those interested you can click on the link to the UNESCO site here: Information on Machu Picchu, Peru
Our guide brought us to a spot on the tourist trail and asked us again to trust. We held hands and closed our eyes as he and another guide led us...somewhere...(in good conscious I cannot let it go without admitting that I opened my eyes briefly to look at my feet to see where they were in relation to the impending cliff that I knew was around the corner...I guess I still have many trust issues to deal with). When we were instructed to open our eyes and take our first look at this magnificent creation of the Incans, this was our view:
A collected gasp overcame our group, but the moment was quickly whisked away as cameras flared to grasp our first photo of the trip and of this tremendous view. There were many awesome views on this two week excursion, but probably the most jaw-dropping was this very first one. And probably because we were led to it in such a way that allowed us the moment to view this world wonder as if through a child's eyes.
In Machu Picchu we hiked up to the great Sun Gate and down below to a beautiful waterfall. We hiked up and down the town to eat and shop and explore. And in the first two full days of my trip to Peru I think I lost at least 5 lbs. I sucked on coca candy and drank the tea, I went to bed around 8pm and arose earlier than I may have wanted to, but the experience was nothing short of spectacular. From our new-found travel companions, to our spiritual guide, to the breathtaking views and ceremonies, the entire experience of Machu Picchu was incredibly deep and powerful.
Little did I know that it could get even better.
We boarded the beautiful train and set on to the area known as the Sacred Valley where we spent 3 nights exploring various ruins, temples, sacred sites, and impressive landscapes. Each destination was more powerful than the next. From Moray's circular ruins where the energy was palpable to the monolithic stones at Sacsayhuaman (yes, pronounced "Sexy Woman"), the Peruvian landscape and the impressions left by the ancients (many even pre-Incan) allowed us to go deep into our own sense of self to realize the most simple yet deepest connection of all: it is more than obvious in this land that something greater and Universal created these places.
There are many stories of UFO sightings. There are more than just suggestions of extraterrestrial life forms having visited the area and perhaps still inhabiting areas in and around southern Peru and into Bolivia. Did light beings from space create some of these dramatic natural and "man-made" sites? Or was man able to distribute and work with energy naturally to move stones and creates sites with long-lasting and palpable energy still running through? Or is there another idea all-together? I suppose it can all be true. Having visited the places now personally I can only attest to the feeling that you have when you are there. And that feeling, quite frankly, is that anything is possible.
But there was still more to our trek. Actually, a heck of a lot more!
We took a 10 hour bus trip from Cusco to Puno, which flanks Lake Titicaca. Yes, you can laugh. I still do...because it's the most fun name ever created in the history of the world. Say it with me: "TITICACA!"
For those keeping record, the altitude around the lake area is 12,555 ft. above sea level. So to think that the experiences of altitude sickness was a problems for some in Machu Picchu or Cusco, well, the Lake is something even more intense. In fact, the hotel keeps bottles of oxygen and masks near the front door for visitors who need a refresher.
We only spent a day in Lake Titicaca before we traveled off to Bolivia. But it was another day full of beauty and exploration. From the floating islands of Uros, where people live on an island made of reeds, to Taquile island where we were lucky enough to witness a festival for the island's anniversary, the Lake area offers many unusual sites. But one thing is always common...you have to hike up! Yup, you have to hike up.
While I talked a lot about hiking, what I did not mention was hiking in this altitude. And while I did not personally experience altitude sickness, I did have a very hard time whenever I had to ascend. At home running up a flight of steps is nothing. Add on 10-12,000 ft. and thinner air and about 100 yards becomes a challenge. Your choice is to push through and risk tachycardia or stop every so often and try to take deep breaths. As a yoga teacher, deep breathing is my thing. In this altitude when ascending, I must say, deep breathing...not so much my thing! While it is relatively easy to take in a nice, deep breath, you will find that your slow exhalation is almost nonexistent. I realized that it took anywhere from 10-20 concentrated breaths to get my breathing back to a normal pace of exhalation.
For this reason, I became good friends with many of our Australian companions who needed to stop and rest a bit. I am always one to hang out and help a brother (or sister) out! I have long realized that I am no olympian and have nothing to prove to anyone. I like to pace myself and I like to stop and enjoy the view. In the process of stopping to care for others, I also care for myself, and in the end have a more enjoyable climb. Hmm, sounds like a nice strategy for life in general, doesn't it?!
I will discuss Bolivia in another blog, but wanted to discuss our last day in Peru briefly. We ended with perhaps one of the most interesting sites in southern Peru - that of Aramu Muru.
Aramu Muru is a pre-Incan site of monolithic proportions, that at one place resembles a door or gateway of some sort. There are many legends and myths surrounding the gate - stories of whole groups of people going missing into the gate and that the hole in the center or "eye" is a portal to take one into another dimension when your own 3rd eye is pressed upon it. To get there you can take the simple walk, or you can climb the back of the snake and the puma and go up throughout the sacred valley. Guess which one what we did?
The "gateway to the gods" is impressive. We were lucky enough to have some alone time there with no other tourists or shamans. Our guide performed a beautiful ceremony, starting with lighting scared palo santo, then making offerings. I meditated there, feeling compelled to just sit and listen. I am not even sure how long I sat there, but the visions that came to me were spectacular and life-justifying. It was certainly a perfect way to end our Peruvian adventure.
We did visit another small site on the way to the airport, where we were able to shop for some alpaca sweaters and socks. Our flight was to leave Juliaca airport at 9pm for Lima, and then after midnight from Lima to JFK. And, as they say, "all is well that ends well." We are now home, acclimating to this heavy, thick air and getting back to work.
But our guide was right! I will be bringing many people back to Peru for their own Magikal Peruvian Adventure for years to come!
For more information, contact www.SacredJourneysRetreats.com or OneYogaCenter.net
Read Part II: about Peruvian Energy & Shamanism & Part III: about Bolivia...uploading soon!
In the past ten, but especially last five years, traveling to Peru has gained much popularity. As a world traveler, yoga teacher, and newly founded international yoga retreat conductor, I was definitely interested to add Peru to our list of retreat destinations. I read some books about Peru years ago and had wanted to go for a long time. We met with a friend who had traveled with a particular spiritual guide, and decided to make this destination #3 (our inaugural trip to India & Thailand is coming up this January 2016).
Communicating internationally provides its own set of challenges. Sometimes you have to wait days for a response and often the response is not inclusive of the information that you need. Sending money is another stressful situation, especially since you kind of, sort of know the receiver, but kind of, sort of - not really. And when booking an international trip of this scope, that can be a little scary. But, as our spiritual guide would often remind us, "You need to trust."
We left in the late afternoon on September 6th for JFK airport with our intent to sleep on our overnight flight and arrive in Peru the next morning feeling refreshed! And as luck would have it, the flight was relatively empty, allowing us to lie down. I slept through some meals because I would have rather slept. And so, arriving in Peru being excited and alert, we were ready to go!
Trusting that the flight would be quiet enough to sleep had worked. Now we had to take a second flight from Lima to Cusco, Peru which entailed gathering our luggage and going through customs, then reboarding the plane by going through security - in just over an hour. We flew through like the wind. Another section of travel down. Once in Cusco we were to gather our luggage and find a man holding a sign with our name on it. And there he was. No problemo!
I had been warned about the altitude sickness. Cusco, Peru boasts an altitude of 11,000 ft. above sea level (Machu Picchu is merely 8,000 and, to give you some idea of the difference, the average New Jersey altitude is 250 ft, and yet only 1,803 at its highest point). I had told many people that I would not have any issues with the altitude, and was not surprised to feel just fine in Cusco awaiting the car to the train to Machu Picchu. We respectfully drank our first of many coca teas as it is said to help with the altitude.
Our spiritual guide (who I will discuss in more detail in pt. II) owns a tour company and several hotels in Peru. He arrived to join us for our trip on the train to Machu Picchu, and so we had some time to talk to him one-on-one about our interest in leading groups to Peru for yoga retreats. He said that he saw us bringing many groups to Peru, perhaps several times a year! "Ok," I thought, "I'm game."
The train ride to Machu Picchu is breathtaking. Traversing the valley and along the Urumbama River with mountainous peaks surrounding the train, you do not want to close your eyes for fear of missing a beautiful moment.
We were to arrive in Machu Picchu and meet a group of Australians who were also traveling with our guide on a spiritual tour. Our guide is quite popular and it took us several months to coordinate dates that could possibly work. The compromise was to travel with another group, but we had no idea who they were or where they were from until we actually met. Another lesson in trusting the Universe!
Our group was led by a fantastic woman named Judy who has led spiritual tours around the globe for many years. Her group consisted of 12 unique individuals from Australia, 10 women and 2 men, who would shape the course of our trip for the better as they offered their unique perspectives on Peru, traveling, energy, life and more.
For the next two days we visited, hiked, and meditated in and around Machu Picchu. I could bore you forever with the details of Machu Picchu, but instead, for those interested you can click on the link to the UNESCO site here: Information on Machu Picchu, Peru
Our guide brought us to a spot on the tourist trail and asked us again to trust. We held hands and closed our eyes as he and another guide led us...somewhere...(in good conscious I cannot let it go without admitting that I opened my eyes briefly to look at my feet to see where they were in relation to the impending cliff that I knew was around the corner...I guess I still have many trust issues to deal with). When we were instructed to open our eyes and take our first look at this magnificent creation of the Incans, this was our view:
A collected gasp overcame our group, but the moment was quickly whisked away as cameras flared to grasp our first photo of the trip and of this tremendous view. There were many awesome views on this two week excursion, but probably the most jaw-dropping was this very first one. And probably because we were led to it in such a way that allowed us the moment to view this world wonder as if through a child's eyes.
In Machu Picchu we hiked up to the great Sun Gate and down below to a beautiful waterfall. We hiked up and down the town to eat and shop and explore. And in the first two full days of my trip to Peru I think I lost at least 5 lbs. I sucked on coca candy and drank the tea, I went to bed around 8pm and arose earlier than I may have wanted to, but the experience was nothing short of spectacular. From our new-found travel companions, to our spiritual guide, to the breathtaking views and ceremonies, the entire experience of Machu Picchu was incredibly deep and powerful.
 |
| Moray |
We boarded the beautiful train and set on to the area known as the Sacred Valley where we spent 3 nights exploring various ruins, temples, sacred sites, and impressive landscapes. Each destination was more powerful than the next. From Moray's circular ruins where the energy was palpable to the monolithic stones at Sacsayhuaman (yes, pronounced "Sexy Woman"), the Peruvian landscape and the impressions left by the ancients (many even pre-Incan) allowed us to go deep into our own sense of self to realize the most simple yet deepest connection of all: it is more than obvious in this land that something greater and Universal created these places.
There are many stories of UFO sightings. There are more than just suggestions of extraterrestrial life forms having visited the area and perhaps still inhabiting areas in and around southern Peru and into Bolivia. Did light beings from space create some of these dramatic natural and "man-made" sites? Or was man able to distribute and work with energy naturally to move stones and creates sites with long-lasting and palpable energy still running through? Or is there another idea all-together? I suppose it can all be true. Having visited the places now personally I can only attest to the feeling that you have when you are there. And that feeling, quite frankly, is that anything is possible.
But there was still more to our trek. Actually, a heck of a lot more!
We took a 10 hour bus trip from Cusco to Puno, which flanks Lake Titicaca. Yes, you can laugh. I still do...because it's the most fun name ever created in the history of the world. Say it with me: "TITICACA!"
For those keeping record, the altitude around the lake area is 12,555 ft. above sea level. So to think that the experiences of altitude sickness was a problems for some in Machu Picchu or Cusco, well, the Lake is something even more intense. In fact, the hotel keeps bottles of oxygen and masks near the front door for visitors who need a refresher.
We only spent a day in Lake Titicaca before we traveled off to Bolivia. But it was another day full of beauty and exploration. From the floating islands of Uros, where people live on an island made of reeds, to Taquile island where we were lucky enough to witness a festival for the island's anniversary, the Lake area offers many unusual sites. But one thing is always common...you have to hike up! Yup, you have to hike up.
While I talked a lot about hiking, what I did not mention was hiking in this altitude. And while I did not personally experience altitude sickness, I did have a very hard time whenever I had to ascend. At home running up a flight of steps is nothing. Add on 10-12,000 ft. and thinner air and about 100 yards becomes a challenge. Your choice is to push through and risk tachycardia or stop every so often and try to take deep breaths. As a yoga teacher, deep breathing is my thing. In this altitude when ascending, I must say, deep breathing...not so much my thing! While it is relatively easy to take in a nice, deep breath, you will find that your slow exhalation is almost nonexistent. I realized that it took anywhere from 10-20 concentrated breaths to get my breathing back to a normal pace of exhalation.
For this reason, I became good friends with many of our Australian companions who needed to stop and rest a bit. I am always one to hang out and help a brother (or sister) out! I have long realized that I am no olympian and have nothing to prove to anyone. I like to pace myself and I like to stop and enjoy the view. In the process of stopping to care for others, I also care for myself, and in the end have a more enjoyable climb. Hmm, sounds like a nice strategy for life in general, doesn't it?!
I will discuss Bolivia in another blog, but wanted to discuss our last day in Peru briefly. We ended with perhaps one of the most interesting sites in southern Peru - that of Aramu Muru.
Aramu Muru is a pre-Incan site of monolithic proportions, that at one place resembles a door or gateway of some sort. There are many legends and myths surrounding the gate - stories of whole groups of people going missing into the gate and that the hole in the center or "eye" is a portal to take one into another dimension when your own 3rd eye is pressed upon it. To get there you can take the simple walk, or you can climb the back of the snake and the puma and go up throughout the sacred valley. Guess which one what we did?
The "gateway to the gods" is impressive. We were lucky enough to have some alone time there with no other tourists or shamans. Our guide performed a beautiful ceremony, starting with lighting scared palo santo, then making offerings. I meditated there, feeling compelled to just sit and listen. I am not even sure how long I sat there, but the visions that came to me were spectacular and life-justifying. It was certainly a perfect way to end our Peruvian adventure.
We did visit another small site on the way to the airport, where we were able to shop for some alpaca sweaters and socks. Our flight was to leave Juliaca airport at 9pm for Lima, and then after midnight from Lima to JFK. And, as they say, "all is well that ends well." We are now home, acclimating to this heavy, thick air and getting back to work.
But our guide was right! I will be bringing many people back to Peru for their own Magikal Peruvian Adventure for years to come!
For more information, contact www.SacredJourneysRetreats.com or OneYogaCenter.net
Read Part II: about Peruvian Energy & Shamanism & Part III: about Bolivia...uploading soon!
Sounds great. I hope to journey there and have some similar experiences. Next year? Keeping the intention. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletePenny, come with us next year Sept. 2020!
Delete