Author: Richard Huang

Machu Picchu slipped in and out of sight through rain and mist, its ancient city, temples, and terraces slowly unveiling themselves. In sunshine and rain, the same mountain citadel revealed entirely different faces of life and time.

Crossing the Andean highlands by road from Cusco, we stopped at a church, Inca ruins, a mountain pass, and a pottery town before reaching the shores of Lake Titicaca after an eight-hour journey.

A sightseeing train follows the Urubamba River into the mountains, leading to a first encounter with Machu Picchu, alpacas, and the open sky—and an unplanned change of itinerary that brings the meaning of travel into focus.

The rites, military review, and parade in the Plaza de Armas stand in contrast to the daily struggle for a living in San Pedro Market, revealing beneath the festive surface the distance between Cusco’s social classes.

From altitude sickness and language barriers to San Blas and the Twelve-Angled Stone, a half-day wander through Cusco sketches a first impression of the ancient city in blazing sunlight, weathered stone, and brilliant colour.