My llaqta

Peru, nowadays, is for most just a trending tourist destination. And with good reasons. In recent years it could boast the planet's top chefs with their fancy restaurants and uber-fine dishes, some of the most used and abused Instagram spots like Rainbow Mountain, Huacachina oasis, small and big adventures for everyone to enjoy truly unique landscapes, from the desert diving into the ocean, to some of the highest mountains in the world, through jungle, volcanoes and canyons, sacred and mysterious archaeological sites, from pre-Inca civilisations, to the immense heritage of the Inca, in Cusco region, that lives up to this date. Machu Picchu remains the first thing everyone thinks about when speaking of Peru, but after three weeks of traveling through the most diverse country I've ever been to, that's by far not the highlight of my journey.

Where could I start...

Maybe I won't start. There are no secrets to what to do and see in Peru. I planned our journey meticulously to do and see all the typical touristy things. It would've been pointless to try being different not knowing anything of the place we were visiting. The first half of our trip was pretty standard, Lima, Paracas, Islas Ballestas, Huacachina, Nasca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Puno, Titicaca Lake. And we loved it.

The second half had a totally different meaning and taste. At least to me. 

I'm Gemini, one of me was with my friends and Blondie, downing beers and Pisco sours, eating like there was no tomorrow and being an all-round tourist through the wonders of Cusco and its surroundings. 

The other me was travelling alone living a whole different experience.

Qorikancha

I dreamed about this moment for my entire life. I must have been there. Surely that's the most obvious place to leave a baby, if one wants him to be found...

As soon as we arrived in Cusco, and after checking-in, I asked to go to see Qorikancha, the place where police reports say I was abandoned and found, only days after birth. To the rest of the world, this is one Inca wonder. It's the place best showing Inca walls perfection making up Cusco's sun temple. The spaniards tried to destroy it, but they failed. They believed it was the work of the devil and built their own christian church around and above it. But the sun temple is still there and this is the reason why millions of tourists every year visit it. Everyone wondering how could they cut rocks so precisely, without any concrete to glue one brick to the other. How was it possible to be so laser precise without an actual laser? 

Ok. But to me... it's that, but also much more than that.

Qorikancha is the place where I finished and began to exist for the first time. I must have been three days old. So police reports, but who knows. And as I walked up the street leading to my temple, all kind of thoughts flowed through my mind. My twin put his bravest face on and explained to my friends and Blondie what the place was and what I knew about my story. But I was not listening. I was shivering.

I'm back. I can see me there. I'm back to pick my "self" up and reassure him: I'm here and no one will ever again part us. I am your mum, I am your dad. If this place bears any real meaning, the Sun always watched over us, the very same star, illuminating and bringing life to our very same planet, our Pachamama, here in Cusco, in Turin, in London, everywhere.

We took some pictures, we made some jokes, it was holiday for everyone after all, my twin brought me back to the real world and on we were on our way to Plaza Mayor and a well deserved beer from the fine Cerveceria Del Valle Sagrado.

Hogar

Cusco nowadays it's a trendy town, full of fancy restaurants, cool bars, luxurious hotels, artists' ateliers and an incredible amount of fine shops. Clearly it wasn't like this 46 years ago. Our first day in Cusco has been a wander through San Blas artists' district, steep narrow cobbled streets and stairs. All nice and romantic, but given the altitude ranging from 3400 m to 3500 m it felt a bit as a little alpine challenge too. It's been fun and tiring. We all trained for this trip, but nothing can prepare you enough. Patience it's the only way to good acclimatisation. We slowly made our way to Sacsayhuaman, the largest and main Inca site in Cusco, the place where every year they still hold the traditional Inti Raymi festival. Just like any other tourist at the site we walked around in disbelief. The sheer size and precision of the boulders making up the base walls in the shape of puma teeth is simply inexplicable. Quechuas told the Spanish invaders the basic structure was already there when they arrived, they just adapted it to their purpose. The question then is: who built it? Never mind...

We then walked back to the city centre, but before going to dinner there was one more place I needed to see.

I spent so little time in Cusco before leaving for 46 years... my orphanage is up this street. My mum must have walked this same path, from Plaza Mayor, full of emotions, full of expectations. As I am now. The door is closed, but I'm still there. The door is closed, but I can see and feel myself and all the other children screaming, laughing, crying. And one lady, Ana. She's holding me in her arms, being kind, being gentle, waiting for my mum to walk through that door. I'm there like a feather waiting to be blown away. I'm here like a feather that's been blown around the world. Capuliñawiqa wasinman kutipusqa.

Gemini got together, I never liked exposing my emotions to the public. I'm glad this moment got on camera, but beyond that I took some pictures for my mum and walked away from my hogar.

Inti Punku

After few days visiting Valle Sagrado's most important sites and hiking to the Rainbow Mountain, and not liking the crowds at all, we embarked on the challenge of the holiday: the five days Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu.

To me, once again, this was not only a physical challenge, but a little promise to myself, as I decided not to walk the more famous Inca Trail, nevertheless to hike all the way to Machu Picchu's Inti Punku, that is, the end of the Inca Trail. I will one day come back to the Sun Gate from the Inca Trail end, this way, symbolically continuing on my Inca journey.

Needless to say, after 85 km hike, 3500 m uphill and 4700 m downhill, the whole team was pretty knackered and we were happy to return to Cusco. We spent another day enjoying my llaqta and then, all of a sudden, our adventure was over.

Adiós mi tierra, gracias por esperarme, volveré pronto, volveré otra vez, no podría estar más orgulloso de ser parte de ti.