Peruvian Adventures: Machu Picchu

On the Inca trail is what they call it, and Machu Picchu is the place most people think of. The air is thinner at high altitudes; if you want to see it, you must like hiking.

Two friends of my parents went in the 1970s.

It’s remarkable what can be achieved on top of a mountain. It’s a place where you’re unlikely to have many neighbours. Solitude, if you are looking for it, is almost guaranteed. As a Hollywood actress once said, “I want to be alone,” which I think is appropriate here.

My parents' friends enjoyed their trip. I’m pretty sure it took a long time to get there, but the views are spectacular. These days, there is a train that takes tourists most of the way. For all I know, there might even be a bus—I hope not. That would spoil the effect.

Another lost city in this region is called Choquequirao, which is near Cusco. It has a hidden citadel that is only accessible on foot.

It reminds me of a story about a lost city in Columbia. Their remoteness hid them for many centuries. They tell stories of different worlds and provide clues to our human past.

In Peru, you will also likely see alpacas, which are strong and interesting-looking creatures.

I’ve seen them up close in some local garden centres. They have thick coats that can be used for clothing.

If you ever visit the Peruvian Andes, you will likely encounter locals who weave.

Efforts are being made to create agricultural produce for local restaurants.

Hikers must come prepared for hot, cold, long days, and tiredness. Hopefully, the environment and the welcome will reward you for your efforts.

What’s next for luggage

There’s a lot of fancy-looking luggage out there for those who wish to make a statement. But would you want to have it loaded on hold?

“Oh no, look what they’ve done to my Louis Vuitton!” Never mind the contents.

In the grand old days of travel, people took trunks. They would be away for months at a time. In their trunks, who knows? The main thing they needed were porters—lots of them wherever they showed up. Today, you can still buy luggage trunks that resemble wardrobes inside, plus many other features on request.

Luckily, they also come with wheels and handles for the inevitable handling challenges this kind of luggage will encounter.

But do we really need this much luggage en route? As I’ve mentioned before, you don’t. You can often survive with significantly less than you think—80%, most likely. So, if you must have it all, how do you manage without chauffeuring all the time?

We expect help from most airlines and airports. It’s different with trains. Unless it’s top-end tourists only, most require fighting with the best of them. The exceptions I’ve seen were in Australia and New Zealand.

Australia

The Indian Pacific between Sydney and Perth via Adelaide, plus the Ghan between Adelaide and Darwin

New Zealand

The transz alpine on the South Island between Christchurch and Greymouth.

All services had luggage vans for checked-in luggage plus seat reservations only.

You could comfortably walk about the train without bumping into people very often or having to negotiate luggage.

I will tell a story about a Christmas Eve journey by train, but that’s for another time.

So, the desire for luggage is definitely personal, but what if 80% of all journeys were taken with 80% less luggage?

Would that make a difference?

How to dance like an elephant

In 2013, I saw my first live elephant outside a zoo in Thailand. My friend and I had just left a coffee shop in the hills near Chiang Mai.

Then there they were—six elephants in a row. OK, they were working elephants, but no chains or anything like that. The first elephant was the lead. The following five held on to the tail. On top of two elephants were a couple of kids lying down doing stuff on their mobile phones. It was bizarre and one of the reasons it caught our attention.

For their size, they are graceful movers. Their trunks and bodies sway gently from side to side. They knew where they were going, and the kids did not care in the world.

Last year, I watched a documentary, narrated by David Attenborough, about creatures that wandered South America millions of years ago. They were massive and would have been 70-100 feet long, including their long necks and tails. All this was discovered through a collection of bones on a mountainside’s edge. Each bone was colossal, required much effort to recover, and was taken away for preservation. Eventually, enough parts were collected, which was a spectacular find, to reconstruct the skeleton inside a former factory.

A gallery platform was built alongside it as the only way to appreciate its size and scale.

So, what is the similarity with elephants? One large heart and two lungs. It’s all about how these creatures can stand and move around.

Size matters, and so does weight on our gravity-dominant planet.

An elephant can only stand because it can balance. David Attenborough visited a zoo where they got an elephant to walk over some pressure pads. The computer measured how the elephants were placing their feet as they walked. This matters because they have eight blood pressure pads per foot. Their heart pumps 450 litres of blood at a high-pressure level, all working in unison. Interestingly, their trunk is large, but their tails are not.

It is said that elephants have great memories. Another story I read was about a circus. The elephant and its trainer worked together for years on performance and tracks. After the trainer had been retired for some time, he returned to the circus and met the elephant again. They went back to their old routine straight away. Thus, it is said that an elephant never forgets.

Who you are versus who you’d like to be

There is much nonsense out there about maybe changing who you are to become the person you want to be.

Some even call it playing the game, faking it to make it.

Well, I don’t like it!

I‘ve watched and been on the receiving end of traffic that is only about headlines, drama, and divisiveness. Its effect is short-term. Once you realise its purpose, why would you take any notice of it or want to do any business with it?

I’d rather be the person I am, becoming and evolving into who I am meant to be.

The person, the business, the prospects, and the businesses that can solve their most pressing problems.

What do you think?