Magnificent Machu Picchu (By Soumya Roi)
Ever
since my tenth birthday when I got a geography picture book from my parents, I
have had a wish to go to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas in Peru,
South America. The opportunity came when along with my brothers-in-law Vicky
and Ashish, I went last month to Chile for relief work for the quake victims
there. After we finished our work, we had plenty of time in our hands and Peru
being so near to Chile, we decided to go there. We travelled north from
Santiago and arrived in the town of Cusco, the region where Machu Picchu is
situated, but were told that no tourists were allowed to go there, because of
the dislocation of the railway line due to the rain havoc in January. The road
is also blocked due to landslides. The only other mode of travelling there was
by walking along a jungle trail for four days with the help of an experienced
guide. We were disappointed that after coming all the way to Peru, we could not
go to Machu Picchu.
Peru
is a democratic republic, bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the
east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia ad on the south by Chile. On the
west is the Pacific Ocean and the land rises towards the snow-clad Andes in the
east. Huascaran is the second highest peak, 6,788 metres (22,205 ft) in the
Andes. Peru has the fourth largest tropical rain forest in the world after
Brazil, Congo and Indonesia. The main language spoken is Spanish. Peru has a
high Human Development Index, much more than that of India.
We
stayed at the very decent Inkatera Hotel at Cusco, hoping to get special
permission to proceed further. We met the Garrison Commander, Colonel Javier
Alva Giampictri and told him that we were quake relief workers from the U.S.
and requested him if he would allow us to go to Machu Picchu, even if we had to
trek for a couple of days. The conversation was mainly carried on between Vicky
and the Colonel. Vicky speaks fluent Spanish, while Ashy and I can manage a
little bit. The Colonel was sympathetic to our cause, but he cited rules and
regulations from the higher-ups. When we were talking to him, we noticed a
growth on the right side of his neck about the size of a small lemon. It was
just below his right ear. It must have been very inconvenient for him as well
as being a disfigurement. Ashy told
Vicky to ask the Colonel about the lump and how long he had been having it. He
replied that he was having it for about fifteen years and it had gradually
become bigger and bigger. Ashy requested him to allow him to examine it. He
gave his card and the Colonel was mightily impressed. He said that he was
planning to go to the U.S. for surgical removal of it. There were few doctors
in Peru and also in the neighbouring countries, who could treat him and that it
would require a lot of money to go to the U.S. and to have treatment there.
Ashy offered to remove the growth surgically then and there. It would not take
more than an hour at the local hospital. The Colonel was in two minds, whether
to accept Ashy’s offer or if it would be too risky. Finally after discussing
the matter for some time, the Colonel agreed to accept Ashy’s offer. So, in the
afternoon, we all went to the local hospital. It was much cleaner and better
organised than most Indian hospitals in our second tier cities. I was Ashy’s
assistant. We took an X-Ray and after administering a local anesthetic and a sedative,
Ashy began his operation. It is always a delight to see Ashy performing his
surgery. With delicate, neat strokes he opened the skin and soon removed the lump,
sutured the blood vessels and stitched it up. It did not appear to be a
malignant growth, but we took a sample for analysis later in the bio lab. After
putting on a dressing on the wound and setting up drips, we came out. The whole
operation took about forty minutes. The Colonel was still drowsy and sleeping
peacefully.
Frankly
speaking, it was a risky operation. The Internal Carotid Artery and the
External Jugular veins lie just half an inch below the lump. A careless jab
with the scalpel would have resulted in a disaster. That was why most surgeons
were hesitant to carry out the surgery. I have heard of an inexperienced doctor
trying to carry out an appendicitis operation. He mistook the inferior vena
cava to be the appendix and cut it out. Blood spurted up to the ceiling and the
patient got drowned in his own blood. But Ashy is made of sterner stuff. He is
supremely confident and knows the anatomy of the body like the back of his
hand. His students at the University of Minnesota worship him. Pannu is another
such great surgeon. She can divide a human hair lengthwise into two halves. I
can never reach their levels.
Vicky
was waiting outside and was also very nervous and a little bit pessimistic. He
said that if the Colonel had died or had serious problems, we three would be
marched off to the nearest cliff and executed by a firing squad. “You know what
happened to Che Guevara”, he said and concluded with the view,” I may not be
able to see my forthcoming baby”. He might have been joking. I told him not to
worry. Peru was a decent democratic country, much more peaceful than India. Perhaps
we would be sent to a prison and a prison life with the clean air and with a view
of the Andes would be better than living in Delhi. Only Colombia in South America was having a lot
of trouble due to the drug trade. In Chile, since the days of Augusto Pinochet
after he overthrew Salvador Allende with the help of the CIA, there were no
dictators in South America, who would torture and execute ordinary citizens. I
added that the Colonel would be up and about in a couple of hours. True to my
statement, the Colonel woke up a couple of hours later and had no trouble at
all. Ashy gave him another sleeping pill and allowed him to go to sleep again.
We told the nursing staff to keep watch and if there was any problem to the
Colonel’s breathing and a drop in his blood pressure to contact us immediately
at the hotel nearby.
Early
next morning, a message came from the Colonel asking us to meet him at the
hospital. Vicky was in tenterhooks, not knowing what the outcome would be,
whether to be shot or to be conferred with gifts. There he was smiling and shook
hands with us. There was no swelling on his neck, only the piece of dressing on
his neck. We examined the wound and it was quite healthy. He told us that he
had no pain. We changed the dressing and finding his condition to be perfect
discharged him from the hospital. He profusely thanked us. We could see that he
was as pleased as punch. He might have been thinking that his problem had been
solved in a jiffy and that he had saved a lot of money by not having to go to
the U.S. for his surgery. He went back to his military quarters and invited us
three to have breakfast with him. We had a nice breakfast with bread, butter,
cheese, eggs and the best coffee we had for a long time. He gave each one of us
two medallions, one of the emblem of Peru and the other that of Cusco region. Then
he told us that a railway train was being test run to Machu Picchu in a couple
of hours and asked if we were prepared to go there. He said that it was quite
risky, the line having been laid new. We accepted the offer with alacrity. Two
hours later we were on the railway guard’s coach attached to a locomotive
chugging its way up to Machu Picchu. He also provided us with an escort of two
soldiers.
What
a wonderful sight awaited us when we reached there after a thrilling ride of
five hours! I will write later about that fantastic experience.
1 comment:
Thank you, Uncle, for posting it. A great piece of blog by Soumya as he usually did. Brings memories of Machu Picchu which we all visited a year later.
Love
Carol
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