馬丘比丘：探險無極限

閱讀小提示：本文篇幅較長，生詞較多，閱讀時需注意。建議先讀懂大意，再聽一遍錄音，看看能否抓住以下信息：馬丘比丘位于哪個山脈，是何人在哪一年重新發現的？作者用了多少天完成這次徒步旅行？走了多少

英里路？他們在旅途中遇到了哪些困難？馬丘比丘遺址有什么建筑特色？

對馬丘比丘感興趣的同學還可以翻到本期的“探索區”，看看這座印加古城為何能長期吸引著世人的關注。

It’s 4:30 in the morning of day five. The porters have just come to our tent to wake us. No coffee or tea this morning – we need to get moving to reach Intipunku， the Sun Gate， by 7 a.m.， or we will miss the sunrise over Machu Picchu.

The fabled town of Machu Picchu， which is thought to have been built by the Incas注 around 1450 A.D. and was 1)inhabited until the Spanish 2)conquered Peru in 1532 A.D.， is located on a 3)ridge between the mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu in the Peruvian Andes， at an 4)elevation of about 7，700 feet. Unknown to the outside world until 1911， the 5)original purpose of the “Lost City” is still being debated. There are two 6)plausible theories that most historians believe could be true: it was an agricultural site or a large 7)observatory.

After our early morning wake-up， we are still a couple of hours away from the 8)overlook. It is 9)pitch black. I can feel the heavy humid fog left behind by last night’s rain. This is why the tour memo listed “flashlight.” Unfortunately， the majority of our hiking party of nine must have missed the memo， as we have only four flashlights between us.

An hour later， we are on the 10)trail. It’s dark， foggy， wet and the rocks are 11)slippery. We 12)alternate places between the flashlights “haves” and “have-nots.” As we march， the only voices heard are from the “haves”: “Step up， step down， watch out for the rock on your left.”

We reach Intipunku with only 15 minutes to spare. The view at sunrise is not what we were told in the travel 13)brochures. Three feet in front of our faces is a white 14)substance called “fog.”

As we walk toward the Machu Picchu ruins， my 15)anticipation is 16)mounting. When will the fog lift? Slowly， as if someone is 17)cranking up a curtain， Huayna Picchu begins to appear， overlooking Machu Picchu. First there are 18)fleeting 19)glimpses， and then finally， there it is， in its full 20)splendor.

When I 21)envisioned going to Machu Picchu， I always thought of mysterious ruins and the famous postcard picture looking toward Huayna Picchu. But there is more to this man-made/natural wonder of the world. It is the adventure of getting there. I knew I wanted to experience the feel of the Inca culture and the energy of this “sacred valley.” I also knew I didn’t want to take the train， but needed to hike. Depending on your starting point， the Inca Trail is 25 to 33 miles of 22)semi-23)arid desert， breathless mountain 24)passes and stunning tropical cloud forest. Our hike took us four nights and 25 miles to finish.

Our local guide Mauro keeps telling us “no worries， the hike is 90 percent mental and only 10 percent physical.” I am not convinced that the physical percentage is correct， but I definitely become more and more excited as we get closer to Machu Picchu. By getting myself into good shape， running 20 miles and hiking a 500-foot hill five to seven times per week before I left for Peru， I was able to enjoy the beauty of the hike and not worry as much about aching muscles and lungs.

The first day of the Inca Trail hike was almost as 25)eventful as the final day. We had to start the hike a half-day early， due to a planned national strike. Fortunately， Mauro got us out of

Cuzco – about 50 miles southeast of Machu Picchu， where most hiking companies are located – while we still could.

The early start allowed us to reduce our miles per day to about six. The first and second day we were on the west side of the Andes. We had blue skies and fantastic views of Peru’s 20，000-foot peaks. Our second night was the roughest. After hiking 10 miles， we camped at 12，600 feet. A combination of 26)dehydration and temperature dropping to 20℉ gave everyone a restless night of sleep.

The next morning was the most challenging part of the hike， but also the most satisfying:

Dead Woman’s Pass. At 13，700 feet， it is the highest point of the trail. It helped to be fresh and starting at 12，600 feet. We made it to the pass in about an hour and waited for our fellow hikers to arrive.

After Dead Woman’s Pass the terrain began changing to cloud forest. It is on the 27)fringe of the Amazon， and has a jungle feel. On this part of the trail the 28)foliage has to be cut back every three months or it would 29)engulf the trail. No wonder it took until 1911 for American explorer

Hiram Bingham to “re-discover” Machu Picchu.

The 30)workmanship of the original Inca Trail (built more than 500 years ago) was extraordinary. The majority of the trail is original and in good shape. The stone steps， for the most part， have not crumbled， still fitting together without 31)mortar or 32)adhesive.

It has been said that the seven separate mountain valleys leading into Machu Picchu 33)emanate an 34)elevated energy level. I am not sure if it was that or the 35)accomplishment of finishing the hike， but there was definitely an energy surge 36)in full swing while visiting the ruins.

We toured the structures that once housed ancient Incan communities， and 37)marveled at the temples to their gods. Many of them are situated on steep 38)precipices. The architecture at Machu Picchu is the most impressive part of the ruins， with the majority of the structures having been built by piling 39)precisely cut stone blocks. Nothing but gravity and careful planning holds the stones together; the cracks are so small that， even centuries later， a credit card could not pass through them.

Back in Cuzco， our group stuck together after the official tour was finished. We celebrated our successful hike at a local restaurant. I was the only one to brave ordering the national 40)delicacy – 41)guinea pig. They serve it with the head and feet 42)intact so one doesn’t

think they are being ripped off. I also tried another dish， something that looked like a cat. It didn’t taste like chicken or duck. It had more of a wild flavor – probably closer in taste to the 43)woodchucks that 44)burrow under my deck back home – not that I know what they taste like!

現在是第五天的凌晨4點半。搬運工來到帳篷叫我們起床。這個早晨沒有咖啡或茶，因為我們要趕在早上七點之前到達Intipunku——“太陽門”，不然就要錯過馬丘比丘的日出了。

傳說中的馬丘比丘城位于秘魯安第斯山的馬丘比丘和瓦伊那比丘之間的山脊上，海拔約為7700英尺（約2347米）。據說這座城市由印加人始建于公元1450年左右，直到公元1532年西班牙人征服秘魯，這座城市方遭廢棄。這座直到1911年才被世人重新發現的“失落城市”是因何而建，至今仍然眾說紛紜。目前大多數歷史學家認為其中兩個理論比較可信：一種認為它是一個農業中心，另一種認為它是一個大型天文臺。

早起之后，我們距離目的地還有幾個小時的路程。天色漆黑，我能感覺到昨夜雨后留下的濃重濕霧。這大概就是旅游指南的必備物品里列出“手電筒”的原因吧。可惜的是，我們一行九人中的多數人肯定都沒看備忘錄，因為我們總共只有四個手電筒。

一個小時后，我們上了小徑。周圍黑暗、多霧而且潮濕，腳下的巖石還很滑。……