TO THE BEGINNING OF
THE WORLD

words by FRANCK ALAN-STEED and ONDINE SIMON

Did Jorge Luis Borges perceive the futility of time’s passage when, through the window of an ancient train carriage, he glimpsed those unsuspected, enchanted Peruvian landscapes? Or, like Blaise Cendrars, did he require no journey on mythical trains to conjure them in his mind?

The thirteen long hours we spend reaching the scarred and sandy cliffs of Lima do not provide us with an answer to this question, but only gives us the feeling that time affects weary travelers in different ways—especially when, at sunset, they witness a perfect line between the horizon and the waves, where final rays of light strive to illuminate, one last time, the canvas of the Miraflores District, giving a surreal aspect to the buildings forever battered by the sea air.

Everywhere, light is ever-present. From the peaks of the Peruvian Andes stretch long streams of color, shimmering under the sun or fading slightly when the mist thickens. Like our new perception of time, does our vision suffer from the lack of oxygen? The sensation of breathlessness is overwhelming in the first few hours—the temples throb, the eyes contract, the ears occasionally ring. It subsides later, but never fully disappears. Peru tests our endurance, our resilience, and above all, our patience at every moment, as if it seeks to teach us the virtues of that patience we Europeans have forgotten. But there is no need to worry. The body adapts to the pure air with surprising gratitude.

A woollen mantle of ochre and jade adorns the Sacred Valley, and already, along the winding roads of the Andes, new energies begin to loom. The sensations of the previous hours fade away, giving way to new marvels that accompany the breathtaking panoramas that stretches out before us. We first follow the sinuous patterns of the Urubamba River, before weaving our way toward the fringes of the Amazon jungle. Hidden, almost concealed by the dense vegetation, we catch a glimpse of the first remnants of the stone citadel of Machu Picchu.

Long before sunrise, we find ourselves at Circuit One, where the Inca City reveals itself in all its splendour. Selfies feel trivial here. As the mist, scented and serene, drifts across the site, the essence of unknown plants rises from deep within the earth. Just as Borges, Nicolas Bouvier was right too: “We think we are making a journey, but soon it is the journey that makes or unmakes us.” Peru, with its legendary existence, has but one message. It compels us to surrender to the journey, to observe its spectacular nature promising to nourish even the most demanding imaginations. As we advance in our journey, new and unsuspected discoveries come our way. Stories from the locals with vivid imagery. Landscapes of geometric and abstract shapes. Wildlife and vegetation, living witnesses of the ancient history of life on this land.

The indigenous culture, battered by three centuries of colonization, is deeply rooted in the past and remains with unwavering resilience. It is in the capital of the Inca Empire, at an altitude of 3,399 meters, that we find ourselves breathless. The oldest and highest city in the Americas is encircled by mountains: Cuzco reigns under a pale blue sky, and an unparalleled brightness seeps into every corner of every street. We take refuge in a former monastery, built on the foundations of an Inca palace, designed to shelter the inhabitants of this sun-drenched city. The Belmond Hotel Monasterio exudes natural and gracious hospitality. Needless to say, at every level, excellence is the motto, alongside the charm and elegance of its service. Through its six establishments in Peru, the luxury hotel group is deeply committed to supporting local life. Belmond creates a virtuous circle in a country where a third of the population lives on a mere hundred euros per month. Some forty greenhouses have been established on the mountain slopes. Local vegetables and grains are cultivated: potatoes, quinoa, cherry tomatoes, as well as aromatic herbs, all grown in the purest local tradition. Around fifteen villages in the Cuzco region benefit from the Q'omer Wasicha project, which means “greenhouse” in Quechua.

The majestic Andean Explorer, in which we conclude our journey, carries us for two nights and three days to the highest peaks of the Andes, where we will witness the ritual of the Pacha Mama. Reassuring with its luxurious and extravagant decor—a reminder of a time when every detail had meaning—the train feels indestructible, indifferent to the exotic lands it moves through. With every turn of its wheels, it reminds us that the relativity of passing time remains unanswered, just as the mysteries surrounding the construction of extraordinary sites. They will probably -and for the best - haunt us forever.

Hasta siempre Perú.

Bravo Belmond.