Dental Health Magazine Dental Health Digital Issue | Page 49

Issue #5, March 2017
ENERGY IN
MACHU PICCU
Article by
Dato’ Mohd Yusof
Ahmad
-
a former
diplomat,
having served
the Malaysian
Diplomatic
Service for 35
years.
I felt a tremendous feeling of awe designated bus from Aquas Calientes.
on my first real sight of this incredible The speedy uphill drive was rather
ancient citadel in it’s ruinous splendour. suicidal I thought with the driver
For centuries Machu Picchu had been oblivious to the hair-pin curves and
buried in jungle until July 1911 when driving as if there was no tomorrow. I
Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it. was so preoccupied with the thought
From then on Yale University sent an of another suicidal drive down later, it
archaeological expedition to explore it. rather took away the excitement of
being in Machu Picchu. Fortunately
A stunning archaeological find,
Machu Picchu was the only Inca site
another driver took over our bus and it
was quite a relief.
to escape 400 years of looting and
destruction and it was remarkably
My second visit was with two
preserved. Nor was it an ordinary Inca friends and we decided to treat
settlement. Located in an inaccessible ourselves and stay up in Machu Picchu
location above the Urubamba gorge it where the only accommodation was
contained so many fine buildings that then was the 36-room Machu Picchu
people have been puzzling over it’s Sanctuary Lodge with an expensive
meaning since discovery. room rate to boot. We were lucky as the
rooms were very much in demand and
I have been fortunate to visit
difficult to secure. We can now claim
Machu Picchu twice. The first was the to be among the few people who had
usual touristy visit, taking a rickety actually slept up there in Machu Picchu.
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