Peru 2007

We were standing on the summit of Machu Picchu, overlooking the classic postcard view, gazing in awe at the sheer magnificence of the luxuriant jungle vegetation, with the snow-covered mountain peaks of the Andes surrounding us, the Urubamba river below us, and the whole breath-taking panoramic scene literally overwhelming us, when my wife turned to me and said, ‘Just think … we wouldn’t be here now … if you hadn’t seen that old Heston film’.

It’s true, if it wasn’t for SECRET OF THE INCAS, we wouldn’t have had the most exciting, extraordinary experience of our married life, a totally unique action-packed holiday that was worth all the worry and the planning, the expense, the yellow fever jabs, the anti-malaria tablets, the stomach upsets and the horrendous 15 hour flight (thank God for Bill Bryson). Peru is a land of intrigue, where tales of lost cities, fabulous treasures and sun-worshipping natives vanquished by ruthless conquistadors abound. This is a land of colourful people, exotic birds, great lakes and remote forests. As a kid, my imagination was stirred by watching Hollywood movies about American tough guys hunting for lost cities in the darkest jungles of South America, and SECRET OF THE INCAS was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best of these.

Sitting in the cinema in 1963, and seeing the unbelievable scenery of the Andes for the first time in glorious Technicolor, I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to go there one day!’ Well, it may have took 44 years, but in May 2007 I finally achieved my ambition and ventured to the land of the Incas with my wife Tracy.

The funny thing is, being a vintage movie buff, my Peruvian experience sometimes resembled scenes from both SECRET OF THE INCAS and the Humphrey Bogart classic THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. At any moment in Peru, a tourist is liable to be cajoled into buying some unspeakably terrible water-colour painting by an Alfonso Bedoya lookalike, or begged to purchase a stuffed Llama by a Bobby Blake double, or hassled beyond belief by water sellers who look like they have just come straight off the SECRET OF THE INCAS set. This is the down-side of Peru, those guys just don’t take ‘No’ for an answer. I can sympathise with the Heston character Harry Steele, who barked ‘Vamose’ at the locals in the movies Airport scene.

I was constantly reminded of my favourite movie, particularly when arriving in Cuzco, and we had to queue for immigration, passport checks and luggage. Those tourists in the Heston film had it easy. They left the plane – were met by Heston – and driven straight to their hotel. Why isn’t real life as easy as a movie? Our tour-guide at Cuzco, when instructing us of the hazards of high-altitude sickness, actually quoted Heston movie lines … word for word … which I found bizarre. ‘You will have to take it slow and easy’. When we arrived at our hotel in Cuzco, it got even stranger. Sat in the foyer enjoying a cocoa tea with his wife was the double of old Harry Steele himself, Charlton Heston. ‘Dr Livingstone I presume’ he said to me, unknowlingly quoting another Heston line. This was all becoming a bit weird, we had only been in Cuzco for a few minutes and everyone seemed to be quoting lines from SECRET OF THE INCAS.

We went to unpack and relax, but I was too excited to ‘Take it slow and easy’ and immediately went out into the hustle and bustle of the teeming stone-walled streets and alleyways of the old Inca capitol. It’s an exciting experience just walking around Cuzco, evading all the speeding yellow taxis and colourfully dressed locals, many leading Llamas around.You will never be lonely in Cuzco! A teenaged lad approached me, ‘Senor Americano, my name is Raul, I will be your guide and your new best friend’. I showed the kid some colour photos of Cuzco in 1953, taken from my SECRET OF THE INCAS dvd. Raul’s eyes expanded, ‘Where did you get these from Senor … they are worth a lot of dollars, no?’ I explained to Raul that my time was extremely limited, and I asked him if he recognized any of the locations in the photos. He took me to them all and when he discovered I was English, and not an Americano, he was very inquisitive about Manchester United and Liverpool football teams. The first place Raul took me to was the Plaza where Heston is seen walking across just before he is shot at in the movie. Raul reckoned the place was called Palacio Municipal at the Plaza Cabildo, and I recognized it immediately as one of the movies locations.

The building directly behind Heston has “Casa de Gobuerno 1848” engraved on it, and Heston’s hotel is now a pizza joint “Los Portales!” which proudly exclaims that it’s a Touristico and Pizzeria Grill. I was about to snap a photo of the place when an overly excited waiter ran out and pleaded with me to dine there. ‘Later maybe’ I said. ‘You come back tonight … you promise Senor!’ and thrust a pamphlet in my hand which stated we were actually at the Plaza Regocijo, and not the Plaza Cabildo (what Raul called it). While I’m on the subject, that scene in SECRET OF THE INCAS is a physical impossibility.

When Heston is shot at in his hotel room, the sniper is on the ground floor of the building opposite. The bullet just misses Heston who then runs DOWN a flight of stairs to ground level – and then UP a flight of stairs to the gunman’s room.The scene where the truck is carrying Elena Antonescu and the Quechua Indians was filmed in the San Francisco Square, and it still looks virtually the same today. The Arco Santa Clara with the two condor sculptures on top is still there also, but the houses on the left are now being used as shops. The opening ‘Burro burro’ scene in SECRET OF THE INCAS, when the two donkeys are blocking the truck and the carrillo, is now just a road leading to Puno. You can clearly see the Ausangate snowcape in the background. Elena Antonescu fleeing from the Peruvian police was filmed in Loreto Street in Cuzco.

It hasn’t changed one iota! Harry Steele wasn’t a very good tourist guide. When he is showing his group the magnificent Cuzco Cathedral, he incorrectly points out the wrong location of the famous Marie Angola Bell. It’s actually behind the two bells in the Torre del Evangelo Bell Tower on the far right of the Cathedral, the largest in South America.

The highlight of our Peruvian holiday was Machu Picchu. In fact, seeing this sacred Inca paradise for the first time was the most awe-inspiring moment of my life. Tracy was worried that it wouldn’t live up to its build up and that I would be disappointed after over forty years of high expectations. She worried needlessly, I was both amazed and exhilarated at the sheer beauty, mystery and magnificence of Machu Picchu. Thank God the conquistadores never located and destroyed this brand new Wonder of the World. Machu Picchu is one of only three places in the Americas that has been declared a World Heritage Site for both its natural beauty and its history (the other two are Palanque in Mexico and Tika in Guatemala).

Unfortunately Tracy tripped on one of the stone steps and sprained an ankle, but she bravely carried on regardless and never complained. Other members of our tour group took it in turns to assist her when the going got rough, there was great camaraderie on this adventure. Tracy sprained her ankle in exactly the same spot where Irmin Roberts filmed the first sighting of the archaeological camp in SECRET OF THE INCAS. That scene makes her eyes water now!

We had our photo taken at the Intihuantana, “the place to which the sun is tied”, by a Japanese tourist. Our guide told us that the sacred rock was “carved in situ and is a masterpiece of eternal aesthetic quality. It pays homage to the mystical mind of humanity. Its shape captivates the eye from every angle and its beauty is equal to its enigmatic meaning”. But all I could think of was that ludicrous scene in SECRET OF THE INCAS when Robert Young proposed to Nicole Maurey at the Intihuantana.

I whispered to Tracy, “Go on … say it!” Her eyes rolled and reluctantly, she asked me those immortal words from the movie, “Who cut down the Cherry Tree?” in a French accent, ala Nicole Maurey, which made me howl with laughter. The Japanese guy must have thought I was nuts.

We stayed the night at Aguas Calientes, a popular resting place for those recovering from the rigours of the Inca Trail. We had a very romantic meal in a wonderful little pizzeria, that had some stunning artwork on the walls of Machu Picchu and Pachacutec. Pachacutec is everywhere in Peru, there is even a huge statue of him in the middle of Aguas Calientes. When we passed through all the shanty towns in rural Peru, his image had been painted on the side of hundreds of homes. In SECRET OF THE INCAS Michael Pate played the leader of the Quechua community, and he was called Pachacutec. Pate gave the role great dignity, strength and noble bearing, as befits anyone named after such a great hero of the Incas.

Unfortunately the scriptwriters made a booboo at the end of the movie, when Heston returns the Sunburst to the Quechua Indians, Pate holds the Inca idol and asks Robert Young “With your permission?” to display the long lost Sunburst to the waiting Indians. This I think was very disrespectful to the name of Pachacutec, which means “He who transforms the world”. I bet that scene makes Peruvians cringe. Its extremely doubtful that the real Pachacutec would act in such a subservient manner. In Puno I had my photo taken with a Quechua dressed head to toe like Pachacutec. He looked magnificent.

Lima was shrouded in a misty haze, and not as friendly as Cuzco. Armed policemen were everywhere, but they clocked off at tea-time and we certainly didn’t feel safe at night walking around the streets of Lima. Our hotel was in the Miraflores neighbourhood, a wealthy area and spotlessly clean – I’ve never seen so many street cleaners in my life. Four weeks ago, Feb 2008, the Ricardo Palma Cultural Centre in Miraflores presented a public showing of SECRET OF THE INCAS to an audience studying Peruvian opera and culture, surely the last public airing of my favourite movie.

Near our hotel was Kennedy Park, named after the only Roman Catholic US President (Peru is 98% Catholic). Tracy and I decided to relax for a while away from the noisy, congested speeding traffic of Lima in the park. We thought it would be nice to sit down, gather our thoughts, rest our weary limbs and watch the world go by for half an hour.

Within thirty seconds of sitting on the bench two shoe shiners descended on us and offered their services … when I say offered … I mean they removed our shoes, took out the laces and proceeded to do a very thorough job of shining. This lengthy cleaning ritual only encouraged yet another beggar who sat beside me and explained in quasi-English how impoverished his four children were, and actually provided photographic evidence to support his claim. Tracy laughed at my predicament and whispered “Time to get your money out again James!” I payed the beggar for his sob story and I thought of how expensive it is trying to relax in a park in Lima, Peru!

Peru holds many unforgettable moments and wonderful memories for Tracy and I. The magnificence of Machu Picchu, the fascinating blend of different cultures of Cuzco, the sun rising in Lake Titicaca, walking on the extraordinary floating islands of Uros, flying over the Andes, Taquile Island, the colonial buildings in Lima, the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the Sacred Valley, I could go on and on. Our Peruvian adventure was action packed, exhilarating and worth every penny, easily the best two weeks of my life.

James  Byrne 2008

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