The hills are alive with the sound of pan flute
“Where’s. That. Music. Coming. From?” I ask Todd as we pause our up up uphill hike to the ruins over Pisac, Peru. “Do you. See. Anyone?”
“Nope.”
“Wait. Is that, pan flute? It is. Ugh, pan flute!”
![Pisac ruins from afar, Peru Pisac ruins from afar, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-afar-550x309.jpg)
Pisac ruins from afar
![Pisac ruins waterfall, Peru Pisac ruins waterfall, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-waterfall-414x550.jpg)
Pisac ruins waterfall
Despite the pestering sound, the hike to and through Pisac‘s old Incan ruins is blissful. On high, the air is surprisingly clear of tour bus fumes. The view from the top of the terraced mountains requires a full spin to take it all in, leaving me Julie Andrews dizzy.
![Fear of heights at Pisac ruins, Peru Fear of heights at Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-fear-of-heights-550x412.jpg)
Fear of heights at Pisac ruins
![Two women wait to tout, Pisac ruins, Peru Two women wait to tout, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-women-touts-411x550.jpg)
Two women wait to tout
To think that most people come to Pisac, buy some junk from the market, and hustle back to Cusco without seeing these ruins is as aggravating as the pan flute tunes.
![Battlements and vista at the Pisac ruins, Peru Battlements and vista at the Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-battlement-panorama-550x231.jpg)
Battlements and vista
![Gravity defying flower at the Pisac ruins, Peru Gravity defying flower at the Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-yellow-flower-550x412.jpg)
Gravity defying flower
Although, to be fair, the ruins hike is not easy. Todd and I thought we were being ever so smart and budget-conscious, deciding to skip the taxi ride to the far trailhead.
![Incan merlons at the Pisac ruins, Peru Incan merlons at the Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-battlement-merlons-550x550.jpg)
Incan merlons and crenels at the Pisac ruins
![Incan window through an Incan door, Pisac ruins, Peru Incan window through an Incan door, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-window-through-door-550x335.jpg)
Incan window through an Incan door
So instead of an easy hike descending from the trail’s highest point, we’ve ascended over 1,000 feet by Incan staircase and washed out sheep trails, wishing we’d brought more water. Our main consolation is that we’ve already adjusted to the site’s 11,000-foot altitude so there’s no puking or migraines.
![Mysterious Incan wall nipple, Pisac ruins, Peru Mysterious Incan wall nipple, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-wall-nipple-411x550.jpg)
Mysterious Incan wall nipple
![One Incan brick is not like the other, Pisac ruins, Peru One Incan brick is not like the other, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-inca-wall-412x550.jpg)
One Incan brick is not like the other
We meet people going the other, supposedly easier direction who are far worse off than us. We cross paths with a thick-around-the-middle, middle aged American woman. She’s catching her breath on a minimalist wood bench someone has thoughtfully set up next to the trail. Unprompted, she tells us she’s resting because the downhill hike has turned her legs into jelly.
![Flowers on receding wall, Pisac ruins, Peru Flowers on receding wall, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-flowers-wall-403x550.jpg)
Flowers on receding wall
![Intihuatana doorway silhouette, Pisac ruins, Peru Intihuatana doorway silhouette, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-intihuatana-door-silhouette-550x411.jpg)
Intihuatana doorway silhouette
“But I’m okay with the pain. It’s all been worth it. Ya’see, this is a karmic path for me,” she explains as she wipes her forehead on her tye-dyed shirt sleeve.
“I fell at one point, right on my ass. And when I put my hands down on the ground to push myself back up, I touched this rock.”
![Pueblo Antiguo, Pisac ruins Peru Pueblo Antiguo, Pisac ruins Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-pueblo-antiguo-550x309.jpg)
Pueblo Antiguo and Quechua walkers
![Purple flowers and battlement, Pisac ruins, Peru Purple flowers and battlement, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-purple-flowers-413x550.jpg)
Purple flowers and battlement
She holds out a flat gray stone that has a 90-degree corner and two asymmetrical curves.
“It’s a heart!” she shouts. “I’m here in Peru to get over heartbreak and the universe gives me this sign. Can you believe it?”
![Flower gatherer, Pisac ruins, Peru Flower gatherer, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-flower-gatherer-550x550.jpg)
Flower gatherer
![A shepherdess and flock on terraces, Pisac ruins, Peru A shepherdess and flock on terraces, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-terraces-shepherd-412x550.jpg)
A shepherdess and flock on the Pisac ruin terraces
Much practiced with handling exuberant, heartfelt ravings, Todd and I “mmm” and “aah” appropriately during her story and sidle off quickly.
“A heart?!” I say to Todd once we’re out of hearing range, “I thought it looked like a stubby little penis.”
![Terraces wrap the hills, Pisac ruins, Peru Terraces wrap the hills, Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-terrace-panorama-550x220.jpg)
Terraces wrap the hills
![Hiking a baby down the Pisac ruins, Peru Hiking a baby down the Pisac ruins, Peru photo](http://ephemerratic.com/wp-content/uploads/pisac-peru-ruins-woman-baby-413x550.jpg)
Hiking a baby down the Pisac ruins
Have you ever felt you were meant to be somewhere? What sign did you receive?
Julie Andrews and “stubby little penis” in the same post. Oh my! Did you pose with the classic arms sweep of Sister Maria? I’ve done of few of those. Of course they were done a little more locally, like at home in Planting Fields.
I was dizzy enough from my fear-of-heights-induced vertigo. Spinning around enough times for Todd to get a photo — he’s not the fastest draw at photo taking — would have put me over the top!
Great post! I love Pisac and that part of the Sacred Valley. I’m running an Adventure Reboot retreat there next April (just to show you I mean it when I say I love it) :) Are you guys in Peru now?
We finished up in Peru a little over a month ago. It’s amazing how many posts, stories, and photos we have been able to share from just a 3 week trip to Peru! Pisac was one of the biggest surprises. I hadn’t expected to like the town so much since the market is such a tourist magnet. But it rocked!
I remember walking through the Sacred Valley and seeing a little boy walking down a dirt road playing his pan flute. It really takes you back in time! It was extraordinary! :D
That’s an awesome visual Audrey. The pan flute sounds definitely made it impossible to forget we were in Peru during the hike.