How to See Peru’s Machu Picchu the Sustainable Way可持續(xù)探訪秘魯馬丘比丘

More than a million travellers descend on Peru’s mystical Inca citadel in a typical year. With the impact of overtourism more concerning than ever， how do you minimise your footprint？

秘魯神秘的印加古國要塞，每年蜂擁而來的游客超過百萬。過度旅游的風險令人憂心至極，你會怎樣將自己帶來的影響最小化呢？

“Here in the Andes we believe in reciprocity，” my guide Isao tells me， handing out coca leaves and instructing me to hold the dry stalks together， creating a fan of brittle green from my fingertips. Until this moment， I’ve chewed them and infused them in tea for soroche—altitude sickness. Now at the Salkantay Pass， we’re a heady 4，620 metres above sea level， just 200 metres shy of the summit of Mont Blanc.

“在安第斯山區(qū)，我們信的是互惠之道?！?我的向導伊紹邊說邊遞給我一些古柯葉，教我把葉柄捏在一塊，用手指捻開形成一把翠綠色的葉扇。方才我已經嚼了一些，還泡了些在茶里預防高山癥，西班牙語管這個癥狀叫索羅疾。此刻我們到了薩爾坎泰山口，身處令人暈沉的海拔4620米，比勃朗峰將將低200米。

To ask for safe passage on this trek， I place the coca leaves on the rocks at my feet. It’s an offering to the gods （known as Apus） who， according to Andean beliefs， inhabit these mountains， including the snow-clothed 6，271-metre Nevado Salkantay， in whose long shadow I stand.

為求這趟徒步平平安安，我留了些古柯葉在腳邊的石頭上。這是我給神靈（當?shù)厝朔Q“阿普斯神”，即“山神”）的供奉，在安第斯山區(qū)的信仰里，神靈居于這些山脈之中，其中包括海拔6271米、終年積雪覆蓋的薩爾坎泰山，而此刻我正立于這座雪山的巍巍長影之下。

This talk of reciprocity isn’t just a trendy buzzword in this part of the Andes. It’s an integral part of the contract between humans and the environment—something we might instead refer to as “sustainability” elsewhere on the planet—that has existed here for millennia.

在安第斯地區(qū)，講求互惠絕非趕時髦追熱點。它是人與自然所締結之約的應有之義，已在此方地界綿延千年，而在世界其他地區(qū)，我們或可稱之為“可持續(xù)性”。

I’m trekking the Salkantay Trail， a four-day， 64-kilometre hike that scrambles between lofty Andean mountain passes in the Vilcabamba range， spitting distance1 from the former capital of the Inca Empire， Cusco. From the pass， the trail plunges into yawning2 river valleys blanketed3 with bottle green Cloud Forest to reach Aguas Calientes， the town beneath the remarkable Inca citadel4 of Machu Picchu.

我正在薩爾坎泰小道上徒步，這條線路耗時4天，跨越64公里，蜿蜒在比爾卡班巴山脈的安第斯高山間，距印加帝國的昔日首都庫斯科不過咫尺。從山口出發(fā)，小道一路向下延伸，進入被郁郁蔥蘢的云霧森林覆蓋的寬闊河谷，最終抵達熱水鎮(zhèn)，這座小鎮(zhèn)正位于著名的印加城堡馬丘比丘山腳下。

Although I spent seven months living in Cusco a few years back， I’d never set foot in Machu Picchu. Instead， I focused on immersing myself in the local scene， reluctant to add my footprints to those of the 25，000 hikers clattering along the Inca trail each year.

我前些年在庫斯科住了七個月，卻從未踏足馬丘比丘。與其去那，我更醉心于庫斯科的風光，印加古道上每年的徒步客已有2.5萬之多，我委實不愿再加上自己的足跡。

This mountaintop city’s battles with tourism and sustainability have been widely publicised. In 2017， UNESCO threatened to list Machu Picchu on its Heritage Sites in Danger， while a controversial new international airport proposed in nearby Chinchero is due for completion in 2025， with big implications for overtourism.

這座山頂之城與旅游業(yè)和可持續(xù)性的斗爭已廣為人知。早在2017年，聯(lián)合國教科文組織就警告稱，要將馬丘比丘列入瀕危遺產名錄。與此同時，欽切羅鎮(zhèn)附近擬新建一座國際機場，預計2025年竣工，此舉備受爭議，因為一旦建成將大大增加過度旅游的風險。

Larger than Cusco’s existing airport， it’ll make it possible for flights from as far away as Europe to bypass Lima and Cusco and land directly on Machu Picchu’s doorstep. Critics are concerned about the environmental impact that a dramatically larger influx of visitors could bring.

新機場比庫斯科現(xiàn)有的機場面積更大，有了它，遠至歐洲的航班繞過利馬和庫斯科，可直接降落到馬丘比丘跟前。批評人士擔憂，數(shù)量遠超以往的大批游客涌入可能帶來環(huán)境危害。

As a visitor， I’m acutely aware of contributing to the region’s sustainability concerns. Taking a lesser-hiked trail that disperses visitors more widely across the Andes—as well as offering financial opportunities to local farming communities to diversify their income—is one way to minimise this impact.

身為游客，我十分清楚旅游業(yè)給當?shù)乜沙掷m(xù)發(fā)展帶來的消極影響。選擇較少人涉足的徒步路線可使游客在安第斯地區(qū)更廣泛地分散，還能為當?shù)貏辙r的村民提供掙錢的機會，增加收入來源——這是將不利影響降到最低的一個辦法。

Unlike the Inca Trail， on the Salkantay path you’ll find no lines of weary walkers or bloated campgrounds. In fact， aside from my trekking group of just eight people， I meet only a couple of other hikers along the entire route. Run by indigenous-owned company Alpaca Expeditions， our tour stops at a local coffee farm and employs guides， porters and chefs from the remote communities that surround the Sacred Valley.

跟印加古道不一樣，薩爾坎泰小道上看不見成群結隊的徒步客疲憊跋涉，也沒有一個挨著一個的露營地。其實，除了我所在的8人徒步小隊，整條路上我碰見的徒步客就那么幾個。我們的徒步旅行是當?shù)匕柵量ㄍ讲铰眯猩绨才诺?，我們在當?shù)匾患铱Х绒r場短暫停留，從圣谷周邊的偏遠村莊雇來了向導、搬運工和廚師。

To help acclimatise pre-hike， I’d switched Cusco’s 3，399-metre elevation for the lower altitudes of the Sacred Valley， a fertile strip of land 15km northeast of the city and revered by the Inca people for its bountiful harvests. At Inkaterra Hacienda5 Urubamba， a sustainable five-star hotel operated by the world’s first climate-positive hotel brand6， I learned how they have been supporting sustainability efforts in Machu Picchu.

為了在徒步前適應海拔環(huán)境，我從海拔3399米的庫斯科來到地勢更低一些的圣谷，這是庫斯科東北15公里外一塊狹長的肥沃之地，因其農產豐饒，被印加人奉為圣地。當?shù)氐囊鹂ㄌ乩瓰豸敯喟途频晔怯扇蚴准覛夂蛘б婢频昶放苿?chuàng)立的五星級可持續(xù)酒店。我在這里見識了他們一直以來是如何助力馬丘比丘可持續(xù)發(fā)展的。

“First we donated a compacting machine to process the seven tonnes of plastic waste produced daily in Aguas Calientes，” explains general manager Joaquín Escudero. He details how they then built a treatment centre to convert organic waste into biochar， a fertiliser now used to reforest the Andean cloud forest surrounding Machu Picchu. The Inkaterra team has also installed facilities to turn cooking oil into biodiesel-fuel that， it is hoped， will soon power the buses carrying visitors up to the star attraction. All of these initiatives aim to make Machu Picchu the first carbon- neutral wonder of the world.

“我們做的頭一件事就是捐贈一臺壓縮機，處理阿瓜斯卡連特斯每天產生的7噸塑料垃圾。”總經理華金·埃斯庫德羅講給我聽。他一一告訴我他們后來是怎么又建了一個處理中心，把有機垃圾轉化為生物炭，當成肥料促進馬丘比丘周邊的安第斯云霧林再生長。茵卡特拉團隊還安裝了能將餐飲廢油轉化為生物柴油的裝置，有望為去往熱門景點的觀光巴士提供動力。以上所有努力，都是為了將馬丘比丘打造成首個碳中和世界奇跡。

During my stay in Cusco I made a point of fuelling up at Green Point， a pioneer among the city’s abundance of new vegan restaurants. Here， plant-based takes on lauded dishes such as ceviche （mushroom， rather than fish， “cooked” in lime juice） allow you to savour Peruvian cuisine with less of an impact on the environment.

在庫斯科逗留期間，我特意去了綠點餐廳就餐，在這座城市冒出來的眾多新素食餐廳中，這家是先行者。這家餐廳將植物食材烹飪成令人拍手叫絕的菜肴，比如酸桔汁腌魚（用酸橙汁腌制的是蘑菇，可不是魚），讓你既能品嘗秘魯美食，又能降低對環(huán)境的不利影響。

Back on the trail， the scenery is transformed as we drop down from Santalkay Pass. Home to 84 of the world’s 103 ecosystems， Peru is one of the planet’s most bio-diverse countries. From the scree of a now-retreated glacier， where powder-blue butterflies flit between periwinkle lupins， I step into the thick foliage of the Andean cloud forest.

繼續(xù)沿著小道走，從薩爾坎泰山口下來，周遭景色已然變換。世界103個生態(tài)系統(tǒng)中，秘魯就有84個，這是全球生物多樣性最豐富的國家之一。方才還是冰川消退后裸露出的滿山碎石，粉藍色蝴蝶在長春花色的羽扇豆間翩然飛舞，轉眼我已踏足安第斯山脈莽莽榛榛的云霧林。

Delicate orchids and rust-coloured bromeliads cling leech-like to trees， while it’s impossible to coax passing hummingbirds into photographs. I don’t see any， but Isao assures me that Andean spectacled bears—of which Michael Bond’s creation， Paddington， is the most famous—are here， too.

嬌貴的幽蘭草和銹紅色鳳梨如寄生一般攀附在樹上，但想抓拍蜂鳥是不可能的。我是沒見著，但伊紹打包票說這里還有安第斯眼鏡熊，邁克爾·邦德基于此創(chuàng)作的文學形象帕丁頓熊最為著名。

Travelling with Alpaca Expeditions， it’s easy to feel good about your interactions with locals. A pioneer in social sustainability， the operator has worked on several socio-economic issues around tourism here. Its biggest mission has been to address the fact that the porters carrying tourists’ bags on the trails don’t typically enter Machu Picchu.

參加阿爾帕卡徒步旅行社的徒步游，很自然地就會享受跟當?shù)厝说南嗵帯＿@家旅行社是推動社會可持續(xù)性的先行者，致力于解決當?shù)嘏c旅游業(yè)相關的幾大社會經濟難題。很重要的一件事就是改變徒步線路上搬運工的現(xiàn)狀，他們背負著游客的行李，卻通常不進入馬丘比丘。

As such， many porters hike the Inca trail over 200 times and still never see the world-famous city. Alpaca Expeditions has now paid for over 500 staff members and their families to finally visit Machu Picchu and experience a vital part of their cultural history. It also organises litter clean-ups along the path， as well as being one of the first operators to hire female guides and porters on its tours.

正因如此，許許多多搬運工在印加古道上跋涉過200多次，卻依然沒有親眼目睹過這座聞名世界的古城。阿爾帕卡徒步旅行社現(xiàn)已出資讓500多名員工及其家人終于得以參觀馬丘比丘，親身體驗其文化歷史的重要組成部分。旅行社還組織清理沿途垃圾，更是首批在旅行團中雇傭女性導游和搬運工的旅行社之一。

As we move closer to our destination， I am so thankful I opted for this company and this trail. Tackling remote mountain passes and happening upon rural villages feels more akin to the once-sacred pilgrimage to Machu Picchu so revered by the Inca than the typical tourist excursion.

離目的地越來越近，我就越發(fā)慶幸自己選擇了這家旅行社和這條線路。翻越偏遠山口、路遇鄉(xiāng)村農莊，種種經歷更似印加人尊崇的古老而神圣的馬丘比丘朝拜，而不僅僅是一次普通的徒步旅行。

Three days later， I stand at the much-photographed viewpoint over Machu Picchu， its flattened crop terraces and expertly-assembled dry-stone7 masonry appearing as square and logical as a 15th-century version of Tetris.

三天之后，我站上了馬丘比丘那個常被拍攝取景的位置，盡收眼底的是平整的農作物梯田和用精湛技藝壘起的干砌石建筑，方正規(guī)整到像是15世紀版本的俄羅斯方塊。

I can see the beginnings of crowds exploring the once silent streets of the magical citadel， but it feels like a fair price to pay—after all， we’ve avoided them for four glorious days of trekking through scenery so overwhelmingly vast and wild. The Salkantay Pass and my offering to the gods feels a long time ago， but I’m left with the feeling that travelling sustainably—with reciprocity in mind—is something we all owe to the Andean ancestors.

我能看到開始有大量游客涌入這座神秘之城，探索昔日寂靜的街道，但有得必有舍，我們沒去那里逛，卻在壯闊而未經雕琢的景致中徒步穿行，度過了愉快的4天。薩爾坎泰山口和我給山神的祭品好像都是很久以前發(fā)生的事兒了，但我深切感受到，把互惠之道牢記心間，以可持續(xù)的方式旅行，這是我們該為安第斯的先人們做的。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 in/within spitting distance〈習語〉非常近；一步之遙。" 2 yawning（空間或洞孔）豁開的。" 3 blanket以厚層覆蓋。" 4 citadel城堡；堡壘。

5 hacienda莊園。" 6指秘魯豪華酒店和生態(tài)旅游集團Inkaterra Hotels，世界上第一家“氣候正效益”（climate-positive）酒店品牌。

7 dry-stone不用灰泥只用石塊構造的。