'Long Way Up' Episode 7 'Peru': Breathtaking views of Machu Picchu and exploring the rich culture of Cutiverni
Spoilers for 'Long Way Up' Episode 7 'Peru'
As the title suggests, Ewan McGregor and Charles Boorman make their way to Peru in Episode 7 and the scenery is just beautiful. There is a certain childlike joy in McGregor's face when he decides to show the world the famed Machu Picchu, the Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley. The journey to Machu Picchu is by train as roadways to the place are limited.
The main focus is the 45-minute climb to see the place in all its glory. With cobbled stone staircases, McGregor, out of all the excitement makes his way up while Boorman, with the recent injuries to his legs, decides to take a softer but roundabout route to look at the citadel. The audience gets two views from either side as the clouds clear up. "I wanted to visit Machu Picchu since I was a kid," recalls McGregor as the two make their way to the renowned historic site.
Next up, they make their way to the Cutivireni, a community of Ashaninka people in the Amazon rainforest on a chopper to visit one of the 12 villages in the cluster. They are greeted by the friendly folk in Tinkareni, the village the two stop by. The idea is to support the community with its carbon mitigation, one of the actions to limit the magnitude or rate of global warming and its related effects. As part of the village tradition, they get their faces painted in red.
"You look like a little leopard or something," says Boorman when McGregor shows off the artwork on his face. They get a taste of the lianas water vines that is known for its medicinal properties and is also a thirst-quencher in case of water shortage while wading through the rainforest. 'Peru' adds to the list of breathtaking episodes 'Long Way Up' has to offer. At the start of the episode, McGregor, Boorman, and the crew are 39 days into their journey, and after crossing Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia are 8,542 miles away from Los Angeles.
The Peruvian culture is highlighted as they weave in and out of the country roads in their e-Harleys, while the local producers give the two and the viewers valuable insight about each destination they stop by. Such is the meticulous planning that's gone into the documenting of the heritage of these places as part of the ride, it's easy to know more about the places by just listening to the guides and the narration by McGregor and Boorman. This series just went from "must-watch" to "most-definitely should be watched".
'Long Way Up' is available for streaming on Apple TV+