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Other entries in Machu Picchu

one word, unbelievable

our main reason for coming to Peru was to see Machu Picchu. we therefore went well out of our way to overpay and unacomodate ourselves to achieve our goal. we took the backpackers train from Cuzco to Aguas Caliente, the main town near M.P. (on a side note, foreigners arent allowed to take the public, cheap trains used by the locals. its just a rule and its one of many rules that allow for Peru to benefit monetarily off of the amazing Incan treasure) the train ride was scenic and mostly without incident. david and i made a wager about what time the train would arrive. he trusted the schedule and i did not (we begun the trip doing a number of back and forth moves which i interpreted as carelessness by the conductor, turns out they were switchbacks to climb a steep hill). the sacrifice that we put on the betting table was simply carrying space for a month. he didnt want to carry speakers as they were cumbersome and i in exchange said that i could do without carrying a not so small size bottle of Goldbond. the size of the objects were about equal so the wager was agreed upon. i lost and now i have less room than before.

aguas caliente is a beautiful town that reminded me of an old mining village in colorado or montana. a river disects the city in two and there are no roads for cars save the one road leading out fo the city up the hill to machu picchu. everyone walks around and the part that i dislike the most is that since the locals know very well that everyone is there as a tourist waiting their turn to see the sight, theyre looking for one time customers and willing to lose their dignity over attracting them. therefore, every restaurant patron, bar owner, or travel agent is out in front of their establishment hocking their wares like auctioneers. i dont think ive ever been offered this much food and had to refuse so many people. plus because of the tourism, the prices for everything were raised significantly. luckily we were there for only one night.

this morning we woke up at 340 to meet up with some people david had met the day before. we wanted to make the hike up the mountain by sunrise and then spend most of the day there until we had to catch our train back to cuzco. when we woke, however, it was pouring rain and the thought of a 2 hour hike in the rain put us right back to bed. we assumed our cohorts thought similarly and hoped not to upset anyone. we woke ourselves several more times before we were satisfied with the lack of rain outside and then we set out. we reached the end of town and walked past the line of tour buses that haul visitors up the mountain side for a mere 6 bucks a head. we had decided to walk ourselves up the mountain and found the slippery, steep, and rocky train just across a bridge where the road and the path split. the going was rough. its a 2 km hike straigh uphill. the only flat parts of the dirt and stone path are when it levels off so you can cross the road and then promptly dive back into the jungle forest. jake, mt reiniers got nothin on this trail. we had to pause several times to catch our breath and rest our legs. this was an intense hike and would be a great workout for the USC lacrosse team. fuck it, anyone could use this sort of exercise. Uncle Mark, i dont think that we would have elected to take this route on our trip but ill let you make the call wehn we come back. the only other people on the hike was a native family of three. when we reached the top, we were drenched in sweat and glad to be alive. it really wasnt that bad but made me decide my triathalon days are over.

at the top of the mountain was a fantastic view of the valley and the river below. there is also a number of tourist attractions some of which made me contemplate vomiting. of course there is a restaurant, overpriced, a snackbar, also overpriced, a bathroom that you must pay to use, and the most absurd was the fact that someone thought it a good idea to put a jewelry store right in the middle of all of it. who goes to machu picchu to buy diamonds is beyond me but someone must or the store would not exist. stupid people out there.

we went to the entrance with our student tickets but david had neglected to bring his student ID or any ID for that matter and tehy made him pay the full price. he was very happy about having to do that. we entered the city and chose to do more uphill hiking. we went to the nearest end of M.P. and found a rediculous view. the height of the plateau we were one allowed us to overlook the entire city including the lush green mountain that loomed behind it. we had to stop there for 20 minutes just to make sure we appreciated the sight. ive rarely seen things more beautiful. we decended down a few agricultural terraces (the incans flattened the mountainside into levels and grew their food on these plateaus. since some were at different heights, they were able to grow different plants thus enabling a large amount of different vegatables and fruits) and found some llamas. according to our guide book, the llamas prefer to live at higher altitudes making these llamas installed. oh the lengths to which the country will go to please tourists. david and i were taking pictures of the llamas and in particular a baby llama that was very cute. we were just standing still observing and the baby llama walked right up to us and stared at david intently. after he moved on, we commented on how cool that was and then both acknowledged the simpsons line [the baby looked at you? sarah, get me superintendent chalmers] and we had a good laugh.

once we were walking around the city, our mouths were constantly agape. my favorite thing about the attraction was that once inside, you were allowed almost free range over the grounds. with a few exceptions of sacred places that were roped off, every room, house, temple, and shrine was accessible for view and picture taking. the entire places is extremely well preserved and since it is only 500 years old and was only recently discoverd, relatively, the stone working and construction of most of city is as it was left. it was not hard to imagine the Incans workign adn existing there. we had our guide book so it gave us detailed accounts of what each thing was and what they were used for. apparently no more than 1000 people lived here at any one time and while at first that number seemed large, once completing the tour, we understood it could hold a lot more. the most moving part of the experience for me was when we were in the residential part of the city. the houses were intact except for the thatched roofs taht they used and the wooden interior making up second stories or lofts. i walked into one home and was by myself picturing people living in this room, cooking, sleeping, talking, tending to their family. there are sunken cubbies dug into the walls for storage or candles or whatever and i imagined the family using it for. the rest of the city was amazing but this part was the most moving for me.

during our tour the clouds opened up and filled the scene with more rain. we took cover in some shelter and tried to wait it out but after 45 minutes, it seemed the rain was not budging so we threw respitory health to the wind, literally, and continued with our sightseeing. it would have been better if the place was open to just us as many picutures were ruined when humans in various brightly colored ponchos entered the frame unknowingly. but i still managed to take some great shots and hopefully i can get them up here shortly. overall, an incredible experience that i highly recommend for everyone, rain or shine.

we left the tourist trap of aguas caliente on a nicer train because the backpackers train was all full. this one was called teh vista train and boasted a few more ammenities than the previous one. the first were the chairs. nice, plush, comfortable as hell chairs with ample leg room. then they supplied a mid-ride snack with beverage. guido was sleeping while the lady placed his meal on his tray and i leaned over to his sister marisa and told her that when he woke up, you wouldnt be able to find a happier camper. low and behold, 20 minutes later when the beast stirred, a smile came to his face as he saw food so close at hand and he looked over at us and said, amazing!. such a simple creature, so predictable. i love it. the next addition the train provided was in the form of entertainment. while i was reading and listening to my Ipod, music came over the speakers taht drowned out mine and i was forced to pay attention to the performance. a brightly decorated clown character paced through the isle and then proceeded to do a dance for the passengers. he was energetic and well trained but the reason for the show i couldnt understand. after him came the biggest suprise. i saw the stewardess that had taken tickets and served the meals walk up the aisle wearing a completely new uniform. she paused at the front of the coach and turned around. then walked back towards the back and received applause. then her male counterpart did the same thing, albeit a big more awkwardly, wearing a new uniform as well. he too received applause. after they repeated tehir dance several tiems each time wearing new clothes, it became apparent that they were putting on a fashion show. i couldnt help but laugh. where in the job application does it say that in addition to punching tickets and serving drinks, youve got to dress up and parade down the aisle for travelers? they only stopped when provoked by passengers not with their voice but with their hands grabbing and feelign the material. apparently this is common and after the show they put the cloths on sale at the back of the train car. very different than american trains but hilarious nonetheless.

we got back to cuzco safely and tomorrow we head for Lima again. well spend a few days there and then decide where to next. chile may be out of the picture now but we will wait and see. Happy New Year to all.

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