Machu PICCHU!!
So we have finally made it to the main event! After a number of twists and turns getting to the tiny pueblo of Aguas Calientes, we saw our first glimpse of the lost royal Incan retreat of Machu Picchu. I must say, it was as amazing as you can imagine. Buildings constructed on a remote jungle mountaintop that gets, on average 77 inches of rain a year, still standing. Honestly, with some thatch roofs, the place could be inhabitable.
The day up to MP was a long one, with us rising before dawn to catch the 4 hr train ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. The trip was very beautiful, but for the loud Americans sitting behind us. While we thought about catching up on sleep, it really wasn´t possible to have this beautiful countryside pass us by in our sleep.
Upon arrival in the pueblo, we attempted to obtain a place to stay, as we hadn´t set up a room beforehand. With something like 120 hostels and hotels in the area, we figured we could wing it. After trying a few LP recommendations, as well as not being able to even find several of their recommendations, we hung our heads and walked into ¨Gringo Bill´s¨, a nice hostel/hotel in the plaza of this small berg of a town. The place was ok, and we took it, anxious to get to MP, as the last bus down the mountain was 5:30, and the weather can be sketchy.
Sooo, we started on the hunt for MP tickets. We had heard that you have to buy the tickets in town, as they don´t sell them on the site. After talking to the Peru information desk, we learned that the ticket window was approx. 15 ft away from where we were standing, asking for directions. At the sad, gov´t run ticket window, you can only pay in local currency, no credit cards, no US cash, even though most shopkeeps seem to only have US dollars! Anyway, I am being told I am being long winded...the ticket lady took our wheelbarrow of Soles, and proceeded to give me change in 10 cent increments!
Weighed down by a pocketful of change, we arrived in MP with a splendid view - the ¨money shot¨which will inevitably become my screensaver. The day was lots of doors, windows and steps, all of which are well described in our self guided tour book, which we are extremely grateful that we brought, as they don´t provide anything to tourists entering the site, not even the crappy map that you would expect!
The evening was capped by a lovely dinner at a local restaurant, probably the best in the whole town. I had me some grilled alpaca, which was tough, but I got a lot of meat. Liz´s appetite returned pretty much 100%, and we marveled at playing Name That Tune to the Peruvian pan pipe cover album, featuring such greats as Tears in Heaven, Unbreak My Heart and the Dirty Dancing song.
As we returned to our hotel, we noticed what previously we thought was a church festival, to be actually a full on community fiesta event. At volume reaching 11.5, the band rocked on in the square below our hotel window. Unsure as to what this was all about, we asked our hotel front desk clerk, who informed us that the town had a new mayor. We named him ¨Mayor McQueso¨and cursed his name through the night, as the party went well past midnight. Mind you that we were scheduled to get up at 4:00 am to catch the first bus up to MP!
Needless to say, we slept with one ear plug in, and the other plastered to the pillow, with the hopes that we would hear the alarm in the morning, and see MP in its morning glory.
The day up to MP was a long one, with us rising before dawn to catch the 4 hr train ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. The trip was very beautiful, but for the loud Americans sitting behind us. While we thought about catching up on sleep, it really wasn´t possible to have this beautiful countryside pass us by in our sleep.
Upon arrival in the pueblo, we attempted to obtain a place to stay, as we hadn´t set up a room beforehand. With something like 120 hostels and hotels in the area, we figured we could wing it. After trying a few LP recommendations, as well as not being able to even find several of their recommendations, we hung our heads and walked into ¨Gringo Bill´s¨, a nice hostel/hotel in the plaza of this small berg of a town. The place was ok, and we took it, anxious to get to MP, as the last bus down the mountain was 5:30, and the weather can be sketchy.
Sooo, we started on the hunt for MP tickets. We had heard that you have to buy the tickets in town, as they don´t sell them on the site. After talking to the Peru information desk, we learned that the ticket window was approx. 15 ft away from where we were standing, asking for directions. At the sad, gov´t run ticket window, you can only pay in local currency, no credit cards, no US cash, even though most shopkeeps seem to only have US dollars! Anyway, I am being told I am being long winded...the ticket lady took our wheelbarrow of Soles, and proceeded to give me change in 10 cent increments!
Weighed down by a pocketful of change, we arrived in MP with a splendid view - the ¨money shot¨which will inevitably become my screensaver. The day was lots of doors, windows and steps, all of which are well described in our self guided tour book, which we are extremely grateful that we brought, as they don´t provide anything to tourists entering the site, not even the crappy map that you would expect!
The evening was capped by a lovely dinner at a local restaurant, probably the best in the whole town. I had me some grilled alpaca, which was tough, but I got a lot of meat. Liz´s appetite returned pretty much 100%, and we marveled at playing Name That Tune to the Peruvian pan pipe cover album, featuring such greats as Tears in Heaven, Unbreak My Heart and the Dirty Dancing song.
As we returned to our hotel, we noticed what previously we thought was a church festival, to be actually a full on community fiesta event. At volume reaching 11.5, the band rocked on in the square below our hotel window. Unsure as to what this was all about, we asked our hotel front desk clerk, who informed us that the town had a new mayor. We named him ¨Mayor McQueso¨and cursed his name through the night, as the party went well past midnight. Mind you that we were scheduled to get up at 4:00 am to catch the first bus up to MP!
Needless to say, we slept with one ear plug in, and the other plastered to the pillow, with the hopes that we would hear the alarm in the morning, and see MP in its morning glory.
posted by arehart at 8:02 AM
2 Comments:
You should have a running comparison of your trip weather to that of your snowed in home town!
Damn you Mayor McQueso! A pox upon your home!
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