Ok, back. Had to go get a glass of water. Plus, I felt like Machu Piccu really warranted its own post.
Next morning, we rolled out of bed and headed to the bus stop along with about 400 other travelers itching to climb the craziness that is Wayna Picchu mountain. The town’s stray dogs were keeping us entertained in line with their indiscriminate peeing. Literally everywhere, every second. Yes, that can be funny, especially after only hours of sleep.
The buses arrive, and ET, Matt and I were the only three of the 300 whose tour guide wasn’t there. So when the buses arrived, we had no idea what to do. I know, I know, doesn’t sound hard, but when you have 400 cranky hikers itching to get into the first buses so they can ge to MP first and get their tickets to climb the mountain, it can be a bit chaotic. And, not surprisingly, the three of us got split up. But Matt took one for the team and let ET and I ride in the first bus and he got on the second.
The next 30 minutes were spent driving up an incredibly steep, fog-enshrouded mountain pre-sunrise. We couldn't drive straight up, so we zig zagged back and forth, back and forth and each time we rounded a curve I swore that would be the time we would fall off. It was, quite possibly, the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. That is, until we got to Machu Piccu itself. I know I’m a bit of a sap, but I’m getting misty even thinking about it. We pulled up to the main entrance and the buses started pulling up and people started piling out and walking, quickly, all the way across the ruins and to the base of Wayna Picchu mountain to get our tickets. We hadn’t really showered or slept in what felt like days, but I’ve (we’ve, maybe) never felt more alive and awake in my life. Again, I'm a sap, but it was incredibly moving. We’ll be posting pics soon (once we get through all of them), but I can say that a.) MP is nothing like what you see in the guidebooks and postcards, and b.) our pictures probably won’t even do it justice. It’s just one of those places that you have to see yourself. It’s what you get when you combine…let’s see..Maybe: Inca Ruins, Lord of the Rings, the English Moors and…..Fraggle Rock. Throw in some llamas (a baby one, too! Don't worry, this is the one animal we didn't pick up while we there), and you have the full package. It’s enshrouded (yes, my new favorite word) in mystery and even though you have the guide to walk you through, there’s little that’s actually known about MP because there’s no written history about it. Pretty cool, eh? Architecturally and archeologically, historians have been able to piece information together, but all in all, it’s the home of the world’s greatest secret. I can’t wait to upload photos.
So, the most beautiful place on earth…and then, Wayna Piccu. We were three of the lucky ones to get tickets to climb the mountain, and at 10:45 a.m., after an exhilarating two hour tour with the Peruvian version of Coach Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights), we headed to the base of the mountain. Physically, it was probably the hardest thing that any of us have done in our lives. You’re climbing straight up a steep, slippery, narrow mountain for an hour. (Check it: http://aureliada.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/machu-picchu-peru.jpg. This tall thing in the background? Yeah, that’s it. Crikey.) We climbed to the top of that sucker, after, admittedly, many stops along the way, but when we got up there we saw the most beautiful views of Machu Piccu and the mountains. We walked through ancient Inca temples at the top, and saw boys taking naked pictures of themselves on the top (as a reward? For themselves, maybe. Not so much for us). Matt got stuck talking to what turned out to a bit of a creepy tourist, and ET and I had to slide down partway on our bums, but I know I’ve never been more proud of myself and think that Matt and ET felt the same. What a ride, man. What a ride.
So, once we climbed back down (itself a huge feat), we took the bus back to Aguas Calientes, got some lunch, saw a six year old pee all over the place (apparently indiscriminate peeing is a-OK for children and dogs in Peru) and got on the train back to Ollyantaytambo. I got put on an earlier train (darn you, Llama Path Tours!), and had a scary costumed man walk up and down the aisles (he was dresses as a traditional character from Peruvian folklore). And then, a fashion show. Peruvians love to use every opportunity to sell their Alpaca woven wares. ET and Matt got back on the train with the crazy loud Brazilians with their folk songs, but luckily they were on a different car.
When we all finally reached Ollyantaytambo, we got in the cab reserved for us from Llama Path. After crazily speeding through small mountain towns at 100 km per hour, ET told him to slow down (there weren’t any seat belts!), he laughed in her face, slowed down to about 90, and then we saw the Milky Way and forgot about the fact that we were on Joy Ride 2009. Has anyone else seen the Milky Way? It’s literally like you’re seeing thousands of galaxies up close. So freaking cool.
More to come on the rest of our trip in a bit….
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