View from the Top

Well, here I am at Machu Picchu sitting on a rock ledge. It´s 7 a.m. I wanted to get up here early to enjoy the views and the ruins before "the crowds" come with the 11 a.m. train. Unfortunately, hundreds of other people had the same idea, so the place already seems crowded to me. In addition, there is an incredibly thick fog. I can see about 50 meters. The guides are holding up big picture albums showing the tourists photos of what the view would look like if one could see through the thick fog. With my $40 entrance fee, I received nothing: no pamphlet, no map, nada. Fortunately, I ripped out the appropriate pages from my guidebook. Hopefully, the sun will burn through the fog in the next couple of hours and instead of groping my way around rocks, I´ll be able to see something.

Well, after stumbling around the ruins in the fog completely lost, I joined a group of Argentines who had a GREAT tour guide (Peruvian of course, and therefore speaking understandably). He was really into it. About the same time, the fog burned off so, for the next couple of hours, I got a great tour. Bottom line: you really need a tour guide to let you know where you are , the nature of the various rooms, etc.

Aferwards, I couldn´t resist the temptation to hike to the top of the nearby mountain, Wayna-Picchu (sp?). At the top, the steps carved into the rock were scarily shallow and slippery. I loved it! So I proudly decided to walk all the way back down to Aguas Calientes on the "trail." The trail is more of a staircase. The buses charge $6 each way for the 30 minute ride. As a result, on my way down, I met only South Americans hiking their way up.

In places, the architecture at M.P. is a marvel of perfection. There are examples in Cuzco as well. Again, however, what makes M.P. terrific is its setting. After two days of pretty rugged hiking, I have a strong suspicion I´ll be feeling it tomorrow! But, thank goodness I did all this now. Who knows if 5 years from now, I´ll be able to hike and climb like I can now!
Hasta luego!