I`d been planning to go to Machu Picchu the next day, specifically because of the cost of getting in - the entry fee`s about 25 pounds. But with the prospect of just hanging around town, I bought two tickets, one for each day, and having got a place to stay (which was a complete dump - but cheap :-) I set off to see Machu Picchu (MP from now on - I can`t be bothered typing it in full - you can read all about it here).
You hear so many great things about MP that I was slightly worried that it wouldn`t live up to the "hype". I`d even talked to one person who said that they`d had the closest thing to a religious experience at MP.
So, I caught the bus which winds it`s way up the hillside with spectacular views of the cloud forest, and as you near the top, you can just make out the ruins.
I had nothing to fear about the hype - it is an incredible sight, perched on the top of a ridge with mountains all around, and the steep drop to the valley floor and the Rio Urumbamba. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the ruins - you can easily visit MP in three or four hours - incredible to think that 1200 people lived here.
I`d decided earlier in the day to walk down the hill back into town - not only did it save on bus fare (a ludicrous $7) - but it gave me the chance to enjoy the incredible scenery. This is going to sound a bit weird - but it`s about an hour into town, and as I was walking down through the forest, it suddenly struck me that I`m going to be away for a long time. It felt as if my life is going on somewhere else, and I`m longer a part of it. I thought of all the people I know and will miss, and I was feeling a bit low by the time I pulled into Aguas Calientes. (But read my next post - because it get`s better).
Aguas Calientes means "hot water" in Spanish, and there are some hot springs in the village. While at the springs I got chatting to a really great couple from Uruguay who told me where the best places to go in Buenos Aires and around - and I`ve made a note of their recommendations.
I had Nachos and Pizza for tea (yep - real authentic Peruvian food), and while we were eating this incredible band came in and started playing. There were only about 15 people in the restaurant, and the band (two guy`s and a woman) were really grooving. They all played every instrument, and one guy played a bass drum with his foot, a kind of guitar thing, pan pipes, and sang - almost all at the same time (The Peruvian version of Rush :-).
All these kid`s came off the street and were dancing away, and then a woman came in and was singing along, and playing maracas, and dancing away, and everyone was grooving. I was sitting there nodding along, foot taping. They really put everything into it - you could tell they just enjoyed playing - it didn`t matter that there weren`t that many people.
It was so good, and I was so into it, that I forgot to take a photo :-( Although I did give them a good tip :-)
And then after that it was off to bed for the 4:30 am start the next day.
I took absolutely loads of pics - here`s a very small sample of the first day:
This is a picture of the hitching post of the sun - the centre of MP, and where they say all it`s power is concentrated:
There`s quite a lot of wildlife at MP. Here`s a picture of a Chinchilla and a Humming Bird:
Here`s one of the path back to Aguas Calientes:
No comments:
Post a Comment