WOW-chu picchu
i´m currently at an internet store where dial-up is the rule of the land and i left my camera cable back in cuzco, hence my own pics will have to wait for tomorrow but since the stories cant wait, here it goes)i dont remember how it felt comin out of my mom´s stomach, but however it was, it must´ve been close to how it was when i first saw machu picchu this morning minus the blood and gore of course. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! fockin crazy travelling 3 hours and a half by train from cuzco, then some 20 minutes on a bus high up on a mountain and then seeing such a magnicent manmade creation in the middle of an equally magnificent god-made creation. (pardon the language, i couldnt help myself).
(it´s just as it is in the pictures, posters and postcards, except greater. especially that i was paying attention to the tour guide this time, and so i heard all the history, effort and thinking and close attention to nature and details that went into building such a city. the hike up the long stretches are still quite a physical task because of the high altitude. but each step sure is worth the vista you get. i even did one of the trails that led to an inca bridge. now, that was crazy and i must admit scared the h--- out of me a bit coz there were no railings and one misstep and there you go tumbling down quite a steep rocky ravine. nevertheless, i made it alive and it was worth the doubled up heart rate.
part of the machu picchu experience was the train ride from cuzco. 3 and a half hours and you pass through mountains, valleys, rivers, towns and jungles. my personal favorites were how they managed to make the trains go up mountains via a zigzag manner, seeing some andes mountains, and the fact that they even serve breakfast a la airplane style. sweeeeet!!! i even ended up sitting right next to a local tour guide who was quite willing to answer my questions about the route. it was great to get her perspective on how much things have changed over the past 30 years and also several tips and lesser known places to see in peru.
im currently at a town called aguas calientes. this is actually the gateway to machu picchu. im staying the night here. my room faces a river that rumbles and its peaceful noise is only disrupted by the high-pitched sound of a bird chirping. this is great. even greater is the fact that aside from making the trip to machu picchu (old mountain in english), there´s nothing really much to do here. which is great coz its a great reminder of the simplicity of life, needing to slow down and appreciate nature and somehow let time pass by (although of course i couldnt resist the temptation of a dial-up internet store). this is great. i couldnt ask for anything more.
well, actually i could ask for more. now, i wish i had booked earlier and had gotten a spot to do the inka trail. but of course i didnt. which is why im making the promise to come back to this country sometime soon. i do have to practice a bit more spanish though and get fit a little bit more to deal with this altitude. mark yer calendars coz im marking mine. peru sometime in the future. not too too future though coz i gotta admit machu picchu and peru is not quite for the old and out of shape if youd like to reap its full benefits.
NOW, my time is almost up here at this internet station so i gotta wrap up. tomorrow i hike up the mountain called huayna picchu (young mountain). if you look at that photo, its that mountain right behind the ruins. its gonna be great! tough and quite steep im sure, but great! i cant wait. i need to go to bed early today though so i wake up early enough to save a spot in the hike. so, mis amigos, buenas noches. esta gringo necesito some sleep.. crap, i need some more spanish lessons.
bueno, esta es jason pacheco (someone who smokes a lotta pot in mexican spanish) now signing off. hasta mañana!
posted by jason pacheco @ 18:49
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