Machu Pikachu: The Japanese Anime Version

Hello Blogworld. Yes it´s been a while since the last entry and we´ve got a whole lot to catch up on. The reason for the resounding blogsilence is that we have been on the run, not literally, but we´ve had to get a rush on to get done what we want. Initially this was because our Peru visa was fast running out and now that we are in Bolivia, we´ve realised our whole trip is fast running out!

We left you hanging at our arrival in Cuzco after some painfully long bus ride. Our plan for Cuzco was that we had no plan. We arrived with our friends from burners who, being more organised than us, jumped straight on the trainto Machu Picchu Pueblo. We wanted to spend a few days sussing out other options for getting up to Machu Picchu including hiking in either solo or with a tour. Wandering about looking at options was pretty well all we did in Cuzco which isn´t very exciting so I´ll just describe a bit about Cuzco itself.

Cuzco at first glance is a city dominated by tourists and the tourist trade, and for good reason as it is a beautiful city with narrow, windy cobbled alleys, massive cathedrals towering over a busy plaza, spanishmeetsincan architecture, all nestled high in an andean valley. The upside to being part of the tourist bustle was an abundance of vibrant crafts markets and tasty food (we even found a place which served flat whites). There was also plenty of people around to meet up with. After much fruitless email organising we ran into Cush and Rich (some friends from Wellington) in the street. We also ran into a few other people from earlier in our trip including Theresa, who Tessa hocked her hammock off to after our 3 day boat ride to Tarapoto.

Of course the downside to the touristyness was the constant hawking. Our hostel was located at the top of a street we later learned was known as "Gringo Alley". This meant we couldn´t leave the hostel without a pack of hawkers descending on us offering everything from restaurants and tours to massages and drugs. One guy in particular had it in for me. I´d see him as we walked down the street and as we approached I saw a glint of recognition in his eye and a sly smirk would cross his face. As soon as we were within pouncing distance of his overpriced restaurant, I´d find a menu thrust in my face and a constant babbling in my ear. It seems taking no for answer, no matter how loud and forceful, apparently wasn´t an option, but I reckon he just loved winding me up.

Another wee story from Cuzco happened when we were checking out the arty scuplture area of town with our pals from Pisco. We noticed a group of people and police arguing and as we drew closer one guy jumped up with long pole and whacked one of the cops. The cops got a couple of hits into his arms with their nightsticks before the guy turned and sprinted... straight towards us of course. We got the hell out of the way and the last we saw of him, he was doing a reasonable job of outrunning 5 cops, as you would with the certainty of a decent beating once caught!

The result of our days of planning and researching a route to Machu Picchu brought us in full circle away from doing any sort of trek, to just doing the cheapest option we could find. This involved taking a bus to a random village around the back of Machu Picchu, transfering to a minivan to another wee village, then walking along a train track for 5 hours. One word, mission. At the end of it, tired and thirsty, we made the mistake of going for a beer in the most touristy town in south america. The 4 for 1 deal sounded like a good way to quench the thirst but it turned out that 4 for 1 in Machu Picchu Pueblo means 4 beers for "one price", which happened to be reasonably expensive. Bastards.

The next morning we agreed between us to join the masses in getting up at 5 in the morning to dash up the steep path to the ruins, dashing past a group of 18 year olds on some sort of organised tour, only to reach the top and join a long queue to get into the complex. Once in we dashed across the ruins to beat the masses to queue once again to climb Waynu Picchu (the peak in the background of the classic Machu Picchu photos). We finally actually finished queuing at around 9.30am by which time a little of the mystique of the ruins had faded.









It was all well worth it though once we reached the precariously perched ruins atop Waynu Picchu which overlooked not only the complex of Machu Picchu, but also the path of our trek along the train lines the day before. The top was crammed full of tourists laughing and chatting like so many gannets on a rock.



We spent the rest of the day hiking to various vantage points above the complex and marvelling at the sheer majesty of the place, and also at how much the droves of people looked like worker ants from afar. The ruins themselves are perched high on a saddle surrounded by lush jungle. On either side of the saddle a river winds its way through a deep gorge. the city is a beautiful spectacle and with so many people clamouring everywhere it´s not difficult to imagine, from a distance, what it might have been like as a city in Inca times. I´ve chucked some pictures at the end here because words cant really do justice to the place.

We returned to Cuzco the easy way, on the train and met up with James, Stacy and Jess from burners to check out the markets and to eat delicacies such as Alpaca (it´s a little chewy). After spending another day or so in Cuzco and bidding farewell to Stacy and Jess, we headed on to Arequipa with James for a spot of hiking and a ton of good mexican food.