Hello! I am sitting at an Internet cafe while waiting for our next bus. Tonight we will be leaving Peru and heading to Copacabana, Bolivia. We decided to go to Copacabana which is a town right next to Lake Titicaca. We could have gone to Puno, Peru and visited the lake and its islands from there but we decided we were ready for a slight change of scene. We also chose Copacabana because La Isla del Sol sounded a little less overrun by tourists than the islands accessible from the Peruvian side. I am a little sad we are going to miss the floating islands though. There are some man-made islands on the Peruvian side which were constructed from reeds (I believe) when the Uros people decided to isolate themselves from the Incas. I can´t even really comprehend the idea of constructing my own island but it sounds really cool. Unfortunately, I think the people no longer maintain their isolation since they now sell tours of the island as one of their major sources of income.
I should have mentioned that we are currently back in Cusco. We went to Machu Picchu really early in the morning yesterday. We got up at 4 in the morning so that we could be one of the first people to Machu Picchu. By the time we got to the bus station there were already 200 or so people in front of us in line for the 5:30 bus. It was such an interesting case study in human nature. Everyone was trying to cut the line or find ways to get to Machu Picchu first. I have to admit I have those tendencies as well and I tried my best to keep control of my senses as we waited for the bus.
The bus ride reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Our bus was racing up the mountain, hurtling towards the Machu Picchu entrance gate. Caitlin felt sick (as I did on the return trip) but for the moment I was enjoying the extremely overpriced roller coaster ride.
One of the reasons we got there so early was so that we could get one of the few hundred tickets to climb Wayna Picchu. Wayna is a mountain behind the ruins that once scaled provides an excellent view from above. We decided to climb it at 7 instead of 10 so that we would be less tired later in the day.
The climb was awful. I haven´t really exercised much since I got Mono last November and was completely unprepared for the climb. The trail has stones which essentially creates a staircase all the way up the mountain. Needless to say I am sore today. The climb, though difficult, was a great experience. There are more ruins at the top and the hike made us feel like we had accomplished something, although I don´t know what exactly. Unfortunately, the fog never cleared so we couldn´t see the main ruins from the top of the mountain.
The main set of ruins were huge. We were essentially seeing the remains of a fairly large city (at least for the times). I liked that we were able to walk wherever we wanted. There weren´t any ropes so we were allowed to stroll through courtyards, temples, terraces and all of the many houses seemingly without limits. The city seemed somewhat endless once we were down inside of it and walking around. I jokingly picked out a house from among the many and imagined my daily walk to the market or the temple.
The whole time I was there I kept wondering why I am here? What makes these ruins more special than any of the other ruins in Peru? Why is it more coveted than the pyramids in Mexico? More sought out than Stonehenge? I don´t actually know if Machu Picchu has more visitors than the above mentioned places but it is certainly more expensive!
The truth is, I´m not entirely sure. I think the setting is part of it. These people chose to build their city in one of the most awe inspiring settings I have seen. The city is high up in the mountains, seemingly hidden away from the rest of the world. The mountains themselves have such dramatic peaks. Wayna, for example, seems to shoot up out of nowhere. It towers over its surroundings as do many of the other mountains in the area. The climate is definitely tropical or sub tropical adding to the mystery of the place. These alp like mountains are covered with jungle foliage instead of snow (although I am sure it does have snow during the winter).
The other part of it I think is similar to the reason people visit Stonehenge. How did these people construct the city? To me it seems somewhat impossible without the help of modern technology. Each house is made out of hundreds of stones piled together to form walls. I don´t even know where the stones came from but somehow they were able to assemble millions of them into an entire city. It seems quite advanced. I spent most of my time fascinated that the whole city was built at all, not to mention that it is still standing so many years later.
Overall, I´m glad we went even though I must admit I felt somewhat disappointed by the experience. Whenever I go to tourist sites with such high expectations I often find myself somewhat disappointed by what I end up seeing and experiencing. I think sometimes I approach life like that too and that´s why I went on this trip. I wanted to take a break from planning my future to take time to enjoy what I experience on a daily basis. I hope that by the end of the trip I will have changed some of my expectations. I´d rather live for today and then just see what comes my way. I felt able to do that as I struggled up the mountain yesterday. I literally didn´t have the strength to think about anything beyond the task at hand. Moments like that can be hard to come by. That made Machu Picchu and the whole experience worth every penny.
-Sarah
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Lima to Cusco
Hello! I haven´t written anything yet because I mainly just wanted to go out and have fun.
When we arrived in Lima it brought me back to my arrival in Buenos Aires almost two years ago. This time it was just Caitlin and I in a station wagon instead of the mini bus crowded with my fellow students. It was a very different drive. In Argentina I was really struck by the way the buildings on the outskirts of BSAS looked. They were falling apart, sometimes entire walls were missing. It was also a longer drive. I felt like we drove for 45 minutes before we got to our dorms. My drive with Caitlin seemed so different.
The buildings were falling apart too but it didn´t seem as drastic. Instead of miles and miles of houses we immediately seemed to be in the heart of Lima. There were trago monedas (Casinos) everywhere. I was immediately attracted to them because they were covered in flashing, bright lights. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I first came to Times Square. It was on a much smaller scale this time but the lights drew me in. I was excited to be here. I was back in South America, a place I associated with so many positive feelings.
My time in Buenos Aires was probably the most fun I had in college. The homework load was light and good friends were all around. We would party and explore. I don´t really miss the parties that much but I do miss the excitement of exploring a new place with new people. I´m hoping this trip will be like that.
I never wanted to become a snob about my time in Argentina but Lima seemed very dull in comparison. Not as many parks, too much smog, not as many circus people on the streets.
I´m glad to be in Cusco now. A lot of tourists but that also means lots of people from all over with whom I can share experiences. It also just seems like there is more culture here because of its history. The city is beautiful. Houses extend out from the center up the hills. The central plaza has several churches and lots of people selling paintings, clothes, etc. My favorite was groups of indigenous women with their alpacas. You can pay them a few soles to take a picture with the animals. Caitlin and I saw a really cute baby alpaca and couldn´t resist. Pictures will follow at some point.
The most shocking thing about Cusco for me was the altitude sickness. For some reason I thought I would be immune to such things. Wrong! Caitlin and I thought we were really out of shape at first. We couldn´t breathe walking up the hill to our hostel. I got the worst of it though and got pretty sick to the stomach. I´ll just leave it at that.
We are in Aguas Calientes now which is the town closest to Machu Picchu. Tomorrow we are getting up at 4 in the morning to get there bright and early. Our guidebook said that this town is touristy and overpriced. That may be true but it is also beautiful. A city nestled in between mountains with a river running through. Perfect!
When we arrived in Lima it brought me back to my arrival in Buenos Aires almost two years ago. This time it was just Caitlin and I in a station wagon instead of the mini bus crowded with my fellow students. It was a very different drive. In Argentina I was really struck by the way the buildings on the outskirts of BSAS looked. They were falling apart, sometimes entire walls were missing. It was also a longer drive. I felt like we drove for 45 minutes before we got to our dorms. My drive with Caitlin seemed so different.
The buildings were falling apart too but it didn´t seem as drastic. Instead of miles and miles of houses we immediately seemed to be in the heart of Lima. There were trago monedas (Casinos) everywhere. I was immediately attracted to them because they were covered in flashing, bright lights. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I first came to Times Square. It was on a much smaller scale this time but the lights drew me in. I was excited to be here. I was back in South America, a place I associated with so many positive feelings.
My time in Buenos Aires was probably the most fun I had in college. The homework load was light and good friends were all around. We would party and explore. I don´t really miss the parties that much but I do miss the excitement of exploring a new place with new people. I´m hoping this trip will be like that.
I never wanted to become a snob about my time in Argentina but Lima seemed very dull in comparison. Not as many parks, too much smog, not as many circus people on the streets.
I´m glad to be in Cusco now. A lot of tourists but that also means lots of people from all over with whom I can share experiences. It also just seems like there is more culture here because of its history. The city is beautiful. Houses extend out from the center up the hills. The central plaza has several churches and lots of people selling paintings, clothes, etc. My favorite was groups of indigenous women with their alpacas. You can pay them a few soles to take a picture with the animals. Caitlin and I saw a really cute baby alpaca and couldn´t resist. Pictures will follow at some point.
The most shocking thing about Cusco for me was the altitude sickness. For some reason I thought I would be immune to such things. Wrong! Caitlin and I thought we were really out of shape at first. We couldn´t breathe walking up the hill to our hostel. I got the worst of it though and got pretty sick to the stomach. I´ll just leave it at that.
We are in Aguas Calientes now which is the town closest to Machu Picchu. Tomorrow we are getting up at 4 in the morning to get there bright and early. Our guidebook said that this town is touristy and overpriced. That may be true but it is also beautiful. A city nestled in between mountains with a river running through. Perfect!
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