Machu Pichu and Back to Cusco

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