Perhaps this is a bit unfair to Peru, falling as it does at the end of my South American itinerary. Having travelled from the bottom of Argentina to the top, into the Atacama, and then again from bottom to the top of Bolivia, it has become noticeably more difficult to be ´wowed´ by things. In fact, it´s partly out of haste, and partly a sense of apathy towards what I have seen here that explains why I have crammed all three parts of Peru into a single post.
Often overshadowed by the iconic Machu Picchu, many people, myself included, come to Cuzco without realising that city itself is also a UNESCO Heritage site. From here, the Inca civilisation once ruled much of the continent until the Spanish came and built all their cathedrals and monuments over the original foundations. From the minute you land at the airport, the sense that you are surrounded by pirranhas is overwhelming. The sense that you are being taken for a ride by the taxi driver is even more obvious. My fault for not checking the value of the currency, but never mind, i compensated for that by staying at the very decent and well-located Pirwa hostel for just US$25 a night, 10 seconds walks from Plaza de Armas, the heart of the city.
By the end of the first day, I had already developed full immunity against the need to take any more pictures of colonial buildings, churches and cobblestone streets. I also learned to put the phrase "No, gracias" to great use. It´s an empty coconunt shell with Inca carvings on it for just US$30. No Gracias. Come on, look how beautiful it is, hand made. No, gracias. How much you want to pay. No gracias. Where you from? No gracias.
By the end of day 1, I found it irritating that I had to be here just to see Machu Picchu. Correction, that should be, just so that I can say to everyone when I get home that I have seen Machu Picchu. On day 2, having shopped around half-heartedly at a tour agency down the street, I just settled for the resident operator in the hostel, who explained to me the various costs involved. The train, the various classes of train carriages, the entrance fee, the bus up to the top, the return trip - all incurring their own individuyal charges, mostly in US dollars. "Just tell me how much it costs in total and let me get it over with. No tour guide please."
When it comes to cuisine, Peru has in recent years developed a massive reputation for being South America´s finest. So as I walked around town looking for a good restaurant, my heart sank when i saw all the usual hallmarks of tourism gone foul. Paddy´s Irish pub, the all-day breakfast joint run by some trollop from England, burger/pizza parlours galore and fucking Swiss fondu. In the end, I ate all my meals at the retaurant just acorss the street from the hostel - a newly opened Peruvian restaurant El Tiburon, where, for the most part, I was the only customer. The chef became my own private chef, serving dishes off the menu (for a price, obviously), and food was superb. The ceviche - Peru´s answer to sashimi - in particular, was outstanding. By the end of my stay, they were actually starting to get customers.
So, here goes. Machu Picchu.
The day started with a taxi ride at 5:30am to a station called Puroy, where the train commences its 3 and a half hour journey through the Urubamba Canyon. For most of the way, I had my headphones on because I couldnt stand the conversation that was going on around me. It was only towards the end that i started speaking to the girl sitting next to me, a dentist from Costa Rica, who was here with her mother. She´d been studying in Peru for a year and was lamenting about the fact that she had one more year to go before she could go home. Kindred spirit. I could feel her pain.
Like me, the canyon looks much better in real life than in photos, so i won´t bother showing the shots from the train. I wouod say though, as the destaination nears, it is very impressive. The vertical walls of the mountains seem to go up into heaven. At no point can you see Machu Picchu itself, you just know it´s somewhere up there. It{s another 30-minute bus climb before you reach the entrance to the site, and short 10 minute hike (along with all the other tourists) before you actually see the exact same image, from the exact same angle, as you saw on Google.
Certainly the story of its discovery is a fascinating piece of pot luck, and I suppose what is most interesting about the place is what you don´t see and don´t know. I eavesdropped on some guided tours but they were mostly concerned with how the stones were shaped so I lost interest. It´s a place of astounding beautiy and mystery, but unlike, say, the Tower of London which is in fact much older and steeped in centuries of recorded history, there really isn´t much to keep you absorbed. Half way through, I was bored and decided to head straight back to the exit.The Costa Rican denstist and her mother, I noticed, left even sooner.
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I'll add photos later, but as I write this, the taxi from Lima to the airport is waiting to pick me up so, with a great deal of haste and regret, this concludes the South American leg of my journey. I'll be off the air for a while but will post the next story as soon as I get the chance. Cheerio!
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