Peruvian Adventure

we are now back in the city of cusco. for whatever reason, our alarm didn´t go off yesterday, and cassidy woke with a start at the time we were supposed to be at the meeting place to leave for macchupichu. we threw on clothes and tossed our stuff in our bags and ran to the meeting place in time to catch our bus. the bus snaked up through the tropical mountain ranges surrounding aguas calientes and finally arrived outside the gates of macchupichu. the vistas were incredible. the mountains seem to climb halfway up the sky and were surrounded by a gauzy morning mist that the sun was just beginning to break. macchupicchu lay before us at the seeming heart of all of these grandiose mountains in a sprawl of cut stone and green grass. it was slightly anticlimatic to have only taken a bus to the top, rather than to approach it as an explorer on foot. however, it was still very beautiful. it was very romantic to imagine it being pulled back into the depths of the jungle as it must have been at its discovery in 1911 (thought campesinos had discovered it ten years earlier) by Bingham. we snaked through the ruins with a boisterous group of spaniards. the family´s older women were very slow and many were smokers, which detracted from our experience some. still, it was a beautiful place, especially as the sun crested the mountain and broke into visible shafts that seemed to focus directly into the city´s center. i found two shards of pottery and felt as though i should be putting them somewhere special or miraculous, yet instead i just replaced them amongst the ruins. after the tour, cass and i ate a scant lunch of peanuts, raisins, and crackers, took swigs of water and then headed off to climb waynapichu. interestingly, the mountains that form the backdrop of macchupichu also create the profile of an incan face. on the face, waynapichu is the steep and prominent nose. the gate to the trail is a bamboo frame and shake with a gigantic sign in book. while waiting in line to begin the trail, i felt as though i was waiting to get on some sort of jungle simulation ride. and as we begin the trek, the feeling was continued as we walked over jutting stones through arms of green fronds that dripped over the path and cut the sunshine into a million pieces. the trail included some very steep ascents and descents. on the land bridge to the actual mountain, or nose, i took a long at the trail that zigzagged straight up the mountain´s face, and thought, dear god, that looks terrible. but we kept going. i know that there are many wonderful things i´ve experienced because of cass´s sense of adventure. the trail up the mountains was very rocky and often bordered by a rope or steel cord which you could grip for stability. the trail seemed to climb forever, affording us a sweeping view of the incredible mountains and the tiny green snake of the river urobamba (sp?). we finally saw the crumbling walls of the mountain temple and the path lead into a steep incline of steps so close together you had to walk up sideways with no railing, just terraces on one side and the muddy, fern laced bank on the other. the temple itself had three windows facing out upon the mountains and another steep staircase led to the mountain´s crest, from which you could see macchu picchu in miniature and a canyon carpeted by the canopy of the forest below. it was the kind of openess that made you wish for wings, and made me wonder if this view hadn´t inspired early incans to believe that when one died, his or her soul was carried into the mountains beyond by a condor. if this is true, i love that i saw two condors on our canyon trek, because maybe they were my grandpas that i miss so much. we climbed down waynapichu and i got a macchu pichu stamp in my passport which is so cute (go to the admin office if you are there and want one). we then climbed back on the bus back to aguas calientes, sweaty and worn out. out the window, while the bus idled, i was able to get a good look at the macchupichu lodge and restaurant. with its smooth white walls, sage green shutters, paneless windows, and the white clothed tables within, it was a complete anomaly in the mountain setting and reminded me of jurassic park in its contrived elegance. as the bus rumbled back and forth down the mountain, a little peruvian boy ran down the mountain to meet the bus at each new stretch of the road. he wore a little green head band and would shout the same indistinguishable word as we passed by. at the base of the mountain, he ran out to the road, and our driver opened the door to let him in. he was met by applause as he uttered a breathless, “bienvenidos a cusco.” he was given a tip by many of the passengers. we got back to our hostel only to discover that the shower water was decidedly icy (we had to move from our original, best shower in peru, place because of some complications with our tour agency and the busy nature of hostels in aguas calientes). so, cass and i made an executive decision to head up to the famed hot spring baths of aguas calientes for some hot water. we trekked up our street and as town dwindled out, we were again met by the jungle on each side of the canyon. the river ran along side of us, splashing over the rocks and settling into tranquil little pools. we paid our ten soles, and crossed a wooden planked bridge to the other side of the canyon. the pools were clinging to the canyon in several layers of patios that edged the river. on the walls that separated the hot springs from the river´s path, there were several brilliantly colorful murals depicting various incan legends and peruvian wildlife. topping the patios was a two story building housing the bathrooms, dressing rooms, and a terrace cafe. cass and i settled our things and waded into the most popular pool. the waters were filmy and murky, but deliciously hot. the bottom of the pool was paved with loose pebbles. we lounged for a bit, soaking our tired muscles, and then we pulled ourselves out of the water to shower. there were no indoor showers, so we instead washed our hair and soaped up a bit in plumes of water that were jetting out of the mouths of oxidized metal puma heads. the water was almost too hot, but it felt wonderful, and we laughed because it seemed as though we were doing a commercial for some exotic shampoo. after our desireably hot showers, we headed up to the cafe for a cerveza negra. feeling incredibly content, we sat for a bit, enjoying the flight of some green parrot like birds with scarlet breasts. after relaxing, we headed back to town, followed all the while by a tiny, friendly dog. after changing, we hit the streets to bargain with the restaurant touts for the very best dinner price. we finally talked one restaurant, big brother, into making all of their mexican menu dishes 15 soles, while also tossing in a free drink. 15 soles is roughly five bucks. we enjoyed our free drinks, while also making a new friend out of a college student named miguelangel who had been working at the restaurant during his winter break. when our food arrived, we were blown away by the colorful presentation. i had ordered a burrito de pollo, and it came fried and wrapped at the ends like a wanton, but topped with tomatoes, onions, and guacamole. there was also delicious rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a avocado, halved a restuffed with a delicous blend of lime, onions, and tomatoes. we were in heaven. our new friend accidently missed his train back to cuzco and we headed down to the plaza with him to enjoy the novelty of drinking beer in the streets (festival time) and watching all of the continuing festivities of the virgen del carmen fiesta. afterwards, we stopped into a dark, cold club to hang out more and dance some. finally, we were so tired, we had to get home. today, after arriving in cuzco, we explored some and found an unforgettable veg restaurant, el encuentro. the food was incredible. cass got soy meat, rice, french fries, a salad, and fried bananas while i enjoyed a tuna sandwhich, that was almost more like a tuna hamburger with lots of tomatos and red onions…delicious. later, while using the internet, we ran into our old german friend who may stay the night just to hang out with us! life is still wonderful! hope meemo´s party was a blast. love and miss you all.
darcy

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