Part 3, Inca Inspiration: Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Border Crossing into Bolivia

The flight into Cuzco was very pleasant; LAN Airlines has yet to fail me! Lima has one of the best airports I've visited; we flew out on time, got our little LAN Christmas snack box, which was great, and landed safely between the mountains in Cuzco. Daniela was only slightly worse for wear (she hates flying). In terms of first impressions, Cuzco and surrounding areas (Machu Picchu) are beautiful, but it is awash with predatory tourist agencies and agents. The harassment began when we got off the plane in Cuzco, and practically didn't end until we boarded a bus out of Peru. People who live off of tourism must hate us; we rarely buy anything. From Cuzco to Machu Picchu, we've been offered every type of clothing article made out of llama/alpaca you can imagine and numerous services from Inca Trail hikes, to bike tours to massages. We literally bought nothing, payed only for the train to Machu Picchu, hostels and tickets to get in to the Ruins and self-guided through the entire experience. When you're on a budget, you're on a budget!

Cuzco (also spelled, "Cusco") was the capital of the Incan Empire, before the Spanish came an screwed everything up. It really is a breathtaking and amazing place, with a very unique mix of Spanish colonial constructions that conserve, at their base, the remains of the masterful handiwork of the Incas. This combination of constructions is one that I have yet to observe in any other part of Latin America. In most sites and cities, the Spanish destroyed all of the Inca structures and used the materials to build their cathedrals, plazas and government buildings (as is the case in Quito, Ecuador, for example). Our experiences walking down the incredibly narrow cobblestone streets of Cuzco, constantly reminded me of a line from Motorcycle Diaries, "On this side is a wall of the Incas, and, on the other, you can observe a wall of the Incapaces (incapable)." I think we visited the city right at the perfect time, because the city, as is the case with the rest of the world, seems to be growing at a unsustainable pace and is quickly filling up with a population it can't support. It was unbelievable to witness cars buzzing up and down the the steep narrow streets that were built for horse and foot traffic (especially around the corners). 

Our breath was taken away multiple times, as we crawled our sorry selves up and down hills such as this. On the first day, we stayed in a hostel that was mostly on a plane, near the city center. The day after, we had the "bright" idea to stay at a place that was way up at the top, in the neighborhood known as "San Blas." Many people look ast Cuzco as a base camp to head off on a Machu Picchu adventure, and that it is, but the city itself has so much charm, that it's worth sticking around a few days, just to be continually amazed. The main plaza, also known as the Plaza de Armas, is not a let down. From the fountain of the Plaza de Armas, with an impressive statue dedicated to one of the original Inca kings, we observed, not one, but two, staggering cathedrals. Another tourist trap is the boleto turistico (a tourist ticket) that you must buy if you want to see inside these cathedrals, along with other Inca ruin site (much smaller and less significant than Machu Picchu) in and around Cuzco. As you might imagine, we did not buy the tourist ticket. We got the goody out of Cuzco from the outside of these amazing structures and by sneaking into at least one cathedral during mass service. 

We decided to not cheap out 100% of the way, and we did visit the highly reccomended, "Qorikancha." This site was the most important temple of the Incan empire, but, when the Spanish found it, they destroyed the majority of it and built a cathedral and convent of Saint Domingo on top, preserving the retaining Inca walls. The floors and walls of the place were once covered with gold tablets and the courtyard that surrounded the temple held solid gold statues. As you can imagine, those are long gone (melted down and sold by the Spanish conquistadores). The funny thing about this site is that the remaining Inca foundation has not been affected at all by numerous earthquakes. The only structures suffering damage were those of the Incapable. To the right, can you guess which wall is which? 

I shouldn't bag on the Spanish so much, they did build some pretty amazing and beautiful structures. I'm simply irritated and annoyed at the fact that they decided to sack and destroy such perfect structures as those the Incas had created. As you're looking at the photos, recall that all of that was done by hand, with very simple tools and none of the conveniences of modern construction technology. We're talking about simple blood sweat and tears. 

The Spanish colonial constructions are also quite aesthetically pleasing. Check out some of the following constructions Cuzco has to offer:

The Plaza de Armas

Okay, so it's an "Irish Pub" in Cuzco, but it's the only place to get a Guinness within thousands of miles.

This is one of the Hostels we stayed at, converted from a colonial mansion.

After drinking in the wonders of Inca-Colonial Cuzco, we decided it was time for our pilgrimage to the last refuge of the Incas, Machu Picchu. Apparently very little is known about Machu Picchu; I have a feeling that much of what is said, known or told is made up. What does seem clear, is that it was a very well-hidden place, which might suggest that the Incas used it as an ultimate refuge, fleeing from the Spanish invaders. What is not even a bit clear is what happened to the Incas that were living at Machu Picchu, why they left and where they went. 

Even with modern conveniences, it still takes quite an effort to make it downriver from Cuzco, through the Sacred Valley and up the mountainside to the hidden city of Machu. After paying for a rather expensive 3-hour train ride, we were off to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), which is located in the valley, next to the river, near the base of Machu Picchu. The small town as it is today, was essentially established straight out of the tourism industry. Before the discovery of Machu Picchu and the opening of the ruins as a national park, it was a farm settlement, later a railway workers camp (making the rail access to the ruins) and it is now a tourist trap. Never in my life have I been harassed by salesmen and women as I have in this place. As soon as you get off the train, there are ladies offering you sunblock and insect repellent, you are forced to walk through a souvenir market (it's the only way out) and the town itself is full of tour agencies, hotels and waiters and waitresses trying to get you to eat at their restaurant (the menus are almost identical in every restaurant, as well as the prices). We stomached through our stay in Aguas Calientes, as well as the ridiculously overpriced meal we had that night; the prize, Machu Picchu, awaited us the next day. We stayed at a decent, if basic, hostel and thought that our only roommate would be a very nice girl from the Netherlands that checked in later on. The girl from Holland had the same idea as us, to get up at 4am to beat the crowds up to the ruins and see the sunset; we all went to bed at an early hour. Unfortunately, our luck ran out when some late arrivals, a really loud idiot from England and a girl that was travelling with him. I call the English guy and idiot because, as the rest of us were sleeping, he made no efforts to be quiet, spoke in a loud and incredibly irritating Brit accent (especially annoying for 11pm) and woke everyone up. 

When my alarm went of at 4, I let it play on out at high volume. I was sure to make as much noise as possible. I know payback isn't the answer, but it made me feel better. We ate a small complimentary breakfast and walked down to the bus departure site with our new found friend from the Netherlands. Daniela and I got a kick out of how this girl got all made up before heading out of the hostel in the morning; I guess you gotta look good for your Machu Picchu photo! We parted ways once we got to the top; she had a tour and we decided to self-guide. The decision to self-guide was one of the best we've made during this trip. We later heard horror stories of really awful guides who drag the tour out for hours and have no clue what they're talking about. Our experience at Machu Picchu is hard to describe, it was, quite literally, fascinating. If you don't believe me, just take a look at this amazing view from the top:

Look how happy we were, that's even after getting up at 4am and the "English moron incident!"

We wondered in and out of this incredibly intact and most complete Inca city during 6 hours and were not let down. Even after our terrible decision to carry up and walk around with our heavy backpacks (full of more clothing than was really necessary), we found it hard to complain much. My words could describe this amazing citadel, but I think I will let Dani's photos speak for me. 

Have you noticed the triangular shape of the doors and windows, perfect earthquake resistance! 

These ingenious terraces were built by the Incas for agriculture (they maintained gardens there). 

Being in Machu Picchu, calmed us down. First off, we had to physically calm down after climbing up and down the tremendous Inca steps, second, we stopped and sat on the agricultural terraces to observe, contemplate and eat our contraband (food that we sneaked in; you're not supposed to have food in the site, since they think people will toss the trash wherever). Once again in my life, I felt really small sitting there looking at this amazing and unbelievable Inca creation. 

Dani and I made the unwise decision to trek back down to Aguas Calientes, all the way from way up at the ruins. The downhill trek was hard on the knees and calves, but we made a k-9 friend on the way down. Perroso, as we donned him, quickly became a loyal and faithful amigo, after we fed him some of our leftovers. We eventually made it to the town, much worse for the wear, after it started raining 3/4 of the way down. We rested our weary boned at the train station, waiting to catch our ride back into Cuzco. The train is almost unbearably slow, it goes about 20mph, but we were entertained by a fashion show and a dancing spider clown, brought to you by Perurail! I actually hope that the rail company works on its services, now that it has some competition (Inca Rail), because, though the train was very nice and comfy, the service was hardly worth the price of the ticket. The "meal" they served us was laughable and I would take my LAN Airlines on-board service over it any day. 

Our last couple of days in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley were a real treat on a personal level. Daniela and I got to meet up with my Yachana volunteer family, Stephanie, Ryan and Amanda, the people I shared a year of my life with, volunteer teaching in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Ryan and Amanda are working together in Calca, in the Sacred Valley, on a project which has as its goal to establish a world-class bee sanctuary. Stephanie is currently living in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, but had been traveling in the Cuzco area of Peru (she traveled down with Ryan). We spent less than a day together, but it was great for us to be all together again. I really do consider these people family, for some reason we have an incredible connection, despite the fact that we are all so very different. The short time that we spent together reminded me of how different each one of us is from the other (we all have our mind on different goals and plans), but it also reassured me that we will always be in touch, will meet again and can count on one another if need be. 

The same night, after meeting with the old gang, Dani and I were at the bus terminal in Cuzco, waiting for our bus departure to Copacabana, Bolivia. I can best describe our bus ride to Copacabana as half meeting expectations. It was great until 4am, from then on, it was sketchy. We were to make a transfer in Puno, Peru, at 7am. After 3 hours of waiting in one of the dirtiest, sketchiest and coldest bus stations I've had the displeasure to visit, we were informed that it had been necessary to "transfer" us to a different bus company. The bus ride from Puno, Peru to Copacabana, Boliva was with a Bolvian bus company, Tours Titicaca, with an old smelly bus that was freezing. When I thought about it later, I realized that Tour Peru likely doesn't have the proper license to operate in Boliva, thus the sketchy and unmentioned switcheroo. The border crossing went surprisingly smooth; I suppose things tend to go fairly smooth when you hand over $135 big ones for an entry visa (reciprocity fee charged to U.S. citizens since we charge Bolivians the same). Shortly thereafter, we were back on the bus and not far from our final destination, Copacabana, on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The view from out hotel made the hassle all worth it.