Greatest hits of tourism part II

After we did the lion's share of our hike, we headed to Machu Picchu. I have wanted to see it since I was knee high, and it was the thing that made me originally plan this trip, so needless to say I was prepared to be blown away. But I was so much MORE blown away than I originally expected to be that it was ridiculous. Anna wrote earlier in her blog that the greatest hits of tourism are greatest hits for a reason, and I have to second her, because Machu Picchu? Zow.

We got up at 5am to head up the road so that we all could have the chance to climb the much higher rock nearby that overlooks Machu Picchu, and also so that we could beat the crowds there. Obviously our hike had led us through clouds by this time, but there's something about the fog and clouds that drift through the round, green mountains boardering Machu Picchu that makes you feel like you're travelling into a story. They've built up a whole tourist infrastructure around the ruins that is initially annoying--you go down a narrow little passage and you get bothered by people telling you to check your bags and show your ID and thisandthat. But the second you round the corner, you find yourself practically smacked in the face by this enormous complex of wonderfully-preserved ruins that cascades down the mountainside into a gorge. It's completely breathtaking. Each one of us, individually, said "oh my god" out loud when we rounded the corner. One member of our party speculated that if you had a tape recorder at that exact spot, you would hear the same phrase, in many different languages, thousands of times a day. Utterly amazing.

So it was a day of playing at the ruins! We took the tour, and then some of us went to climb the enormous rock next to Machu Picchu, while the more height-phobic among us (myself included) ventured off to explore more ruins and find the old Inca Bridge. A day well-spent. I can't wait to post photos.

After that, we headed back to Cusco, where I took what was easily one of the top 5 showers of my life. When we talked about what we were going to do after the hike was over, we were all completely convinced that we would go out and drunkenly celebrate our victory over nature, distance, altitude and cold. But it turns out that a few days of not sleeping combined with dry air and altitude sickness make for a pretty poor celebration. We all had a few beers with dinner, started complaining that we were dehydrated, and sheepishly agreed to call it a night. WOOOO!

We've been in Puno for the past few days on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca borders both Peru and Bolivia and is the largest lake in South America. It is so large that it actually has a number of islands inhabited by different cultures that have been there for years. We have had endless troubles in Puno--Dan and I both got sick and I have had to do furious battle with Lan Peru to get the to give me my tickets to Buenos Aires, but I did manage to go on an island sightseeing tour today. I didn't have much time, so I chose the most interesting, bizarre set of islands that the lake has to offer. About a half hour from Puno there are a series of islands that are actually man-made. That's right! The inhabitants, the Uros, actually constructed the islands themselves out of a variety of reed, supposedly to escape from the iron hand of the Incas. Not only are the islands themselves made of the reed, but everything on the island is made of it--the houses, the huge boats they use, the furniture... they use the reed to cook, as medicine, as housing, and they also eat it. I am nominating it for the most versatile plant of all time. Stepping on the islands is a little disconcerting--they definitely sink a bit underfoot. It's sort of like walking on loose hay, if the hay were floating on a huge, chilly lake. But people have lived there for eons, so who am I to stick my nose up at it? After the village we visited gave us a presentation on local culture, the local girls dragged me (again, the tallest and whitest person in the group) off and basically made me their doll. They dressed me up, they braided my hair, they gave me different hats...it was crazy. Another set of pictures which I'm promising to upload when I come across a computer that will actually work with my camera.