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sunrise over Machu Pichu
and... me not yet used to disposible camera and how small it is!... stupid finger got in the way!... only photo i had of sunrise... MUCH prefer digital!!! Heading back south of this massive continent Ive found myself in Cusco.... arriving on the 13th and all by my lonesome once again.... it feels wierd not to have a travelling buddy now and someone to share ALL the experiences with...!!.... although am happy to hear that Owen got back home safe and sound to his little Island.. and with his 6ft paddles!!..
My (second) camera (first and my good one was stolen while in Brazil) died the morning of the trip up to Machu Pichu so all of my artistic flair is now on the 3 x 27 800film in the disposible cameras that cost $20 OZ dollars a peice! .. it is with these that i will be finishing my trip on, hence the delay (and failure) of photos at this point....
The first afternoon I took the advice from all the travel literature and took it easy, allowing the adjustment to the altitude take place. The next day i checked out Cusco town itself and the main square and headed down Ave Sol (the main street just off from the square) and inspected the local markets. I had been told by many, including Owen that the
markets in Cusco had heaps of cool stuff and plenty of souvenir, gift type items and i wasnt disappointed. On the way down Ave Sol to the main Artesan markets the are several stops on the way offering all the same sort of stuff... which over the next week im going to see FAR more of too!..
I booked myself into a tour.. or just went to a tour agent who bought all the essential tickets and items for me so it would be hassle free.. i have missed the deadline for booking into an Inca Trail hike and at this point they are booked out until August... So the slackers way to the summit it is for me!..
From Cusco I caught a bus to Ollantaytambo.. by bus the tour company meant a taxi from the main square.. (hint if they mention bus.. ask how many passengers the vehicle holds). The dude waited until we got a full ´bus´before departing and after driving at speeds of up to 70km an hour around perilous cliff bends for over an hour we arrived at Ollantaytambo. The point where the journey takes the form of train to Aguas Calientes. This
is where we stay for the night and is the base camp for many of the hikers to have a relaxing pint or two as relief after the 4 day ardious ordeal of the Inca Trail. It is a cute little town that Im sure is pretty sleepy and deserted through the day (as everyone is at Machu Pichu) and is awoken by the echoeing train whistle at 9.45pm by the night train heading into town with the hoards from Ollantaytambo and again at some rediculous hour in the morning like 5.45am for those departing.
Machu Picchu is everything that you imagine it to be from the postcards and the photos, although there are FAR more tourists and everything is marketed at tourists.. as expected.
The sunrise over the mountains was a pretty impressive sight... gradually seeing the shadow pass over the ancient ruins with the moon (I was told later that this was apparently not the moon.. but Venus... ) in the sky all day was an amazing sight to see. The Incas did a great job of establishing this little town.... apparently it was in the 15th century when the Incas ceased populating the area.. which is
pretty amazing to think that it was before then that it was built and WAY before modern technology was around.. so it was all done by hand and sheer strength! Macchu Picchu itself is located about 120km from Cusco and sits at 7000 ft above sea level.. With a great view out over surrounding mountains, clouds settle at eye level and snowcaps can be seen in the distance on higher peaks and the Urubamba river runs through a neighbouring canyon. It was not until 1911, that Machu Picchu was 'rediscovered' after thousands of years hiding at the top of this mountain under overgrown grasses.
After checking out the top of the mountain and heading back into Aguas Calientes i had a wander around the colourful markets that this little town had to offer... really, it was much of the same stuff as in Cusco.. heaps of textiles, rugs, blankets, alpaca jumpers, alpaca scarves, alpaca gloves and socks.. ect.. ceramic plates, and souvenirs plus the normal jewellery and beads that goes along with any market place. The next morning was an early rise to make the train on time and I headed back into Cusco... tomorrow i have booked myself
into the Sacred Valley Tour to check out more of the ruins around Cusco.. or maybe just wander the markets of Pisac.
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