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Published: February 13th 2006
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I spent a couple of days in Cuzco. I did the tourist circuit... saw some museums, ruins, movies, clubs, etcetera. I hung out with more Canadians. This Chilean girl said I looked like Michael Moore, it hurt my feelings.
On Saturday morning I left for Macchu Picchu. The country of Peru has perhaps one of the best schemes going on. They make it impossible to travel to one of the world´s most visited historical sites by road. It is only accessible by train, at which they can charge any price.
We took a cab as close as we could to the site, then trained it to Aguas Calientes aka Macchu Picchu Pueblo. It´s a town that isn´t more than seventy years old because it was invented for tourism. ($1.33 internet, 3 drinks for $5, one night in a hostal $5, low season rates)
Macchu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by American Hiram Bingham... he was looking for another lost city, but settled for this one.
On Sunday morning we got up early, had breakfast and ascended the mountain to Macchu Picchu. It was the most strenuous thing I have done in a long time. Much more strenuous
than sleeping, drinking, or chilling.
I got to the top in an hour and a half... tired as fuck... the thing about Macchu Picchu, is that it is on a mountain so after you climb up you have to climb up more... you could of course also take a bus.
Macchu Picchu was amazing. From the top of the site, you can see all of the ruins... below are clouds floating through the valley beneath Macchu Picchu. Beneath those are lush mountains crowded with greenery, and below are the rapids of the Río Urubamba.
The site is huge... we got there earlier than most tourists and had it to ourselves for only about an hour... then around eleven droves of tourists show up. I´m not the type of budget traveller to be overly critical of conventional tourism... so while there was an excess number of septegenarian northern Europeans, it was interesting to wonder about the nature of tourism.
I met spiritual tourists also. I first started talking to this guy who was telling me about his master and how they were brought there and did weird newage spiritual stuff.
Then I met his master, a guy called Saitan from Vancouver. He just seemed like a normal guy (who called everybody brother, and talked about letting go of fears.) He was talking to a group of people at the entrance to what was once the most sacred site at Macchu Picchu.
Whenever I talk to people about spiritual shit, I talk about humor studies. (When you study something you are studying the aboutness of it, but the aboutness is only a placeholder for the actual thing, the actual thing can´t really be described. I can talk about why I laughed at that joke--- ït was incongrous, I didn´t expect that to happen, etc.¨But these things won´t ever recreate the first time I enjoyed the joke.) Which of course is bullshit.
Anyway the group called me a Laugologist, and I saw them a couple of times through out town where they called to me with my newly acquired credential.
The shaman guy told me that in the same way that there are shakras or pressure points on the human body, there are these same type of things (dragon lines) in different parts of the world. Places where they intersect are the most holy. Places like Sedona, the Pyramids in Egypt, and Macchu Picchu share this holiness.
I was inspired to meditate and let go of the ego to become reborn as a new being... but then it started to rain and I got cold. I´ll save that for the next time.
On the bus back I met a girl from Mexico City who worked with for the government commision on indigenous people. I automatically new that I would be friends with her because she had glasses similar to mine.
ATTN: World... Anybody with thick (vertically) glasses in the world is probably cool... I don´t know what it is, but this theory works on the Bangs-BrightEyes Principle, that is girls with bangs always like Bright Eyes, which can be used to the benefit of a pursuer.
One time this Swedish girl said that she thinks Swedes are better at English than Spaniards because TV is dubbed in Spain and subtitled in Sweden. I always thought that was a cool idea, but I told the Mexican girl this... and she said that was probably wrong... Swedes learn English better because it is more similar to English than Spanish is to English.
That was the most difficult sentence I have ever written, and I don´t think it turned out well.
At around four yesterday I helped these waiters translate words into English. I translated the word quiche into English, it´s quiche. To repay me for my services they offered the menu del dia for a third of the price.
We came back later and ate the best steak I´ve had in South America (so far, I´m going to Argentina soon.) Me and the German and Canadian went out for drinks... but the town was quiet so they headed back, but I ran into the waiter again, he took me to a disco pub that his friend owned.
There was a group of seven dudes dancing salsa together, there were no chicas, or any travellers. This could have been a bad time, but I talked to the bartender for a while. I gave him music ideas for when American tourists come to visit, excessive drinking ideas (putting shots of highly potent alcohol into straws, ice luges, beer pong.) I expected to get free drinks out of these suggestions, but I paidd full price. Either way I gained insight into owning a bar in Peru.
He said it cost $6,000. Which is a lot for a Peruvian, but not a lot for an American investor. If you´re interested lets open a touristy bar somewhere in South America. Also I got his e-mail so we can produce Reggaeton and he´ll play it in his bar.
I´m going to Lake Titicaca tommrow... PEACE.
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anonymous
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I just came upon some money..I'm down to invest it... I demand that you take a picture of you with your shirt over your head Cornholio style..right next to a sign that says "lake titicaca". I miss your ass like hell and will be quoting your "Attn:" in my away message. You're mere student, Gene PS-chicks on meds, not as easy as one would think