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Published: February 5th 2006
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I can't believe I spent over 2 months in Columbia, and every day was worth it but my initial flight date came and went on February 2nd. I was able to extend the flight to the maximum 180 days but I wish now I could stay longer, as there is so much to see and do, and at the rate that I move I know I will miss a lot of things that I want to see. Realising that I have just over 2 months left I made a tough decision and decided cut out Ecuador and booked a flight to Lima Peru on the 29th from Bogota.
After one last memorable weekend with some friends in the small city of Yopal 6 hours outside of Bogota I headed back to the capital to catch my flight to Lima. After another disasterous bus ride and more people at the customs gate than all of Ingersoll I found myself once again running through the terminal just making it on board...anyone who knows my history of International flights won't be at all surprised by this.
Lima was a pleasant surprise to me. All my previous research of Peru's capital, and
Lima
Llama's, a symbolic image of Peru commercial back bone indicated that I should give it a miss as there wasn´t much to see and it oozed with seediness and petty thieves that were sure to get me! Once again I am glad that I didn't pay much attention to other bloggers and ventured on my own. The city is full of great museums, historical cathedrals, and has a vibrant commercial area named Mira flores that has great restaraunts, parks, and a stylish shopping centre overlooking the ocean.
Peru is South America's third largest country, and is full of amazing archealogical sites, great beaches, and incredible mountain ranges to explore. Unfortunately I just don't have the time to see everything. So I decided to cut out a lot of what I originally intended, in order to spend more time in the less touristy and very cheap Bolivia. I boarded a bus for Cusco which was the heart of the Inca Empire and the gate way to Machu Picchu. The bus ride was 32 hours long and each time we passed a spot on the map that I had originally circled as a stop, the ride felt longer and longer, but maybe the most painful part about
it was the amount of cheesy Richard Gere romantic comedies we had to endure.
Cusco is one of the most beautiful and interesting colonial cities I have encountered. It's a small city of around 300 000 inhabitants and unlike all other cities I have been to, Cusco still has a traditional Inca feel. It like most cities in the Andes sprawls through the valleys created by the surrounding cordillera, and is filled with some of the most spectacular plaza's, churches, and colonial architecture I have seen. I think the greatest deviation setting Cusco apart from other South American cities is the abundance of Aboriginal culture remaining. Many of the buildings in Cusco have been built atop of original Inca foundations, plenty of the native Incas still were traditional clothing and there are numerous streets bearing names in Quechan.
The one draw back for me about Cusco is the life blood of the city and surrounding area...Tourists. They come in hoards from all over the world to experience the one and only Machu Picchu. In the busy season 2000 tourists a day visit M.P. which is great for the economy but it is difficult to really find peace in
a place that is meant to be sacred and spiritual.
M.P. is a 4 hour train ride from Cusco and then a 20 min bus ride up the steep mountain that cradles the ancient city. It sits atop a peak at 2400 meters above sea level. The reason Machu Picchu is so special is because when the Spaniards invaded Central and South America they destroyed nearly everything that was Indigenous. So far this is the only intact city that wasn't found and ripped apart by the Conquistadors. To me the most remarkable fact is that it stood up to over 500 years of earthquakes, storms, and erosion. The architecture is simple but strong. The Incas were exceptional at engineering. The city was built with great precision, definitaveness, and forthought.
My favourite part of M.P. was climbing the adjacent peak that overlooks the city, named Waynu Picchu. It was a tough 40 minute climb to the peak but provided dazzling views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding peaks making the steep climb definately worthwhile.
Tonight I leave for the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. My stay in Peru was one week, and hardly enough time to get a
real feel for the people and the land. That fact especially true when I have only spent time in touristy areas, but I will say that the people that I did encounter were nothing short of kind, helpful,and friendly. I definately look forward to a return to Peru!
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mom
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good to hear from you
Hi Troy Sounds wonderful as usual and the pictures are grande. Wish we were all there with you. I am so glad you got to your destination, Machu Picchu!! sorry, we missed your call, you were right, we were in Florida. Miss you! Love mom