Falling Into It At Machu Picchu

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The Few Troubles in Travelling

Travelling is an easy thing to do and it's simple for the most part. If it wasn't, far less people would do it. There are some hard elements to travelling though and I've often found these concepts interesting.

One difficulty is endured by those who travel alone, people like me. The beauty of travelling solo is in pure independence, free will to go wherever and do whatever without approval or agreement from others. The downsides are the times you find yourself somewhere amazing and have no one to share it with. Another downside is a lack of history with anyone - there are no inside jokes and sometimes you feel that there is a love missing or you suffer loneliness during a period when you're alone and don't want to be.

Time and it's contraints can be a huge pain. Direction can be also, where to travel and how to get there.

I am 26 years old and this week I experienced some of the best and worst of travelling.





Decision Making in Cusco

I arrived at the Adventure Brew Hostal, dropped my gear next to my bed and left the room, as not to disturb the person still sleeping. I was shown to the kitchen where I was made a pancake for breakfast. It was quiet, but a few people passed through and eventually I got talking to a very mixed trio of people - a Belgian guy who was about 50, a Chilean guy in his 40's and a German girl in her early 20's. Perhaps you can already work out the focus of this story.

Following my night bus I was exhausted and so sitting in the kitchen talking with this eclectic group of people was an easy and pleasant way to spend my morning. The three of them had met in NASCA a few days before and were all travelling independently. Daniel (the Chilean) was driving about Peru and the others had gladly taken up his offer to split travel costs and do the road trip to Cusco together.

We spoke for a good while before I accepted an offer to join them on a trip to town. Daniel has a shaved head an a pierced ear, he was in Cusco to job hunt, which he did successfully very quickly. For the most part he was straight talking and somewhat philosophical. Belgian had a excellent sharp laught and a great comedic perspective. I liked them both immediately. My first impression of Thalia was simpler, she was beautiful.

Cusco is the historical capital of the Inca nation and of Peru. As a result the city is home to an unbelievable quantity of museums as well as being the launching for journeys to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World.

We walked to the city centre and I learnt between regular jokes that Thalia had spent several months teaching German in Venezuela. This simple fact made Thalia hugely interesting to me. Most young people travel with people of a similar age; she was not, she was travelling with two men about twice her age. She had chosen to live and teach in Caracas, a city regarded as one of the most dangerous in the world. I wanted to know her better.

We didn't attempt to sight see and instead sat on the steps outside the cathedral people watching and deflecting the many sellers. Daniel left us to begin his job search leaving just the three of us and we soon left the plaza and found ourselves in a rather fantastic all you can eat Indian restaurant. Here we spoke at length, exchanging crazy travel stories. My personal favourite was was one of Daniel having a staring content with a fly whilst having a bowel movement was especially fantastic. He decided to bury it so the fly could not get at it - a unique and superbly male thing to do.

Julia, a Canadian friend of mine had recently been in Cusco and we took her advise in heading to the Regional Museum before we hit a problem. Most of the museums in Cusco use a shared ticket system, thereby meaning that you have to pay a large fee to be able to enter all of them and cannot purchase a ticket to just a single site. Due to this we decided not to go in and with Thalia and Belgian both feeling a little sick and myself exhausted, we headed back to the hostel.

For the rest of the afternoon we lounged about the hostel. I took a disco nap in the evening to try to psyche myself up to go out and meet Ryan, a guy from Kansas that I'd met in La Paz. Thalia had suggested she may join, which was good enough reason to force the disco nap, in hope to be more awake in case she did. When I woke though, she had decided she would stay in for the night; I was disappointed, but it was the right choice, she really wasn't feeling well and so I left the hostel alone. not surprised, she really wasn't well. I was still exhuasted and somewhat grudgingly I left the hostel, leaving her behind, to go and meet Ryan.

I had an idea that I would only meet Ryan for a couple of drinks before making excuses and returning to Thalia and the others, but it didn't go down that way and I made the first of several mistakes I was to make over the next few days. We went to Ryan's favourite bar in Cusco, one where the booze is a spirit made from several jungle plants and served at a pleasantly low price. The bar resembled a dirty backalley pub back home and we spent the night sharing three pitchers of what turned out to spell inevitable doom. I had no idea how strong the alcohol was and on leaving the bar couldn't remember the correct route back to my hostel. I tried four taxis, but none knew the hostel and eventually I ended up staying in a crappy Loki hostel.

It was a good night and proved to be important down the line, but I regretted the booze and spent the day back in Adventure Brew recovering which meant I missed the opportunity to book my Machu Picchu transport with Thalia. The only good thing that happened before the evening was the luxury of my first bath since leaving the UK - Adventure Brew is a damn good hostel.

In the evening I sat in a tv area reading and at some point Thalia and Belgian entered. She had booked a minibus for the following day from Cusco to Hidroeléctrico, the closest road link to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu's mountain. The minibus would take 8 hours before a three hour hike along the rails to AC. I was struck by an impulse to book myself onto the same bus and was happy when she suggested I should do so. I believe she wanted the guarantee of company and I loved the idea of having the time to get to know her better. It's somewhat rare for me to have impulsive feelings for a person, but Thalia is beautiful with a big smile, friendly funny and intelligent too. I had to get on that minibus.

Things didn't work out, her minibus was fully booked. I tried other companies, in hope for a seat, it seemed worthwhile that even if I didn't get on the same bus, there was a small chance that I could do the walk with Thalia. Sadly, everything was booked. I wonder if things could've been different had I been in a better state during the day and booked tickets together. Before she went to bed, she gave me the address for two hostels in Aguas Calientes that she was considering staying in the following night.

I said at the beginning of this entry that one of the worst parts of travelling is experiencing something and having no-one to share it with - I was determined to be at Machu Picchu at the same time as her. Early the following morning I returned to the central plaza and booking an overpriced Peru Rail ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. I rushed back to the hostel, collected my gear and rushed to catch a minibus to Ollantaytambo (the rail is broken between there and Cusco). I jumped on the minibus as it left the terminal, some luck!

The bus journey passed quickly and I was soon boarding the train where the passengers were comically split between local and foreign tourists. I met and sat opposite a young English girl. We had a strange conversation about backpacking, she was only 18 and because of her freckles and bright eyes mounted on a happy face, cute. She'd been working in Cusco and found it annoying how people interracted with her due to her age and appearance. I let her know with a smile, if her biggest problem is being cute, then she'll have a great life. The train travelled through an increasingly deep valley beneath snow covered mountains, a beautiful journey. She invited me to stay in the same hostel, but of course I wanted to find Thalia and we said our goodbyes.

Meeting Thalia proved to be a mission. I walked for a long time, eventually finding both hostels she's suggested, but she wasn't at either. I decided not to check in to either and instead decided to hang about town and hope to spot her when she walked into town. I wonder how desperate this sounds to a reader, but it doesn't matter, I simply wanted to meet her, spend time with her and be around her.

I think I spent around six hours lurking about AC. I used the internet for a while, I ate and I found a level crossing where the two most likely walking routes into the city both ran. I spent a long time sitting here and playing around with my camera. I walked in the direction of Machu Picchu and admired the epic situation of the town - huge towering mountains and a river where the water tumbles down boulders. As the sun set I checked both hostels again in case I'd missed her, but she'd still not arrived. There was the obvious possibility that I'd missed her and she'd checked in elsewhere, but it wasn't a thought I allowed to settle. Whilst wondering what I should do I spotted a couple from the States who I'd spoken with on the mini-bus. They knew I was chasing after Thalia, in my smitten state I had of course brought up the subject during the journey. They invited me to join them at their streetside table for a beer and as it was en-route to the hostel I judged most likely of the two for Thalia to head to, I sat down.

We shared a few beers, I liked the pair a lot, they were a young married couple, apparently living the life I dream of. After the beers we walked down the street to a shop to purchase some supplies for the trip up to Machu Picchu. Then she found me.

Surprise and happiness hit me, after all those hours, Thalia had actually found me. She had arrived a couple of hours before with other people who had checked into a hostel at the entrance of the town, she had decided not to check with them. That's the kind of person she is, she told me where she was going to stay and wanted to check them for me first before going elsewhere. Most people people wouldn't have looked. How could I not like her?

We actually stayed in a third hostel, one I'd found during my wanders. Most restaurants and hostels in AC are very eager to rip tourists off, Hostal Joe is the accommodation exception and we payed less to share a twin room than a dorm bed each elsewhere. We even had the luxury of a private bathroom.

We weren't there long before we left to meet her Swiss friends for dinner. I admit openly that I felt some pathetic jealously towards then for having taken the bus and done the walk with her. I don't care to say it, because I did care.

After food we headed off for a drink. I categorically did want want to go, I was criminally exhausted, I'd barely slept the night before, but of course I had to go. We took a table in a typically overpriced backpacker bar and ordered some cocktails which were repulsive. We played Jenga for a long time as the staff got increasingly annoyed; it was late and they wanted us to leave so they could close for the night. I wanted to leave as well and eventually they decided they'd played enough and both me and staff we able to go to sleep. It was after midnight and we agreed to meet at 4am to being the ascent up the stairs to Machu Picchu.

I just thought of another thing that I really liked about her, so I will digress for a moment. Being German, Thalia speaks her English with a strong accent and I don´t know why, but it always sounded amazing, like music to me.

Waking up, following a fourth night of minimal sleep was hard, despite the fact that I was waking early to visit Machu Picchu. We got ready and left our bags behind reception and walked out into the bitter cold night of Aguas Calientes. We were a little late meeting the Swiss, Thalia had spent a while putting some make-up on before we left. When I look at my photos now, with me looking haggard as hell next to her gorgeous glowing face I wish I'd put some on too, she looks incredible.

At 4.45am we found ourselves amongst a large gathering of young travellers outside the locked entrance to the mountain upon with Machu Picchu sits. There are two ways to get up the top from AC, overpriced bus or walking. The most determined people of the day walk and walk quickly so to get to the top first, beating the buses and getting into Machu Picchu itself a few minutes before the rest for better photos. The gate was opened and everyone ploughed through. Thalia was walking with the Swiss guys and I went a little ahead. I waited for them to catch up for a while, but when they didn't catch up after a few minutes I carried on alone. There are XXXX steps up to the entrance of Machu Picchu that scales XXXX vertical metres. It would be a horrible walk during the day and it sure as hell is a horrible walk during the middle of the night. As is well documented through previous posts, no more so than in my one about my attempt to climb Huayna Potosi, my knees are lousy at the best of times and when doing such a odious walk they hurt less if I move faster so I pushed on ahead of the others, something I would regret later. I made it to the top perhaps 20th, as the sun began it's on ascent into the sky.

I changed my rancid sweat soaked t-shirt, checked my backpack in and sat to wait for Thalia to catch up again. At the top I checked my backpack in and began waiting for Thalia once again. I gave up my place in the queue, I preferred the idea of entering with her behind than ahead alone. I joined her when I spotted her, she was alone. I regret that I wasn't with her when the Swiss guys got turned around because their tickets were for the wrong day, leaving her to do the walk alone. They were sent to town where they exchanged their tickets before taking the bus to catch us up.





Machu Picchu

We entered a couple of hundred people back in the queue, I had arrived at Machu Picchu and I had arrived with Thalia it was a good feeling, even though we were with the three Swiss guys as well. I realise I probably sound the opposite, but I did like the Swiss guys, they were all different decent people, I just didn't want to share is all! I walked a little ahead into Machu Picchu, optimistically hoping she'd follow me and we'd lose the Swiss guys. MP is one of the places where travelling in a group is a pain in the ass. We didn't have a huge amount of time, we had seperate mini-buses back form Hidroeléctrico at 3pm, of course I couldn't get on the same one, but I still wanted to do the walk with her. Basically, we only had a morning at MP and I wanted to get moving and see as much as possible My feeble and half assed attempt to leave the Swiss behind failed straight away, Thalia wanted to wait for them. I know now that she never had any romantic feelings for me, perhaps I was cursed from the start to only ever be her friend and whilst it was frustrating to have to wait for the Swiss guys, it was merely a characteristically nice thing for her to do. During our time together we had a lot of fun and we joked a lot - she loved to mock me for not finding the hostel in Cusco. She brings it up every once in a while still, it's always good banter.

Machu Picchu is a magnificent vision of which there is relatively little known. It is a huge structure consisting of many terraces that stretch high up into the mountains, it has numerous buildings that look like houses, but no one really seems to know if that's what they are. It is fronted and backed by two huge peaks, both of which you can climb for perfect views and the whole structure is enormously high in the mountains in an incredible and impossible location.

The terraces rise high up at the back of the main structure allowing for good views of the main structure below where the house like buildings and the centre of Machu Picchu is. This is where we walked up to first, shortly after the sun had risen.

The view from the terrace is every bit as impressive as every postcard or photo I've seen. The sharp peak of Wayna Picchu that watches guard over Machu Picchu is staggering, even more so as the clouds sweep in a hide it's peak. Several more collosal rocks climb up over a thousand metres fromm the valley below. I was eager to see as much as possible before it got too busy, I was fully aware of my limited time. I drifted away from the others, another mistake, but they had been moving very slowly.

I scaled the terraces alone, rapidly for another amazing view of the site and for one of the many people posing below. I have always found the super generic photo poses amusing - e.g. arms out at Cristo Redentor, pinching the top of the Taj Mahal or pushing up the Leaning Tower of Piza. Apparently the current in thing for girls at Machu Picchu is jumping about three inches off the ground whilst enthusiastically throwing arms and feet dramatically back in the air. It must be the 'action' element of the photo that appeals, but I simply found it funny watching the sheer number of attempts it took for each girl to be satifisied with her photo, more so due to the pitiful height of their camp jumps.

I walked out the back of Machu Picchu and followed a cliff hanging path to the Inca Bridge, a fantastic defense mechanism to protect the site from invaders. The drop off around the rear trail to Machu Picchu is around 1000m and the bridge is simply some logs that cross part of the drop. To protect the entrance, the logs simply need to be pulled away, rendering the gap uncrossable. Simple, but effective.

I returned to the main compound, following the top edge, enjoying the views. I was effectively sweeping the site to make sure I saw everything. I stumbled across an impressive irrigation system passing water down the terrace and also found the end of the Inka Trail trek where mostly young tourists from the States were celebrating their arrival after four hard days of hiking.

I walked down into the main structure for the first time, an area of green grass circled by buildings. During a wander around the stone shells I bumped into my moustached friend from the States and his wife who I'd shared a beer with last night and walked with them for a while. The three of us found it amusing when we rounded a corner and found a group of alpacas wandering around, having broken out of the central lawn. I am guilty of doing exactly the same, but it was amusing how many people were gathered to take photos of them whilst we were all at one of the photogenic places in the world!

We followed an outide path around the central area with insane views over the edge of the cliff and down into the canyon below. The location of MP is most certainly the most deserving part of it's fame.

We climbed to the top of a constructed peak that overlooked the central courtyard. I spent a good while here, the view was exceptional and it granted a good opportunity to listen in on some of the information the guides were relaying to their groups. I had decided against a guide long before I got to Machu Picchu and the reason for this is simple - there really isn't a huge amount actually known about the place. There are various theories as to why Machu Picchu were built, here they the ones I heard:

i) The final citadel of the Inca's to keep out the Spanish.
ii) Left and forgotten about whilst the Spanish were invading.
iii) Administrative centre between the coast, Andes and Amazon.
iv) A royal retreat.

All but one of the guides gave one explanation. Only one explained that these were only theories. Amongst other strange comments they made, one pointed to a random shack to claim it was a university. Another spoke of the day the Inca king demanded all his minions bring him a gift. The Incans left no written text, these were just stories to please an easy tourist. Another was passionately angry over damage done to the supposed sun dial by a film crew. They knocked about an inch of stone off this large dial apparently stopping it from working. From my viewpoint I spotted a piece of string going across the centre courtyard; it's used to monitor the structural integrity of the site - there is a river around the base of the mountain and there are concerns that the mountain is sinking. I bumped into the cute English girl just before I was about to move; she was enjoying her time at Machu Picchu, finding her guide comically useless. I wished her all the best and rejoined my US friends.

I wondered where Thalia was, I'd walked away but I didn't want to be separated for so long. Coincidentally and fortunately, I spotted her at the same moment. Her and one of the Swiss guys were on the opposite of the courtyard looking lost, resulting in them climbing down a terrace and into the courtyard where no one is allowed to step. I said goodbye to my friends for the final time and hopped down the stairs, looping the circuit to join the other two.

Thalia had a huge smile on her face, I thought she looked high. She was. Whilst at Machu Picchu she developed a heavy pain in her stomach and one of the Swiss guys had taken her to a medical where she´d been loaded up on a heavy painkiller, resulting in the even bigger than usual smile. The three of us walked back to the top of the terrace, aware that there wasn't much time before Thalia and I had to leave to make the minibuses from Hidroeléctrico, but they hadn't seen the Inca bridge and wanted to go. I guided them to the top where we found the other two Swiss guys sunbathing atop an epic viewpoint deep into the valley 1000m below, it was the perfect spot. Our group caught up here and took some photos over the tremendous drop and view of Machu Picchu before heading back to the Inca Bridge.

Thalia and I had to leave, theoretically we were to take the stairs back down, but we didn't have a huge amount of time and so we paid for the impressively overpriced bus back down. It was nice to be just the two of us again. My good spirit lessened however as Thalia began to have her stomach pain again so I took her to the medical office in Aguas Calientes. We were running incredibly short of time to get to Hidroeléctrico for our 3pm minibuses. Thalia told me to leave and to try to make my bus and so I left her in the office whilst she was waiting for her results. I returned a short while later with train times. She was given some more painkillers and we left the office. I've left some minor detail out here, on the small chance that she ever
reads this, she knows what it is and I have mocked her since. It's one
of my feeble comebacks to her mocking of me being unable to find the
hostel in Cusco.

She was high again as we left the office, the difference between pain to a huge cheesy grin an amazing transformation. We purchased train tickets and jumped aboard the Aguas Calientes to Hidroeléctico train. Both of us were hungry, neither of us had eaten much since we awoke in the early hours of the morning and so I jumped off the train and quickly returned with an utterly ridiculous selecton of food in an attempt to cover all bases that we may want to eat. The selection was comical even at the time, but I had little time and panicked. Plain and simple, I was worried.

We made it to Hidroeléctrico after the most stop-start, back and forth, jolty train ride I have experienced since India. We were granted a view of Machu Picchu from the bottom of the valley which gave me an even further appreciation of just how high up it reached. In Hidroeléctrico we sat near the mini-buses but got scammed into missing the minibuses in order that a local could take some money off us in exchange for a lift to the town where the mini-bus would stop for lunch. I didn´t hugely mind, I enjoyed the wait and Thalia´s challenge for me to recall ten German words that I knew. It was a struggle, but 'Oktober´ and 'Fest´ really helped my numbers.

We reached the minibuses and after much complications over my ticket, with I hadn't been given a copy of in my rush to leave Cusco we managed to board the same minibus. Couldn't complain. Thalia´s Spanish had save me and she argued with the driver to get me aboard.

Back in Adventure Brew, we met Daniel once more. He had already started working, a fantastic effort. Thalia had arranged to head towards Bolivia the following day with the Swiss guys. I was somewhere between pissed out and and jealous that I had already been there and I didn´t have the time to even remotely consider going back. After everything that we'd been through on the journey back from Aguas Calientes, from her defense of me to get on the mini-bus, her invitation to join her in Bolivia, her waiting for the Swiss at the entrance, our constant jokes - I know that I fell for her badly. I wrote earlier about how my curiously was built upon her ambition and bravery to attempt to work and live in Caracas, and I think having seen her more vulnerable side whilst she wasn´t well and having such a good time making jokes at each other was the clincher.

We cooked together that evening, making the worst pasta dish ever devised. I blame the pasta which globbed together in a hideous mulch, but at the same time the rest of the ingredients were terrible as well. It was fun none the less and it had been a long time, since I lived in Australia, that I'd been in a similar situation, I loved it. We spent the remainder of the evening lazing about the hostel, talking about the day, checking out photos and mocking each other for the pasta.

The following day went too quickly and before I knew it we had to say our goodbyes, I was leaving first, for Ica and Huacachina. Before I left we somehow managed to make another pasta that was even worse than the worst pasta ever made. I was sad to be leaving her, but I had to keep moving for Bogota.





The End

Machu Picchu was superb, the sheer location of the site warrants it's place on the list of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. The actual buildings themselves are empty and whilst walking amongst them I guess a person is to speculate upon the mystery of the site. I personally preferred the city of Angkor for the incredible number of carvings, statues and other strange things you can find, but I guess the comparison is somewhat pointless. Hopefully in time some of the artifacts stolen by Germans in 1861 and others taken by the official 'finder' of Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham, will be returned one day.

I felt enormously lucky to have met Thalia and can only curse the universe for the poor timing sending us in opposite directions. Perhaps I should have given up trying to make my flight there and then and gone back to Bolivia, it's impossible to say.

We still keep in contact, I am writing this at the end of November, almost two months after I met her. She still mocks my lousy Spanish and I occasionally blame her for the pasta. It's unlikely to happen, but if there was anyone I have ever met whilst travelling that I could meet again, it would be her. I know my feelings were never reciprocated, but that's ok, she's a good friend and I hope she makes it back to Venezuela the country she fell in love with and felt so at home. For me, I´m just happy I had strong feelings towards someone.





PS: I have been in Quito for two weeks now and in between free rum and cokes supplied by my hostel, I have been writing furiously to get somewhere near up to date. Posts from Tingo Maria and Yarinacocha are complete and we be posted in due time, they are nice and short. Following them will be another longer post about nine days spent on a cargo ship on the Amazon river and the nightmare of a time I had in Iquitos.

This was a strange blog I realise, but at the time I was a pathetically smitten boy following a girl he liked and for that I can't apologise.

PPS: Clearly the Belgian wasn´t called Belgian and the Swiss guys had names, but it´s been two months and my memory had failed me.

All comments are welcome and thanks if you managed to write through this one :-)

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Comments

[Pete]

Even if a lot within this blog entry is not a side of you I know so well bud (!!) it was yet another top read and highly insightful! If you\'ve been reading this Thalia, Al\'s an awesome guy..but you already know that ;-)

[Thalia]

:-O ..... I wrote you in facebook, honey...