Tuesday seems like ages ago. Honestly, I woke up a tad under the weather but the itinerary for the tour kept me going, hiking the Incan ruins of Ollantaytambo. I have a confession, that most of you probably already know, I'm a history nerd to the extreme. One of the reasons why I have been dying to go to Peru was a video we watched about amazing Incan ruins in Mr. Williams' 6th grade Social Studies class, and I've been plagued by this desire ever since. Therefore, some stomach grumblings were NOT going to keep me from hiking up ruins. Ollantaytambo was spectacular and I made it all the way through everything without feeling too awful. However, when the adrenaline rush (yes, I'm such a history nerd that I had an adrenaline rush by going to ruins, I understand my precarious state) wore off, I was much worse for the wear and tried to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
Wednesday was the day that I had been waiting for, for legitimately the past decade... Machu Picchu. First we had a walking tour of the town of Ollantaytambo and then the journey began. We first boarded a bus from our hotel to the train station then took the train to Aguas Calientes and then a bus up to the base of the archeological site. Now, the amazing thing was that we were not the only ones who knew this path, the vendors did as well. We met a charming gentleman trying to sell us jewelry, who kept on shouting at our bus "Don't forget me, Kevin Costner!" Yes, that's right, a tiny Peruvian jewelry salesman is named Kevin Costner. To be frank, Kevin Costner is practically our extra tour group member, he seriously has been everywhere.
After all the various means of transportation, we arrived at Machu Picchu. Honestly, I was beyond giddy. We walked into the site and it was nothing short of breathtaking. The vastness of the site and the amazing mountains created a vista that is almost mystical. The engineering feats were enough to make any (Bucknell) civil engineer (yes, I'm talking about you Oswaldo) drool. It's times like these that I realize how small I really am. Not only am I surrounded by the terraces and incredible mason-work of the Incans but also the towering mountains made by an even greater Creator. I just dwelled in the scene and it certainly is something I will never forget. Basically, Mr. Williams, that video was not just hype... in fact, it understated it all.
Unfortunately, the adrenaline rush bit me in the butt again, and that night I crashed... and hard. At dinner I was pretty much a zombie, however there was something to make me laugh. A fellow tour group member ordered the Peruvian delicacy, cuy, or guinea pig. He was a little unsure about eating the furry creature and felt even worse when the waiter set down the plate and said "His name was Billy, he was a good little cuy." While laughter is the best medicine, it wasn't the right prescription for me. I felt sick through the night and for most of the next day. Luckily, it was mainly a day of travel back by train and bus to the Incan capital city of Cusco. I was hoping for a fairly calm train ride back, but apparently Vistadome didn't get my memo. Sipping on my Sprite, I was startled by a man in a traditional Peruvian parade costume who was dancing up and down the aisles and a fashion show ensued of "wonderful alpaca goods." Welcome to Peru! We got of the train and not only was the wonderful Kevin Costner there to greet us at the train station and the hotel, but he also brought his buddy, Martha Washington... I wish I was joking.
Today was a busy day of site-seeing in Cusco and the surrounding area. First we went to Saqsayhuaman (which is actually pronounced "Sexy Woman", making us be as mature as middle school boys) an amazing archeological site that actually served as a quarry for the colonial Spaniards. The Incans were just so ridiculously brilliant. Then we went to Qorikancha, originally an Incan temple that was then turned into a cathedral. However, the joke was really on the Spaniards since their building fell twice due to earthquakes, but the Incan foundation and original walls still stand and aren't even cracked. Afterwards we went to yet another cathedral in the main square, La Plaza de Armas, of Cusco. Then the rest of day was spent shopping and wandering the narrow streets of Cusco. Tomorrow we are off to Puno and are really excited to see the floating villages on Lake Titicaca! More to follow!
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