Cusco and Machu Picchu

One of the main reasons anyone comes to South America is to see the magical once lost city of Machu Picchu. The Mavrix dont like to disapoint so after a little detour (we changed our minds about going to Puno - Peru while on the bus there, luckily they just chucked us onto another bus at a later station) we arrived in Cusco, the once capital of the Inca empire and the staging point for any assualt on the great city in the clouds.

Now Cusco is worth a visit in itself, there are tons of beautiful churches, Inca ruins that make up the walls surrounding the central plaza as well as the surrounding areas, cobbled streets and crafts markets, actually there are more markets than you can swing a llama at! We liked Cusco! Its really touristy, but for good reason, you feel like you are walking through Italy one moment with its narrow cobbled streets and over hanging balconies and then you realise that the stones the walls are made of, are bigger than a VW Beetle and the beanie the old lady is trying to sell you is probably made out of wool yanked out of the llama standing next to her. Surreal and beautiful with all the character of a real South American city! To pass the time while waiting around for our Inca trail we got to eat Guinea Pig (a delicacy in Peru and damn delicious), starred in a Peruvian Music video as the token Gringos and went horse riding through some pretty cool ruins! Sweet!

We had booked for the Inca trail 4 months before (the minimum when booking for high season) and were keen as chuck to get on the road the Incas built to the big MP! One problem though, the morning of the Inca trail, meeting time 6am at the plaza, the M started puking his dinner into the hostels big white telephone! Not good! This is something that happens to alot of Gringos in Peru and Bolivia and is caused by the water, the chicken, uncooked veggies etc etc . After Vix did a super girl styled run to the plaza to deliver the bad news we headed to the Gringo hospital in town to size up the problem. To say that the hospital had some experience with Gringos getting tummy troubles is like saying Bob Mugabe has some experience rigging elections. After a battery of tests the M and subsequently the V were diagnosed with having Salmonella and a stomach parasite. This meant a night on the drip for M and a course of antibiotics for the V. It also meant we missed the boat that sailed to MP, now what? Well the tour operator was willing to give us a whopping 0% of the price back, but was willing to let us pay an additional $45 each to catch the train to see Machu Picchu, what choice did we have but to ride the train, we´re lucky we didnt have to push the damn thing as it kept having to reverse and get momentum for the uphills, $45 train rides just arent what they used to be, Que serra, serra.

The day before MP we decided to explore a bit and go for a little hike, well what WE thought would be a little hike. We followed the train tracks and then began our assualt on a little mountain just outside of town which had been highly recommended by our guide. This was to prove to be a climb more than a hike with long wooden ladders, steep steps and much huffing and puffing. The real suprise for this hike however happened at the summit after about 1 and half hours. We made the peak and the world opened up to us, vast expanses of jungle and mountains were now visible including a long winding road with a giant city ontop.... we had stumbled onto the once lost city of Machu Picchu from a distance and got to see a totally different view to the one most of the rest of the world is privy to! Brilliant! Pity the walk down the mountain was like taking a hammer and hitting our knees with every step, but all worth it and beside there were hot springs in town which we used to soothe our aching limbs later that evening!

The next morning we woke up early for the true assualt on MP. The city is just as spectacular as it is made out to be and more! Its a giant organism that was placed ontop of a mountain so that its inhabitants may feel closer to the Gods.... and you do too just by being there! The houses in the city are inumerable, the towers grand. We stood were once the king would have woken up and looked about at the mountains that surrounded him. Throughout MP there is water delivered by an aquaduct system at the top of the world. Massive terraced gardens for agriculture running all the way down the mountain. There is a room with strange acoustics that allows those on the outside to hear you in perfect clarity (a sort of speaker box for festivals and public address) and also amazingly the stones are all warm to the touch! Really this is a spiritual place where you feel comfortable spending the whole day walking, exploring or just snoozing on the lawn.

We left Machu Picchu exhausted and happy! You can see why it has captured so many peoples imaginations and why it is now a New Wonder of the World.