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- Serenity.
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- Come on kids, mommy needs a break. Bring me a gin and tonic.
Back from Machu Picchu, fairly lacking in words to describe the experience. Stayed in a hostal in Aguas Calientes (with our own bathroom!) where the river was right outside and I awoke each morning to its rushing waters. We awoke at 4 in the morn to make it to the bus station before 5:30, when the first bus leaves for Machu Picchu. We desperately wanted to climb Wayna Picchu, and only 400 climbers a day are permitted on the hike. I was number 77 
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On the train ride to Ollanta, I experience a bit of ambivalence toward my trip. Not that I didn´t want to experience the beauty, antiquity, and sophistication that is Machu Picchu, but I had been reading a lot about the damage that has been done to the site by tourists. UNESCO and other organizations have multiple times threatened to place MP on the endangered heritage sites list, due to the lack of regulation and restoration done by the Peruvian government. Sure I wanted to see it, but I cringed at the thought of contributing to the degredation of a historical jewel.
Even upon arrival, despite signs forbidding food (to prevent littering) people ate almost everywhere, some even throwing wrappers on the ground – obviously there are no trashcans as there is not supposed to be disposable products. Makes me sad. The tourists are mostly American, followed by French, probably followed by Peruvian. I find the idea of tourism fascinating – obviously it is an indespensible sector of the Peruvian economy, precisely due to the rich heritage of places like Machu Picchu. Yet the word ¨tourism¨has a decisively negative connotation. ¨Tourist traps¨or ¨tourist towns¨stink of inauthenticity, overpriced goods and food, and a bunch of gringos gripping their guidebooks like Catholics in the Inquisition. Yet isn´t it up to the tourism industry to direct people toward authentic culture, toward a legitimate experience of another culture? How can the tourism industry continue to prosper yet maintain its integrity by giving tourists an accurate glimpse of another world, instead of offering the luxury amenities of home in a different setting?
Well, of course I still went. Wayna Picchu was a rough hike (thank you Ken) but totally worth it. We just sat at the very peak of the top and enjoyed the serenity of silence and the company of mountains. Llamas frolicked about the ruins, completely oblivious to the tourists scrambling to capture photos of their seemingly mundane existences. I´m not going to lie, I stalked a few llamas. You would too.
Didn´t have work today because it is ¨teacher´s day off¨and the school I work at is closed. Rumor has it, paros will prevent my work Friday again. It is absolutely killing me how little I have gotten to work due to holidays, paros, and Inti Raymi. I spent three hours today preparing a lesson, only to get a phone call that I didn´t need to work. Frrrrrustrating.
Besides Machu, I went to Cusco Saturday night to celebrate the last days of some lovely friends of mine (MISS YOU!) and returned early Sunday home to a bar-b-que with the extended family in honor of Oscar´s recent graduation from university. We just made a fire outside and cooked steak on an open flame grill whilst sipping on beer and making fun of how white I am an how little el Chocoton can drink. Completely lovely afternoon.
I´m going to try to upload some photos, although I might be here for a week in attempts to do so. PS Ken if you´re reading this, Quinoa is officially my new favorite grain. I order it every chance I get.
Love Rach
