And finally...Machu Pichu
As promised, here are some pictures from the legendary Machu Pichu. I should note that I did quite a bit of editing when deciding which pictures to upload. Taking loads of pictures while traveling is nothing new for me (I once had a Japanese guide inform me that I "was worse than Japanese" when it came to picture-taking), but in this instance, I managed to end up with over 20 copies of the same picture. Well not exactly the same picture, but really darn close. The reason for this was that I followed the recommendation of every guidebook, blog and fellow traveller by arriving at Machu Pichu before sunrise.
Everything I had read rhapsodized about the incredible beauty, the serenity, the magical experience that is watching the sun come over the mountain and engulf this mystical place. People rave about how at that moment, you can imagine the Inca priests wandering through the temple, offering up prayers and sacrifices to Waricocha. Who would not get up early for an experience like that? So we got to Aguas Caliente, the closest "town" (read: distressing tourist trap with a railway station) the evening before and booked a spot on the first bus of the day (5:00am!!) to Machu Pichu.
This insured that we were there before the gates opened and were among the first to make the mad dash up to the Caretaker's Hut, which is better known as the spot all the postcard pictures are taken from. Unfortunately, it turned out that we were not the only people who had sought out the advice of guidebooks, blogs, et al. because behind us was a horde of people also scrambling up the rocks to get a better vantage point from where they, too, could experience the much heralded beauty and the increasingly improbable serenity.
It quickly became clear that with so many people around, once you found that perfect photo spot, you were pretty much committed to that spot until the moment that the sun rose, with nothing to do but to sit and wait. And to take picture after picture from the exact same spot, each with incrementally more daylight than the last.
In the end, I believe that I took enough photos that if I were to print them out, stack them up and flip through them, I would end up with a short film depicting sunrise over Machu Pichu. Too many photos were not the main problem though, that is the beauty of digital..the delete button. And there is absolutely no arguing that this is a beautiful and special place worthy of much giga-space, but somehow jostling elbows with a crowd around you and trying to figure out how to shoot around the overgrown red-headed farmboy who has positioned himself directly in between you and Machu Pichu aren't really conducive to any kind of mystical experience.
Where I wanted to hear Inca chants, I instead heard a mid western woman continuously whine because her husband didn't want to stand directly next to her. Where I wanted to feel the energy that is surely all around Machu Pichu, all I could feel was rancor that the redheaded oaf would not simply sit down. At one point me and a Brit sitting nearby bemoaned how the place would be so much nicer without so many damned tourists (never mind the fact that neither of us were remotely Inca).
We also noted that it was not just our photos that were being jeopardized, but Machu Pichu itself. For some incomprehensible reason, there are no "do not enter" or "do not walk here" signs to force people onto some kind of maintainable trail, therefore you have people climbing all over these rock terraces with no thought to the dangers of erosion.
I know from this description, that it may sound like I did not enjoy Machu Pichu, which could not be further from the truth. It was Machu Pichu and I got to see it with my own eyes, of course I loved it. I would go back in a heartbeat. It is just that I felt like it was a victim of its own success and that its caretakers weren't doing a very good job protecting it.
Fortunately as the day went on and tour groups, with their umbrella waving guides came and went, that promised serenity did finally begin to descend on Machu Pichu. I sat on a bench looking out at the whole of Machu Pichu for at least an hour. It was as awe-inspiring as I had imagined. I think I may have even have taken a picture or two to prove it...
Everything I had read rhapsodized about the incredible beauty, the serenity, the magical experience that is watching the sun come over the mountain and engulf this mystical place. People rave about how at that moment, you can imagine the Inca priests wandering through the temple, offering up prayers and sacrifices to Waricocha. Who would not get up early for an experience like that? So we got to Aguas Caliente, the closest "town" (read: distressing tourist trap with a railway station) the evening before and booked a spot on the first bus of the day (5:00am!!) to Machu Pichu.
This insured that we were there before the gates opened and were among the first to make the mad dash up to the Caretaker's Hut, which is better known as the spot all the postcard pictures are taken from. Unfortunately, it turned out that we were not the only people who had sought out the advice of guidebooks, blogs, et al. because behind us was a horde of people also scrambling up the rocks to get a better vantage point from where they, too, could experience the much heralded beauty and the increasingly improbable serenity.
It quickly became clear that with so many people around, once you found that perfect photo spot, you were pretty much committed to that spot until the moment that the sun rose, with nothing to do but to sit and wait. And to take picture after picture from the exact same spot, each with incrementally more daylight than the last.
In the end, I believe that I took enough photos that if I were to print them out, stack them up and flip through them, I would end up with a short film depicting sunrise over Machu Pichu. Too many photos were not the main problem though, that is the beauty of digital..the delete button. And there is absolutely no arguing that this is a beautiful and special place worthy of much giga-space, but somehow jostling elbows with a crowd around you and trying to figure out how to shoot around the overgrown red-headed farmboy who has positioned himself directly in between you and Machu Pichu aren't really conducive to any kind of mystical experience.
Where I wanted to hear Inca chants, I instead heard a mid western woman continuously whine because her husband didn't want to stand directly next to her. Where I wanted to feel the energy that is surely all around Machu Pichu, all I could feel was rancor that the redheaded oaf would not simply sit down. At one point me and a Brit sitting nearby bemoaned how the place would be so much nicer without so many damned tourists (never mind the fact that neither of us were remotely Inca).
We also noted that it was not just our photos that were being jeopardized, but Machu Pichu itself. For some incomprehensible reason, there are no "do not enter" or "do not walk here" signs to force people onto some kind of maintainable trail, therefore you have people climbing all over these rock terraces with no thought to the dangers of erosion.
I know from this description, that it may sound like I did not enjoy Machu Pichu, which could not be further from the truth. It was Machu Pichu and I got to see it with my own eyes, of course I loved it. I would go back in a heartbeat. It is just that I felt like it was a victim of its own success and that its caretakers weren't doing a very good job protecting it.
Fortunately as the day went on and tour groups, with their umbrella waving guides came and went, that promised serenity did finally begin to descend on Machu Pichu. I sat on a bench looking out at the whole of Machu Pichu for at least an hour. It was as awe-inspiring as I had imagined. I think I may have even have taken a picture or two to prove it...
Berti -- These pictures are phenomenal! I can certainly see why you'd want to be on a bus at 5:00am (gah!) to take millions of shots. I can't believe it wasn't one of the 7 wonders of the world before now! Also, I love the pictures of the llamas and/or alpacas and of what looks to be a vizcacha (or viscacha), according to Wikipedia. I want to take him home! Perhaps his fur is infused with ancient Incan spirits.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizcacha