Macchu Picchu

The last few days have been full of ups and downs. And no, I'm not talking about the hiking.

Since my last post, I've spent the past few days hanging out here in Machu Picchu. I made it up to the ruins Tuesday afternoon and did some hiking and took some photos. The hike I did was pretty cool as it ascended back south of the ruins and took me to a spot called IntiPunku, which is the point where the Inca Trail runs into the park. It was pretty cool to be there and the view overlooking the ruins was spectacular.

From there I headed back and spent some time taking photos. That part has been very tough, mainly due to the lighting being difficult to work with. I've got some editing to do on the photos, that's for sure.

After I got back, I cleaned up and headed out to check email. That's when things headed down, way down. I started feeling pretty queasy, so I skipped dinner and headed back to the room. I'd hardly leave it for the next day and a half. I'm not sure what I had, but the signs point to altitude sickness. I'm a little surprised at that, since the town of Machu Picchu Pueblo, where I'm at, is only about 6000 feet high. The ruins are at 7500, but before that I'd spent two days over 10,000. I figured I was acclimatized, but maybe not.

Anyway, it put a damper on the week here as I didn't head up to the ruins on Wednesday, and didn't make it at all until yesterday afternoon. I finally ate a little bit yesterday too, which it was nice to have an appetite again.

I made it back up this morning, but the clouds were socked in and it took about two hours to clear enough to make out the scene. It was fun, but I didn't feel like hanging out there anymore. The place is amazing, but I've seen about all I needed to.

Overall, it's been a great time here, but I am ready to go. I can't say I really like the town here, too much of a tourist trap, and the park service is just a pain in the ass at the ruins. It seems like they're doing all they can to take the enjoyment out of the experience. Don't get me wrong, if anyone needs constant watching it's the average tourist, but seriously. They also seem to arbitrarily enforce rules, which is really annoying. On Tuesday they closed the ruins at 5:30 and yesterday at 5. The sign I saw said 5:30 was the closing time. I also got stopped today and was told my bag was too big. They have a rule that you can't bring large backpacks in, and I hadn't been told anything up until now. I put at the storage area and took my smaller camera bag out of it, along with my tripod. When I went back I was then told I couldn't take my tripod in. That was not a problem the previous two days either. It put me in a slightly foul mood, damn bureaucrats.

So, while I've had a great time exploring the ruins and seeing what truly is a wonder of the world, I am certainly ready to head back out. And because of my screw up with my train tickets, I get to do it in style on the luxury, Hiram Bingham train. Hopefully the train is worth it.

Tonight I'll be in Cusco, and tomorrow it's off to Lima to join up with my tour group on Sunday night. Monday it's back to Cusco, then a day of sightseeing and then our trek to Choquequirao. It'll be nice to be in a group for once. Traveling by yourself is great, but it'll be nice to have some company.