L O O K I N G T O G E T L O S T: Notes from Machu Picchu

Notes - February 2, 2011 - Agua Calientes, Peru

"I wouldn't call myself a Coldplay fan. Off the top of my head I can't name any songs and I certainly wouldn't pay the exorbitant amount of money to see them live. Yet, it is strangely comforting to hear them come on the TV(which only gets 3 channels) in a dark, musty and run down hostel in the middle of Peru when you've had minimal recent contact with anything familiar. Some random song I had heard dozens of times as background music came on while I was balancing on one foot on a dirty, wet sock to avoid skin-to-floor contact. It is the first hostel I've ever stayed in where I was afraid for my skin to make contact with anything and everything. And I had seen some crappy $7 a night rooms previously.

About 30% of the walls in the building are made of heavyweight cardboard, foamcore or flakeboard. Fortunately our room had 4 walls. Everything is always damp whether it was ever actually wet or not(and consequently smells moldy) due to the fact it apparently never stops raining from November through March(rainy season). A missing doorknob on the outside of the bathroom serves as a "lock." A 2 foot square conveniently missing from the shower wall serves as a window and ventilation. And a bare bulb dangling from the pale green, water-stained ceiling is the only source of light. Yet, all being said at $7 a night for a private room with a window and a hot shower it is entirely doable. It was the best of 6 hostels we saw and being a backpackers destination they know some people are willing to spend $7 for anything. In Agua Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu, you are here for ruins, hiking and nothing else. Set in a beautiful location 3.5 miles from Machu Picchu, it is tucked away in a tiny valley with enormous mountains and cliffs all around. It is a poor town with tourism practically being it's only source of income. It's always dark and rainy, every local wants to sell you something, every restaurant has nearly identical menus and there is almost nothing in the way of nightlife. Oh, and of course there are hot spring pools on the edge of town(agua calientes).

Today has been the highlight of my trip so far and to say the least, Machu Picchu far exceeded any expectations I had. The morning started off rainy and foggy with minimal visibility. So at 6:00am Camila and I wandered the ruins with no knowledge of what was 30 feet ahead.

For this exact reason I enjoyed Machu Picchu even more. Walking into the park, the first real sight you get of the ruins is from the typical view point you have seen in a million photos. But the fog gave us no clue of that. The rainy season is the low season for obvious reasons and for now the place was empty. For the first 2 hours it felt like we were exploring the entire mysterious ruins on our own.

Soon enough the rain subsided, the fog dispersed and Machu Picchu and its surrounding, jaw-dropping beauty began to reveal itself. The ruins themselves were spectacular, though I'd seen enough photos in the past to know what to expect. I found myself more blown away by the mountains in every direction for as far as you could see. Near vertical cliffs with bright green vegetation sparkled with near constant moisture, while clouds permanently clung to the towering peaks. I was in a trance. Every few feet I couldn't help but stop and stare and take an excessive number of photos. It made Lake Tahoe look like New Jersey. To say the least I had never experienced anything similar in my travels. Especially on the hike up to Huayna Picchu for 360 views that would impress anybody. Guaranteed. The views were all dramatic and the experience in general was unforgettable."