...and you're BEAUTIFUL! What an incredible, incredible place! I am so glad to have been able to share the experience with my parents. Some of the funny moments and highlights...
1. Friday night, we went to bed early-ish because we knew we would be getting picked up at 6:30 AM from our hotel. I stayed at my parents' bed and breakfast, since there was an extra bed and I didn't want to have to take a cab super early in the morning. It's a good thing that I did this because my phone rang at 3:11 AM, and it was our travel agent, Jose. Jose informed me that he had switched us to the 4 AM departure so that we'd be on an earlier train, and that we would be picked up from our hotel in 45 minutes. Welcome to Peru, folks. 45 minutes notice before a 4 AM departure! Although really, the last minute notice was a good thing. It allowed us to sleep soundly without worrying about a super early wake up, and also provided us with more time at Machu Picchu. Still, a rather unexpected start to the day!
2. We were driven in a car to the town of Ollantaytambo, where we got onto a train headed for Aguas Calientes. When we got to our seats, we realized that we were breaking up a pair of Brazilian lovers, who had been booked in seats separated by an aisle. Kind and romantic Paul Whitman decided to sacrifice his seat, and instead of sitting with Madre and me, sat beside a girl from South Korea. They emerged from the train ride as BFFs, and I only exaggerate slightly. :-)
3. Since Jose decided to change our trains relatively late in the game, it turned out that our tour guide hadn't received the memo, and hadn't yet purchased our tickets to enter Machu Picchu. This required some savvy Spanish-speaking on my part to explain the situation, along with about 45 minutes of sitting outside of a rather random restaurant waiting for the "Chaski Tours" gentleman. This was not a big deal, though, and we soon were on the bus up to the entrance to Machu Picchu!
4. With some time to spare before the start of our 11 AM tour, the padres and I walked around beautiful Machu Picchu for a while on our own. We saw some llamas, marveled over the beautiful "lost city," and got fairly winded walking up lots of steps! At 11, we met up with our tour guide, Carlos, and the rest of our tour mates, all English speakers. Among them were Charlotte, a Catholic missionary serving in Lima, and her mom, both originally from Alabama. It was so cool to come across a Catholic missionary (something of a rarity, in my experience) at Machu Picchu of all places! Charlotte was really nice, and I enjoyed talking to her about her work in Peru. Carlos was a decent tour guide, though he was a little harsh sometimes. I think he might have gotten an ego boost from the silver "Chaski Tours" flag he was carrying, so he kept asking us questions and then answering himself with this tone that clearly implied, "Y'all are too stupid to remember this, but I just told it to you mere minutes ago." Besides his 'tude, Carlos was pretty cool, and shared some interesting information about Machu Picchu and its origins. Upon reflection, I think I would have preferred a tour in Spanish, just because I think the guides are able to speak more informatively and comprehensively in their first language, but it probably would have been tough to translate everything to Paul and Eileen. :-)
5. After our tour was complete, we decided to hike to the Incan Bridge, and then to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), the gate through which hikers of the Inca Trail enter Machu Picchu. I'm very glad that we did this, partially to be way cooler than my brothers, who did no such hiking, and also because the Sun Gate had a GORGEOUS view of the mountains. That said, we were pretty super exhausted despite the shortness of the hike. Welcome to 9,000 feet above sea level! My parents have been doing some strenuous work since their arrival, but they haven't complained, and for that I give them lots of credit!
6. When we got back down to Aguas Calientes, we had some time to spare, so we had a tasty dinner at a restaurant close to the train station. While we were eating, an elderly man walked by wearing none other than the same crazy sweater that my dad bought at one of the artisan markets. Obviously, the two bonded over their mutual handsomeness in said sweater. Photos to come!
7. Our train back to Ollantaytambo was comfortable, and the padres slept while I read the magazines that my mom had brought along for me from the US (Popular Science, Oprah, Self, Eating Well...I was in my element!). Then we had to take Bus Lucy back to Cusco. We were expecting the worst from Bus Lucy, as Andrew made quite a fuss about his hatred for "her," but the bus turned out to be a tour bus, and quite comfortable. After nearly two hours, however, we understood Andrew's feelings. Bus Lucy took nearly double the time it had taken us to go between Cusco and Ollantaytambo in the morning. We were quite exhausted upon our arrival in Cusco, but pleased to have enjoyed such a beautiful wonder of the world!
On Sunday, we went to church at La Compania, where we celebrated Corpus Christi, and then met up with Laura. The four of us walked to San Pedro market, and we showed my parents where we sometimes go to buy produce and bread and things. The walk there was kind of ridiculous, as my dad stopped at pretty much every street vendor that we passed and made me ask them about how much a pair of socks cost, or a cookie, or one of 5,234 other things!
The four of us then took a little van ride to the town of Chinchero, about 30 minutes from Cusco. There, we visited a big craft market, where I bought some awesome gifts and a scarf that I am becoming more and more convinced should belong to me rather than any of my friends...heh. My mom bought a much-needed hat with beautiful Peruvian embroidery all over it, and a number of other items. Watching my mom shop at the market is pretty hysterical. She's just so nice that she can't pass by someone trying to sell her something. She listens to every person's spiel about their 100% (not) alpaca scarves and beautifully carved gourds and such. She also speaks to them in English as if they understand, which is HYSTERICAL because they look at her with these expressions that clearly say, "Lady, WHAT are you saying?" My mother is a delight!
I also did the unthinkable in Chinchero: I ate MARKET FOOD. Basically, this means that a woman was cooking trout and potatoes in a big ol' pot and serving it on dishes that had been repeatedly used and "washed" (dunked in a pot full of not-entirely-clear water), and I ATE it. Laura and I shared a plate of fish, and my dad had his own plate. My mom tried some soup with a variety of strange items in it. They are brave souls, all of them. For the four of us to eat, it only cost 15 soles ($5), so it was definitely the least expensive of our culinary adventures, and while I am not feeling ill 24 hours later, I don't know how soon I'll be repeating this risky activity! :-)
I also took my padres to El Molino, where my dad was on a hunt for a pair of quality sneakers. It turns out that his feet, along with the rest of him, are much bigger than the standard Peruvian man, so no luck on that end. I did buy the movie "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," as well as Season Numero Dos of "30 Rock." My kind mother also outfitted me with a shower rod and curtain, which was all too kind. Today, for the first time, I showered without causing our toilet paper to get water spots all over it. What UP!
My parents and I had dinner at a restaurant called Andean Food (clever, right?) that turned out to be quite yummy. We made friends with the cook's son, an 8-year-old boy named Girardo, and it turned out to be his birthday! He was a sweetheart. It was also Happy Hour from 6 to 9 PM, so my dad enjoyed some white wine and my mother and I got ourselves pisco sours. A delightful end to a delightful day!
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