El Fin del Viaje

Well that's all she wrote...we're heading home tomorrow and should be in Miami some time in the afternoon. A rented convertible awaits us there and we'll ride like the wind up the east coast, stopping to see some of our people along the way. It's been an awesome trip. Despite illnesses, sleepless nights on busses, lost photographs and a few shady characters we've made it through six months in the southern Americas. In the end, the innumerable positive experiences have by far outweighed any difficulties.

Thankfully Nathan and I are still married and will probably even miss being in each others' presence 24-7. Though at first we'll probably try to barter with cashiers in Wal-Mart and walk into shops with a resounding "Buenas tardes!" I think our readjustment period should be relatively painless. With luck we'll soon find employment and a place to call our own. Until then we just might end up on your couch one of these days, so be forewarned.

Here's to seeing you all soon and catching up on the last six months!

A Hodge-Podge

Since Choquequirao we've been having a grand old time meandering about and mostly taking it easy. We spent another few days in the Cusco area checking out the Sacred Valley, which runs northwest from the city towards Machu Picchu and holds more significant ruins from the Incan Empire. First we stopped at the ruins in Moray which archaeologists hypothesize were used for agricultural experimentation, specifically to test crop vitality in different climate zones, whose conditions were mimicked by the successive terrace levels.

From there we walked to the nearby Salinares. This collective salt mine has been used continuously since Incan times. Each pool belongs to a family who harvests the salt for personal use and extra income. A system of small aqueducts carries water from a spring above down through the complex so that each plot can be flooded with salt rich water then left to evaporate, leaving fresh salt behind.

Later we stopped for a night in Ollantaytambo, a town inhabited since Incan times and still built upon original Incan stone foundations. In true cheapskate style we scrambled up a hillside to sit at some patchy ruins (free entry) and watch the the tourists walk through the larger paid entry ruins across the valley. From there we headed to another small town called Pisaq and hit their famous Sunday market. The central square, and all the narrow cobbled streets leading up to it, were full of vendors selling weavings, clothing, jewelry and other such touristy stuff, but the central square is also the place where campesinos from the surrounding countryside come to sell their wares. Lovely fruits, veggies, dried herbs and spices, natural dyes and all manner of household goods could be bought.

Upon return to Cusco we learned we couldn't travel to Arequipa, as hoped, owing to road blocks in nearly every direction out of the city. For weeks people had been protesting proposed goverment acquisition of land for resource extraction by foreign companies, but when a bloody confrontation between natives and police led to dozens of deaths in northern Peru in early June, the whole country joined the fight. Recently the government overturned the controversial legislation and roadblocks were cleared, but by the time we left Cusco we had only one way out, and that way led to Lima. So there we went.

Arriving in Lima was a bit disappointing. We'd heard pretty much nothing good about the city, but had nonetheless figured we could find something to do in a place that big for a week until we flew out. Lima is not so bad, but not good enough to spend seven days in. One day was sufficient to check out Pizarro's tomb, the creepy but intriguing catacombs full of intricately arranged bones at the San Fransisco convent, and a museum on the Spanish Inquisition.

The next day we hopped a bus to Hauraz, where we can now be found. Huaraz is busy, bustling and maybe even a tad chaotic. Our hostel is a bit sketchy, but that has nothing to do with the ladies selling live guinea pigs and chickens out of bags on the street outside. Actually, that's my favorite part about this city. In the Mercado Central across the way you can find just about anything you need, including a two course lunch for less than a dollar.

Though we didn't have time to do one of the big trekking circuits we'd originally planned to, we did get into the Huascaran Park yesterday for a lovely hike up to Laguna 69. Though a rare bought of bad weather graced us with snow and rain at the higher altitudes it was nonetheless beautiful.

Choquequirao

Another day, another ruin. On our way back from Machu Picchu we ran into a fellow American named David, who was on his way back from some other ruins. After chatting a bit, he quickly convinced us to join him on a trek to Choquequirao, quickly becoming known as "the other Machu Picchu". So we returned to Cusco for a day to prepare then set out on the hike. It turned out to be a pretty brutal descent to a river one day, then an even more brutal 1500 meter ascent straight up to the ruins the next. Those Incas sure loved their mountain top cities. As usual, we declined the sensible option of mules to carry our gear and subjected ourselves to climbing with full packs.

All was worth the effort, though, as the ruins themselves are truly awesome. For one, the complex is larger than Machu Picchu, though only about 30% of it has been cleared. We saw many more government workers and archaeologists up there than tourists and enjoyed chatting with them about the plans for the site. The Peruvian goverment wants to bill it as Machu Picchu's sister, so that those coming to see the former will invariably visit Choquequirao, too. Thus far they have flushing toilets and showers at designated campsites and they hope to put in a cable car up to the ruins. For now, though, only hikers and those with enough money to land in a helicopter on the sacred ceremonial platform can access it.

When the ruins are completely cleared it will really be something spectacular. It already is. There are extensive agricultural terraces with designs of llamas built into the stone retaining walls, beautiful remains of temples and ceremonials sites, and lots more. You can still peek into the jungle and see more structures hiding under the vegetation. As you know from the recent "Correction", Machu Picchu was not a final holdout of the Incas against the Spanish, but researches believe that Choquequirao actually was. Rather, it was a kind of checkpoint into the area of Vilcapampa, where the Inca´s held out until the bitter end. This makes it that much more romantic and exciting.

We feel pretty lucky to have happened upon our friend David and to have seen this place before the masses hit. If they really do put in the infrastructure to make it easily accessible (which in itself will be an engineering feat par-Inca) the place will certainly become internationally renowned. If you can, get it while the gettin´s good and visit before it makes everyone´s life list.

Correction

So...Nathan got a little Indiana Jones on you and was carried away by his own adventure story of Macchu Picchu, so he may have been just a wee bit off in his Macchu Picchu facts. Being the stickler for accuracy (and, incidentally, the beautiful wife of the heroic adventurer) I feel I must set you straight. Machu Picchu was not a last stronghold of the Incas, though that sounds pretty cool. Actually, it was abandoned less than one hundred years after being built in the mid-15th century, perhaps due to the devestation of smallpox. It's precisely because it was abandoned, however, that so much of it remains today. Because the Incas left before the Spanish discovered it, the city wasn't plundered or destroyed.

Though much remained when Hiram Bingham was led to Machu Picchu by a local Quechua boy in 1911 (while searching for another site that was the actual last stronghold of the Incas) it wasn't as neat and tidy as it is today. It was consumed by jungle vegetation, and we recently learned that it was burned in order to clear this vegetation. This only destroyed a little itty bit of the original stonework, so don't worry. Most of what we see today has been rebuilt and restored. Regardless, it is spectacular and an amazing architectural feat.

Nathan also neglected to tell you about the savage beasts and hungry cannibals we fended off with machetes and whips while climbing vines to reach the lost city of Machu Picchu. But that's just details.

Machu Picchu

The last three days found our adventurers subverting the rising tide of tourism, sticking to their mantra(there must be a cheaper way), and taking a lesser trodden route to the most popular destination in South America. After spending a few hours on the internet, the dashing hero and his beautiful wife set out for that alternative way to those fabled ruins. Unfortunately, even the most famous "lost city of the Incas" has become a tourist trap that even the most dashing and the most beautiful adventurers must work to fight off the aggressive tactics of the commercial industries. There was a cheaper way, and surprisingly it wasn't all that difficult. All it took was a day's worth of bus rides with awful music and a few mini-van rides that had vertigo inducing cliffs(100 plus meter drops) without any guard rails. Yes, the adventurers are quite something.

To put it simply, the tourist industry of Machu Picchu is there for a reason. It is amazing. The aspect that I found most interesting about the ruins was the fine craftsmanship of the stonework. The walls of the temples and the royal enclosures were so finely constructed that even after a half a millenium they are still standing and still beautiful. The lost city was one of the last Incan strongholds as the Spanish conquest moved through South America. There are a few of these cities scattered throughout the mountains hidden from their invaders, Machu Picchu being the most famous.

Machu Picchu had a few temples, a royal enclosure, an astronomical observatory, agricultural areas, a guard house, 2 separate urban areas, and a central plaza. At one time, it was a fully self-sustaining community. All of this remains virtually hidden until the very moment you come upon the city on the mountaintop. We highly recommend a visit to this area of the world. Between the the beautiful city of Cusco and the endless Incan ruins, you can have yourself a nice little vacation.