Machu, Picchu, We All Chu

It took, seriously, like 5 minutes just to log into blogger so I could post this blog, so it had better be a good one, eh?

We are currently in Aguas Calientes, which is a sleepy little town (or so it would seem) nestled at the bottom of the valley where, high up above, lie the famous ruins of Machu Picchu. We´ll be seeing those tomorrow. Our plan is to wake up early and watch the sunrise - from what we´ve been told, if we´re lucky, the sunrise is quite the sight. Optical illusions, such as multiple suns, are in the realm of possibility. Which is quite appropriate, really, because the Inca worshipped, primarily, the sun, and the positioning of Machu Picchu was carefully crafted to get as much sunlight during the day as possible (and the shadows do some interesting things, especially around the equinoxes).

This is our 3rd full day here, though it seems like much longer. That´s not to say that Peru has grown tiresome. Far from it. But time is passing differently here. Saturday, as my previous blog will attest, was spent mostly attempting to recover from what was likely altitude sickness, though the raging fever I had that night is not so easily explained. I felt significantly better yesterday, though, and we had a nice several hour horse ride around some of the more popular ruins of Cusco, including Sacsuayhuaman (did I spell that right?) which, yes, sounds exactly like "Sexy Woman." Pam and I rode our horses, William Wallace and Viento, respectively, from ruin to ruin, conversing with Dario, our very friendly 17 year old guide (rare find = he had never heard of McDonald´s). Our conclusion, at the end of the tour, is that ruins are, well, ruins.

Last night we had a huge thunder storm for about 45 minutes. Thunder and lightning all over the place. The rain drops here hurt. Perhaps they´re thicker? Or perhaps, since we´re so high up, they don´t have much of a chance to slow down.

We woke up early again this morning to take a 4 hour train trip to our present location. We´ve lucked out 2 nights in a row on rooms. Last night, we stayed in a huge, very colorful and clean room with 4 beds and hot water with a balcony. Tonight, we got another balcony with a view of the main plaza.

The food continues to impress and satisfy. The best place so far would be the restaurant we just came from, Indio Feliz. Yes, that´s "Happy Indian." In their logo, the "o" in "Indio" is a smiling indigenous person. Perhaps he is happy that gringos like me have come to his homeland to spend money while admiring the handiwork of his ancestors.

The kids are funny. Many of them remind me of specific students I´ve had, past and present. They´re very enterprising - very persuasive street sellers. I ended up buying a baby llama hand puppet from one girl last night. We ran into her on the street and she tried to get me to buy 5 of them. I told her no. Many times. And she said, well, maybe after dinner? And I said, ok, mayyyyybe. And sure enough, when we stepped back out, there she was, "Dijo maybe!" and so I relented and bought one. Another boy, dressed in traditional garb, was walking his 3 month old llama around, asking people if they wanted to take a picture with it. Usually, this would be accompanied by a small fee, so I asked him how much he wanted for the photo. "Es voluntario." I didn´t believe him, so I said no, since we needed small change for a later taxi ride. Then he asked me for my water. I made him an offer - the water for a photo. And he said no. So I gave him the water. I´m a sucker with a soft side.

Finally, fun "facts" about Peru:
* my most frequently used words during this trip so far: "No, gracias."
* nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has small change. Unfortunately, the ATMs only give out 50 soles notes (about $13) and nobody wants them. The end result is that even though we have tons of money, we have to walk everywhere instead of taking taxis.
* the train to Aguas Calientes is indecisive.
* you have to ask for the bill - otherwise, you ain´t gettin´it.
* don´t be silly enough to ask anyone what an appropriate tip is (me <---- silly)
* you have to bring your own toilet paper.
* don´t buy water at the restaurant - they´ll charge you 3 and 4 times what you can get it for on the street.
* you can get pizza just about anywhere. And french fries, too.
* no alcoholic drinks are sold the day before or the day of elections. Yesterday was the big election, and the "ley seca" helps ensure that voters vote without any influence other than bribes. All people have to vote - if you don´t, you pay a fine!

That´s it. We´re off to the jungle on Wednesday. Ciao.