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Machu Picchu

Got bus on Tuesday morning to Urabamba..everything worked out despite distinct lack or organisation...think our bus driver got stopped for speeding or dangerous driving or something, as he seemed to be playing chicken with the car that was trying to overtake. Cars here beep for a couple of reasons.....1. To let people know they´re there. 2. To let car in front know they´re there and are trying to overtake. 3. To let car in front know they are pissed off that said car won´t let them overtake. Hence lots of beeping during this episode. Got straight on collectivo minibus in Urabamba with about 13 seats and 20 people (which would have been fine had one of them not smelt of wee) to Ollantaytambo and went to see some Inca ruins and had pizza. Train at 7.45pm to Machu Picchu Pueblo...plus one hour queueing to buy a ticket. Now here´s the fun bit...C & I, having been walking around ruins and stuff at Machu Picchu, spied the great vertical clump of rock that is Huayna Picchu, and thought, "yehay, let´s go up there". And the going up was alright, truly. It was when I dropped my jumper at the top that it got funny, cos you know how much I hate losing things. Anyway, it had gone down this great crack in the rock, and fell into a Katie height hole. And I had to get it back! After trying a few methods, including tying a stick to a cardigan, dangling myself into the hole head first, and trying to hook it up with my keyring, C finally came up with the ingenious method of getting a thorny stick off a tree, tying that to a cardigan, and after about an hour....the jumper was finally rescued. And I was muddy. Then we decided to walk the back way down, hmm, mistake. Templo de la Luna was not worth the up, down, up, down, jungle of strangulating plants and the v rotten looking ladder with a sheer drop to either side!! Took 3 times as long as going up did!! At 4pm, we finally got back to actual Machu Picchu, by which point couldn´t be bothered looking at any more ol bits of buildings and struggled off back to the bus! Got befriended by cat at hostel....it came to sit with me last night and I fed it some Cheetos.

posted by Katie @ 2/12/2004 11:17:00 pm