Machu Picchu, the Actual Ruins

So, to continue:

Once I finally walked down from Wayna Picchu (around 10am, just in time to beat the hoards heading up in the second group), I sought shade and water. Sitting there alone, I was surrounded by a tour group, and thus began my accidental piecemeal tour of the ruins. I just wanted to sit down... but there was no way not to eavesdrop! Everywhere I turned, I was in the middle of an english-speaking tour. While at times I felt guilty for not paying for my own, really, I wasn't TRYING to stalk them... there's just 2500 people in one place, most of whom take a tour, and 3/4 of these tours seemed to be in English.

But really, I ended up walking out of the ruins (you can come back, and you're not supposed to eat at the site) to much on my peruvian energy bar and other snacks I'd brought. These weird "energy bars" actually taste a lot like corn pops cereal, and have coconut flakes, dried apple, and date pieces. Too bad I was weirded out by them before, they are TASTY. Once rested, and baño-ed (for S1...), I went back in, and stamped my passport with the Machu Picchu stamp (there was no line!), and pulled out the LP to take the basic guided tour myself.

Between the LP and overhearing everyone around me, I got the gist of the place. After a while, I found a quiet place and just laid down on the grass, basking in the amazing natural wonders and the sheer feat of engineering I was tucked into the mountains on. The ruins were not that much more impressive than other ruins I've seen (although they are definitely nothing to be scoffed at!!), but again, the location is SPECTACULAR. I'm home soon... there will be photos from my crappy camera soon, but there really is no way they will be able to actually capture what it feels like to be there. For one of the first times on this whole trip, I really was truly happy I came.

Then I got on the bus down the hill, and the exhaustion hit. All I wanted was a Red Mill burger, and burgers here are nothing even remotely close to Red Mill. I settled for crappy, overpriced tourist food and a beer, which almost made me comatose. Practically crawling onto the train home, I was NOT amused by the "fashion show" and subsequent sales pitch for Peru Rail's line of sweaters and scarves. Nor was I thrilled with the older gentleman next to me, regaling me about all of his hernia surgeries in the last year (but props to him for going to Machu Picchu!!). The uncertainty of the rickety minibus ride from Ollanta was made ever so much less stressful considering the nun in her habit and the little girl asleep in her lap in the seat behind me. I took that as a sign of relative safety... and I made it back to Cusco alive.

I pretty much fell into bed the moment I finished washing the filth, dirt, sweat, and orange juice off in a marvelously hot shower (S32 a night was never worth so much!!). All 7 of my roommates came back at some point that night, but I have no recollection of ANY of them returning and going to bed. I was OUT. It was a LONG day, a marvelous day, and a day that wrecked me completely.