Hiram in Peru with My Life in Ruins

Get it? Nevermind, you will.

So this blog about Peru and Chile is going to be brief, I´m afraid. Why? Well, nothing particularly exciting or weird happened. We enjoyed Peru, and if you would wonder why, just google The Plaza de Armas in Cusco. It must be one the most picturesque central squares anywhere. It has gorgeous old cathedrals (Which I refused to pay in order to visit, so I have no photos of the insides of these. Whatever - that's what google is for.) and ornately carved wooden balconies on buildings that flank the entire square, which itself is filled with flower gardens and a fountain.

Then, of course, there´s Machu Pichhu. You know it - most everyone knows it. It´s one of the seven "modern" wonders of the world, after all. I remember as a teen reading about Hiram Bingham and his discovery of the place (though there was actually a family living there) - it's part of what initially made me interested in archaeology.  Over 100 years later, it´s still not easy (or cheap) to get to. The only way to even get close to it is by train. There are no roads. (This could be by design, of course. The train charges about $50 to $80 one-way. Locals ride their own separate train, which I don't believe tourists are allowed onto anymore. Of course, we got a snack and tea on our train.)

There is a town, of sorts, at the end of the line called Aguas Calientes, and so named for the hot springs located there. Ah, Aguas. As you get off the train there is what feels like an entire city block covered with awnings which house hundreds of vendors selling millions of trinkets related to the ancient Incas. (I've never understood how these places make any money. They all sell the same, identical, crap. I know for a fact a lot of it isn't even made in Peru. I saw the same stone pyramids for sale that I saw in Egypt, wooly caps that I saw in Nepal, and bejeweled bronze camels in Morocco. I suspect it all comes from China.) Not much else to say about Aguas.

Anyway, back to the Wonder. Truth be told your first impression is, actually, a bit anticlimactic. You see some storage buildings at first, but it takes a bit more climbing before you get to the photo spot which is what everyone instantly recognizes as Machu Picchu. It's glorious, but perhaps a little too familiar to be completely breathtaking. 

One thing that did surprise me was the site of Sacsayhuayman. (Sounds like "Sexy woman" - at least that's what you are told.) That the Incas carved blocks of rock that size to fit that perfectly is mind blowing. Photos soon. Or google it.

There´s plenty of other cool sites I could talk about, too, but if you really are interested in the archaeology of Peru, you don´t need me, just... well, you know.