Aguas Calientes and Machu Pichu

OK, no more suspense. We have finally made it here. I will start with complaining. The 2 hour train to Aguas Calientes, the little town below Machu Pichu, was 57 dollars round trip. To give you something to compare it too, the 19 hour bus trip from Lima to Cuzco cost us a little under 20 bucks. The Peruvians pay 6 bucks to get to Aguas Calientes. Yes, I know they can't afford it and if the money went to the community it would be ok, but it doesn't, it goes to the Chilean company that owns the train. Those Chilean bastards!!! After much whining, we bought the tickets. Only a train goes there. Aguas Calientes also does its part to exploit the tourists, naturally. And there are more of us gringos in the town than Peruvians. This part of Peru, seems to be another land, the land of MONEY! And I am going to stop the complaining part of the blog here.
We bummed around the little town for the day and visited their hot springs, which give the town its name, Aguas Calientes ( Hot Waters for you gringos). We bathed in the curative waters and then headed further away from the town to a waterfall, where the incident with Matty's sandal occurred, watch the thrilling video:

The sandal was saved. The waterfall was great since besides it's beauty, we didn't have to buy a ticket to see it. You know? Because I don't, why is it that all of these places that tourists come to lose their innocence? It's not the tourists' fault. We want to see, that's all. I guess its the capitalists. We all have a bit of capitalism in us, I guess. From every street in this little town to the hot springs, I see stores, and overpriced lunches, can't smoke in the luke warm hot springs, all of these rules. I hate rules! But this little waterfall above the hot springs, which no one goes to is innocent, no rules, no vendors, just us being us, rescuing sandals, being silly. I can't stop my opinions. Sorry if it bothers you.

Anyway, we were here for Machu Pichu and after recovering a little from our illnesses (colds, which we were passing around back and forth) we set out for the legendary lost city. It started at 4 in the morning since we were determined to watch the sunrise over Machu Pichu. We started out in pitch black with only my new and cheap headlight to guide our path. It was a dangerous undertaking, but we set our minds to succeed. Yes, we started our trek. It was hard as hell. It started raining and the trail to Machu Pichu was thousands of steps from the misty jungle to the top of the mountain. We huffed and puffed our way slowly to the top.

But soon we began to see the end of our treacherous path, the top where we paid a whopping 40 bucks to enter the site. I wanted to protest, but the trail was cleverly designed to break down our bodies and our will to fight. And the sunrise did not happen because of the clouds and the rain. But the view was incredible. This place totally surprised us, after visiting a lot of ruins all over Peru, we figured that this place was totally hyped up. It was not ladies and gentlemen. Machu Pichu is really awesome. This was our sunrise...

Machu Pichu is a mystery. Experts say that it was built right before the Spanish arrived as a summer home for the Inca elites. But experts are experts at guessing, since all we have are guesses about this place. What we do know is that Machu Pichu was abandoned. No one knows why. It was rediscovered in 1911 and ever since then, after digging and more digging we come up with more questions. We all wonder what this place is about, but no one contests that it is breathtaking...

We couldn't immediately take the famous picture, but our "sunrise" was awesome with the mysterious fog. Man, there was so much fog that we constantly had no idea of where we were, but it made exploring a lot more interesting. When the sun finally cleared up, we went to the top to take our version of the Machu Pichu pic...

The mountain behind the city is shaped like a face looking upward. Makes you wander about the Incas picking this place. Machu Pichu is grand, the whole place gives this feeling of power. At the time when the Spanish arrived, the size of the Inca Empire was greater than any on earth. Another fun fact. They were also intelligent in their conquering, they only "took out" the people in power when they invaded, the rest of the people were allowed to live as they had. By using these means they were able to take and use the best skills and knowledge from the conquered. Their masonry skills were without match. For instance, the building below is made out of perfectly cut stones, so precise that mortar or filler was not needed. Standing in front of these walls makes me wonder how long it took for each one to be carved and what if someone made a mistake after all that painstaking work, huh...

These places bring us back to a not so far past childhood, we run around, hide in the passageways, make silly poses for pics and let our imaginations run wild. Isn't it supposed to be like that? Of course Machu Pichu has a lot of rules, a lot. So throughout the day the whistle was blown at us many a time. But we didn't let that get us down. Another thrilling video coming up (probably not for the eyes of Matty's parents). All the risk to take a picture... watch

And here is Mr. Cool himself.

Here is my very corny video about Machu Pichu:

That's Matty's favorite pic above and the "Team" below.

Guys, I feel that I can't give Machu Pichu justice in the blog. We were there from ¨sunrise¨ to sundown and were pretty much, the last ones to leave. We forgot about the capitalism and the hundreds of other tourists who were trespassing on ¨our¨ site. It inspired so many wonders in our minds. Wow! It simply has to be seen.

Matty was cracking up in our hostal, I don't remember about what, but it must have been really funny:

Matty the giant amongst all Peruvians and beloved by the Peruanas stands in for a photo with them.
Oh look, who did we find crawling the back alleys of Aguas Calientes? Peruvian, rugged Softka.

We got back to Cuzco a couple of hours before Matty's flight took off. Had some breakfast at the airport and shared heartfelt good byes. We think Matty was changed. At least he took Peru by storm. Our hearts and our memories go out to you...

Machu Pichu was the last place on Matty's itinerary. At least, so he thought. He ended up being stuck in Lima for a couple of days longer because the airline bumped him off his flight. And he was sick. That sucks. But faithful readers don't worry. Matty is alive and well and now resides in the upscale part of Ridgewood. He also resumed working part time for the Devil a.k.a. J.T. O'Brien Plumbing and goes to DeVry for electrical engineering. Thumbs up to you Matty!

Happy "Coming-to-America"!!! 09/27/07

Today, my family and I celebrate our arrival into the ol´U.S. of A. Yup, 18 years ago, we left Ukraine (Russia at the time) and headed for the "Land of Gold" where money was laying on the streets and the weather was always perfect and warm. We landed in JFK airport with a hundred dollars and two suitcases . . . who needs warm clothes, right!?? It wasn´t an easy start and sure took a lot of getting used to . . . but we were a happy bunch, and overcame the impossible year after year.Most of the compliments go to my parents of course, who had to deal with a totally different kind of pressure . . . children! Finding a job, a place to live, learning English, affording food, and clothes, and on and on and on . . . and then you add two little kids to the equation. But they were total survivors, warriors really, and their strength and courage will impress me and inspire me forever. I don´t think that I can say it enough really, or find the right words, but I am so proud to be part of this family. I am just so proud. Thank you. I love you. Congratulations!

Cuzco and Pisac Ruins

OK! We finally made it here. 19 hour bus ride to cuzco. Badly needed rest, see above. But anyway, the land of Machu Pichu!!! Guys, do you know how many times I stared at the cover of my 8th grade social studies book with the small picture of Machu Pichu on it. A lot! I barely opened that book up that year. I wasn't the best of students, but that picture used to steal my mind for so many minutes. So, like 12 or 13 years have past and we are finally here. Well, not yet. First, we had to go through Cuzco, which actually was the capital of the Inca Empire. Well nowadays, though not the capital of the Incas anymore, it is the capital of tourists and their money. After travelling through Peru for the last almost 3 months, Cuzco was a shocker. Everything is double or triple the price and the poor exterminated Incas are staring at you through every other store front window of souvenir shops and restaurants. But other than that, it is a beautiful colonial city with it's windy cobble stone streets, the old Spanish churches and of course the thrill of seeing the ruins of cities and fortresses of an ancient civilization. But here is the man who really started it all. Some say he was the son of the sun, some that he was just a really handsome stranger. But no matter what it was, he is the man to whom Cuzco will always be in debt for its economy. The first Inca: We all arrived here a little sick, so we set off quietly walking the streets, buying some cool gifts, and spending our nights either dancing and drinking or laughing in our room over some wine. Yes, drinking was involved, but not too much. It was the awesome company that called for it. Whatever we did, whether it was complaining to each other by how much we were getting ripped off or staring at something really, really cool, it was all good since we had the most awesomest (I don't know if that's a real word) company. We started with going to Pisac which is an old Incan ruin just north of Cuzco. Thanks Franco for the recommendation. Franco, our friend from Chachapoyas, told us to go. So we went. First, I must say this. Ruins are awesome, but what is necessary is for you to be alone or almost alone without a lot of tourists like us running around talking. At least that's the case for me. I sit on an ancient wall and meditate on how many men it took to build it. I try to hear the voices and the noise that were here a long time ago rustling around me. Once, there was a mountain and then there was a fortress built here. People lived, cried, ate, had dinner with their families, worshiped their gods, fought, had children, died. And now I am sitting on this wall, alone trying to see it all. I also kind of went crazy with the black and white feature of my camera. It seems to really fit here.

It is amazing as well as beautiful, the agricultural terraces are strictly Incan. I guess after a while, the Incas realized that farming on the sides of steep mountains was a pain in the ass and also made the fields prone to mudslides, hence they created the terraces. Now, they are not used, but at least make the view more spectacular.

And of course, here is the happy couple. Eeey!!

As for Matty... well, he was gone. The man discovered climbing and climbed all over the damn ruins instead of taking the paths. What can we say? He found his element among a lot of other elements. We also found snakes, the last remaining residents of Pisac. Little guys though...

Back in Cuzco, we resumed making fools out of ourselves. Its not easy, mind you, but when there are 2 fools it makes it possible.

The cool faces!

See you guys in Machu Pichu... coming soon...

Nazca -- As real as it could be . . . 9/4/07 - 9/5/07

Some are just lines- crisscrossing, random, and yet, completely linear - stretching for many kilometers into the distance. Roads? Never seen roads that head straight across mountain ranges without deviation. Many times, converging to a single point. Many form geometric figures, waves, or even spirals. They are formed by lifting the tough sand bed, exposing the lighter shade for contrast, hence a sort of rough painting on gravel. Talk about art, eh? (Perhaps by walking in religious ceremonies. A lot of this area is covered with pottery bits, and even mummified bodies of the Nazca themselves.)

SOME of these lines aren´t simply lines at all, but outlined shapes of animals, pictures of plants and flowers, and stranger figures like deformed animals, an astronaut or the cone-shaped headed man, even E.T?!. A whale (even though this valley is 400 km. from the coast,) a monkey (even though this valley is a sandy dessert and really, had to be for the lines to even be formed,) a pelican (the largest of them all.) A humming bird, a spider, "a weird being with two enormous hands, one normal and the other with only four fingers."
And on top of all that, these mystic lines were made 1500 years ago, mysteriously abandoned 500 years later, and were only noticed recently because the only way that one could see them, was from above . . . yes, the only way that they could be appreciated or merely noticed was by flying over them! Ah yes, the mystery of the Nazca line . . . some of us know a lot about these things but most folks I know - don´t, including myself. Most of us had briefly heard about these "types" of things and sort of categorized them as little fairy tales, or better yet, mysterious wonders of the world . . . whispered about, pondered about, and then shrugged away as just another ìnteresting bit of knowledge. But well, we do believe in what we see. And so, Nazca - as real as it could be.
We rolled into the dusty town in the weeeheee hours of the morning, glued eye-lids and funky-lookin´hair. . . wanting nothing . . . maybe a comfortable bed to sit on to reflect upon and recoup from the long journey. Instead, (and this is all before coffee), we find ourselves talking to a local pilot about a possible flight over "the lines", a sort of luxury but necessity here at Nasca, wouldn´t you think?

So let me stop sounding like a commercial. Most of this stuff we didn´t even know. The cool but somewhat tedious part of the packaged flight over the Nazca lines is an educational video everyone watches before going up, and it´s a good thing. Maybe to teach you a thing or two, maybe to just deflate your expectations a bit . . . . after all, they are just lines !? Right?!

( NASA Satellite image )Some info the video offered:The Nazca lines are located in the Pampa Valley of Peru, the province of Nazca and yet, were not "discovered" until commercial airlines started flying over the 450 sq. km valley back in 1920´s. People started noticing "primitive landing - strips" and other shapes, and so the chase to understand these lines began. Many scientists walked these "paths" for years, finding Nazca remains (or better known as treasures) such as bones, pottery, textiles. Theories were thrown from left and right- Maybe they were landing strips for U.F.O.´s. Maybe these shapes formed the Nazca calendar. Maybe it was a religious ceremony and offering. And on that note, maybe these drawings were an offering to "water," as many lines point to mountains that provided water to this valley via streams and rivers. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

So we arrive at this local airport only a few hours later (this part is after coffee, of course) and find 4-to-6 person carriers filtering the lot. Watch the video, get up feeling like we know all there is to know about the Nazca lines (Do you really think we can learn more by flying over it?), strap in, and take off . . . We cover a bit of dessert range and mountain terrain with beautiful horizons, and then . . . you see them. You see them and yes, they are just lines, but all of a sudden, it no longer remains a little fairy tail . . . to ponder about and shrug away. It´s real. And that´s when you really start asking "How?" and for god´s sake, "Why?"
--------------------------------
Mind you, our pilot was a little crazy, or maybe, just inexperienced with flying "novices." He had no problem tilting the plane 90 degrees for the left side of the plan to get the perfect view and picture of the lines . . . and then, just as fast, letting the right side having a similar view. Whooo! My stomach was in my chest, my chest was in my head, and my head was just trying to focus on one focal point to stop the damn spinning. Mishka was worse!
"Are you alright?" I said. Pausing to let his head drop a little ", I think I´m going to throw up," he replies, grabbing for a strategically placed plastic bag. Guess this has happened before, what a surprise. So what do I do, I take a picture. That´s my baby right there. Good thing we were heading back already, 10 minutes early, but who´se complaining?!

In any case, to this day, the Nazca lines remain to be " the most outstanding group of geoglyphs in the world, supposedly ranking above those of Chile, Bolivia, United States, Egypt, etc, etc.

And so, after man invented the plane and put a highway though this valley (cutting the enormous 180 m. lizard in half), were these lines finally "discovered," or after all this time, simply just noticed. It is amazing how a part of history, a part of this specie´s Story can be erased like it never happened. And it IS quite remarkable and truly invigorating to just sit there, and ponder, "How?" and for god´s sake "Why?" -------------------------------------------------------
The small city of Nazca offers a few museums and festivals to enjoy, maybe catching a live performance from a local dance group or singer in the Plaza de Armas. On our second day, we headed over to a small restaurant and talked for four hours to a fellow traveler Bob (didn´t think we would remember your name, did you??)

Bob, a gentleman of hearts, is filled with great stories and contagious laughter. He is a "lone warrior" in every way. Follows his own strides and passions; grows very few, but memorable, roots along the way. A sort of bird that flies south for the winter. (He is retired and lives half a year in Canada and half in Peru! May we all learn a bit from Bob.) Anyway, Bob told us some great war stories of his travels and gave us some great advice about Arequipa and the beauty and mystery of the Colca Canyon, our future destination . . .

I have a feeling we will see each other again, just a hunch:)