Peru Adventures - Machu Picchu
And then the vampire started chasing me through the dense forest.. Tripping over the foliage I slipped down into an embankment. Terror coursed through me as I heard his laughter close beside me somewhere in the darkness. But his laughter changed and now it sounded more like an alarm...?
I rubbed my eyes looking for my alarm which was going off somewhere in the darkness...it read 4:30am. Ugh... I cringed as I slipped out of bed and tripped over the decorative pillows Abizer had thrown onto the floor the night before. In addition to me being unable to coordinate my legs, reading the book Twilight was not helping my sanity nor my sleeping habits I reasoned with myself silently. But I couldn't stop thinking about the book. Sigh I'm still a hopeless romantic. Smack! Hmm I seemed to have found the bathroom door.
I sat on the train and looked out onto the platform. I watched as a little puppy with the most adorable eyes stared back at me from the corner of an orange stall. He was alone and just watching people. We had some things in common, as I sat and watched the busy, bustling locals and tourists navigating through the narrow alleyway lined with eager local vendors selling all sorts of products.
I was knocked out of my observation abruptly as a woman knocked on my train window. Lady! Want rug? Huh? I responded. Then I glanced her over and realized she was carrying a handful of colorful ornamental rugs. They have alpaca one side! Llama on other? Lady?!?!! I smiled back at her and shook my head no. Gracias but no thank you I said in my limited Spanish. But she had another agenda. Like a magician she pulled out hats and finger puppets. Lady! She started, "you not cold!?!" Once again I smiled fascinated by her moving fingers which animated the puppets on them and shook my head no to her second question. All of a sudden I felt a jerk as my train pulled out of the station. Hmm... 4 hours to go before I reach the Inca ruins I frowned thinking to myself.
Mountains and steep cliffs surrounded our now feeble looking train. Passing villages still based on agricultural trade as we chugged along. The peaks of the mountains covered in snow and the lush green valley made a dynamic duo as we inched closer towards the Inca ruins.
Hopping off the train... I was ambushed by vendors selling bug spray, stuffed llama's, those infamous carpets and finger puppets and suntan lotion. It was quite the garbled mess. We had to snake through the local stalls and tiny village until we reached our tour guide. When we reached our supposed destination we trudged onto a bus for another 20 minute bus ride higher up those lush green mountains. Amusing.. I seemed to be plagued by hour after hour on public transportation of all sorts here in Peru.
The ruins were fascinating. Their origin and overall construction was mind boggling to wrap around my mind. They basically carved every niche and cranny of the place with chisels! Sigh! Those Inca men must have been so chiseled themselves. Girlish giggle. I stated as the tour guide went on and on about the symmetry of the rocks and finally I wandered off on my own taking my camera with me. I watched as two llamas ran across the grassy plains in the ruins. They seemed so carefree and soft. Odd combination... For a llama.
Literally thousands of photos later of the ruins, mountains, lizards, and Inca rabbits I debated whether I should set up a stall and sell my "blah" pictures as postcards to unexpecting tourists. Luckily for the locals and sadly for me... my tour guide found me and dragged me along again before I could put my plan into action.. How the tour guides knew to look out for my wandersome and naughty nature I didn't comprehend but it amused me none the less.
I rubbed my eyes looking for my alarm which was going off somewhere in the darkness...it read 4:30am. Ugh... I cringed as I slipped out of bed and tripped over the decorative pillows Abizer had thrown onto the floor the night before. In addition to me being unable to coordinate my legs, reading the book Twilight was not helping my sanity nor my sleeping habits I reasoned with myself silently. But I couldn't stop thinking about the book. Sigh I'm still a hopeless romantic. Smack! Hmm I seemed to have found the bathroom door.
I sat on the train and looked out onto the platform. I watched as a little puppy with the most adorable eyes stared back at me from the corner of an orange stall. He was alone and just watching people. We had some things in common, as I sat and watched the busy, bustling locals and tourists navigating through the narrow alleyway lined with eager local vendors selling all sorts of products.
I was knocked out of my observation abruptly as a woman knocked on my train window. Lady! Want rug? Huh? I responded. Then I glanced her over and realized she was carrying a handful of colorful ornamental rugs. They have alpaca one side! Llama on other? Lady?!?!! I smiled back at her and shook my head no. Gracias but no thank you I said in my limited Spanish. But she had another agenda. Like a magician she pulled out hats and finger puppets. Lady! She started, "you not cold!?!" Once again I smiled fascinated by her moving fingers which animated the puppets on them and shook my head no to her second question. All of a sudden I felt a jerk as my train pulled out of the station. Hmm... 4 hours to go before I reach the Inca ruins I frowned thinking to myself.
Mountains and steep cliffs surrounded our now feeble looking train. Passing villages still based on agricultural trade as we chugged along. The peaks of the mountains covered in snow and the lush green valley made a dynamic duo as we inched closer towards the Inca ruins.
Hopping off the train... I was ambushed by vendors selling bug spray, stuffed llama's, those infamous carpets and finger puppets and suntan lotion. It was quite the garbled mess. We had to snake through the local stalls and tiny village until we reached our tour guide. When we reached our supposed destination we trudged onto a bus for another 20 minute bus ride higher up those lush green mountains. Amusing.. I seemed to be plagued by hour after hour on public transportation of all sorts here in Peru.
The ruins were fascinating. Their origin and overall construction was mind boggling to wrap around my mind. They basically carved every niche and cranny of the place with chisels! Sigh! Those Inca men must have been so chiseled themselves. Girlish giggle. I stated as the tour guide went on and on about the symmetry of the rocks and finally I wandered off on my own taking my camera with me. I watched as two llamas ran across the grassy plains in the ruins. They seemed so carefree and soft. Odd combination... For a llama.
Literally thousands of photos later of the ruins, mountains, lizards, and Inca rabbits I debated whether I should set up a stall and sell my "blah" pictures as postcards to unexpecting tourists. Luckily for the locals and sadly for me... my tour guide found me and dragged me along again before I could put my plan into action.. How the tour guides knew to look out for my wandersome and naughty nature I didn't comprehend but it amused me none the less.
posted by Khush51 at 10:25 PM
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