South America Holiday Part 3
i have set the goal of posting all of my vacation pics before my tan fades.
I am always sad when i realize that my vocabulary does not have the right words to convey the awesomeness of what i am seeing, i just end up saying "oh my fucking shit!" and making myself look really crass. that's kind of what happened at Machu Picchu. it was just as every one had ever imagined and described only better. it's basically a sprawling compound built into these steep mountains that appear and disappear in the mist. it's a maze of steppes and stairs with a beautiful view from every direction, also steep drops and zero guard rails, which is a pleasant departure from our tether and helmet society. since there is little information about the Incas except that they really knew their masonry, one is forced to appreciate their feats based entirely on their building merits alone, we have no idea why they really did the things the did or how they lived.
although i knew it looks like a stock image, i totally took this picture
see that big peak in the background? it's called Wayna Picchu and i'm gonna climb it!
i climbed to the peak of Wayna Picchu or "young mountain", the one that's tall and looming in all photos of the place, it was a huge fucking challenge. i got up with my parents at 6 am to start the climb, since they only let a few hundred people go up it a day and in batches so the narrow stair-trail doesn`t get over crowded.
We spent a hour climbing this peak, which was mostly stairs carved into the mountain rock with a cable to hold on to, sometimes, the stairs were so steep that you had to use your hands to hoist yourself up as well. there weren`t clearly marked paths so it took a moment for me(and longer for my parents) to figure out that we have to go through a narrow cave to get to the rest of the path. the air was so thin that we were constantly hyperventilating. it was also raining steadily warm jungle rain which was refreshing but made the path really muddy.
when we finally got to the top we felt like champs and took lots of pictures.
i realize i am in the same pose for both of these pics, but it's hard to be creative when you feel tired and accomplished.
I have had a boner for these strange hooded masks ever since i saw Anthony Bourdain's Show on Machu Picchu, allow him to explain them to you (mask explanation comes at the 5 minute mark)!
While his musings about Machu Picchu are schlocky, they are still 100% accurate
I am always sad when i realize that my vocabulary does not have the right words to convey the awesomeness of what i am seeing, i just end up saying "oh my fucking shit!" and making myself look really crass. that's kind of what happened at Machu Picchu. it was just as every one had ever imagined and described only better. it's basically a sprawling compound built into these steep mountains that appear and disappear in the mist. it's a maze of steppes and stairs with a beautiful view from every direction, also steep drops and zero guard rails, which is a pleasant departure from our tether and helmet society. since there is little information about the Incas except that they really knew their masonry, one is forced to appreciate their feats based entirely on their building merits alone, we have no idea why they really did the things the did or how they lived.
although i knew it looks like a stock image, i totally took this picture
see that big peak in the background? it's called Wayna Picchu and i'm gonna climb it!
i climbed to the peak of Wayna Picchu or "young mountain", the one that's tall and looming in all photos of the place, it was a huge fucking challenge. i got up with my parents at 6 am to start the climb, since they only let a few hundred people go up it a day and in batches so the narrow stair-trail doesn`t get over crowded.
We spent a hour climbing this peak, which was mostly stairs carved into the mountain rock with a cable to hold on to, sometimes, the stairs were so steep that you had to use your hands to hoist yourself up as well. there weren`t clearly marked paths so it took a moment for me(and longer for my parents) to figure out that we have to go through a narrow cave to get to the rest of the path. the air was so thin that we were constantly hyperventilating. it was also raining steadily warm jungle rain which was refreshing but made the path really muddy.
when we finally got to the top we felt like champs and took lots of pictures.
i realize i am in the same pose for both of these pics, but it's hard to be creative when you feel tired and accomplished.
I have had a boner for these strange hooded masks ever since i saw Anthony Bourdain's Show on Machu Picchu, allow him to explain them to you (mask explanation comes at the 5 minute mark)!
Click to viewWhile his musings about Machu Picchu are schlocky, they are still 100% accurate