Machu Picchu Obtained
Well, we did it, we're actually here - here, being Machu Picchu, of course. I can hardly believe that we are here in this fabulous place!
She has pulled out her laptop, knowing that this is one of those times when transmission is most favourable, and decided to update her journal. She feels Doc's hand upon her shoulder, as he bends down, kissing her skin gently, watching her fingers move swiftly across the keyboard - Oi, Rachel, I can see myself in your laptop! - She smiles at his reflection in the screen.
It is small wonder that this is the ultimate destination for most of the visitors to Peru - a sort of sacred tourist shrine, but not in that unhealthy touristy way that is so annoying, littered with souvenir stands and hot dog vendors and the like (although in this place, I would imagine that it would be a guinea pig stand, seeing as that was the ancient Incans favourite dish!) As you walk around, there is such a feeling of reverence and amazement at what man has wrought..... Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet, described it as "the city upraised like a cup in our fingers." There are those who ascribe to the theory that Machu Picchu was a sanctuary for the training of priestesses, or perhaps the brides of the Incan rulers, due mainly to the higher proportion of female bones to male bones found here. But recent discoveries of more male bones has largely caused this idea to be rejected, and is now mostly held onto by extremist New Age theorists.
We arrived on our dear little llamas this morning, to find ourselves at the base of an immense set of stone steps, other visitors ebbing and flowing about us on foot. There was a group of older ladies dressed in choir robes, who seemed to practicing something - their voices a pleasant murmur in the early morning air. Doc jumped off his llama, and to my amazement began to tap dance up the steps, lithely and gracefully - I bet Sean would be amazed to know that he is quite light on his feet, seeing as he tends to refer to him as a clumsy lout - and you, too Gary, don't deny it! - before turning about and making his way down again. Somehow I found myself on my feet, and his hand was reaching out to mine, and Ginger Rogers joined her Fred Astaire, dancing cheek to cheek on the steps of Machu Picchu, as the chorus began to sing....Heaven, I'm in Heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak and I seem to find the happiness I seek when we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek....... What a magical moment that was.....
We spent the day wandering the ruins, talking to natives and tourists alike. Manolito and Estrellia met us there by prearrangement, in order to take back the llama - how I shall miss those dear sweet little things - and we walked about everywhere we could go. From below here, Machu Picchu is invisible to the eye, hidden away in its own little world, much as I envision Shangri-La must be - perhaps this was an inspiration for that place? - while two thousand feet below us the Urubamba River rumbles along its way....
There are guides who are more than glad to take you about, explaining to you the wonders about you - for a price, of course, but you can't blame them, it's how they make a living, and they are very knowledgeable...Doc and I didn't feel the need, but then Doc got to talking to one of the young men - his name was Pablo - and he took a liking to Doc and took us to a few of the sites for free. Doc can't help but make friends wherever he goes, there is just something about him..... she turns to look adoringly at Doc, who is engaged in a rousing discussion with Pablo about England's heartfelt 3-0 victory over Switzerland
We found the Intlhuatana sun dial, which is considered to be the hitching post of the Sun god. It sits in the center of some ruins, and is cordoned off from the public, but Pablo apparently knows someone, and gave Doc permission to touch it, which he did most reverently, which pleased the young man no end. There is a sacred carved rock here that if you look at it one way, it looks like a fish, while the other way is a guinea pig! Doc went from side to side - puffing up his cheeks to look like a blowfish on one side, and squealing on the other like a guinea pig! Everyone about us was in total stitches! After that, as we wandered about the site, Doc started counting how many times we could find the number three carved in the windows and on the stairs - that is a magical number here!
Well, my time here is almost up - and we have to get on the train. It is ten hours to go to Cuzco, from where we shall take another small plane - perhaps with the same pilot - back to Lima, and from there on to England.... sighs How I shall hate to leave this place.......and I think we aren't going straight back to London, seeing as Monday is such a special day..... I think we shall make a sojourn, albeit a short one, at another place, which I shan't mention in case Bean feels the need to tell Marleen, who is going to be having a cow as it is when we do get back....
Farewell, Peru, you beautiful land, beautiful people...... Doc and I were always happy here...
Doc wanders over from his discussion, smiling gently, as he reaches down to claim her lips, and she logs off.....
She has pulled out her laptop, knowing that this is one of those times when transmission is most favourable, and decided to update her journal. She feels Doc's hand upon her shoulder, as he bends down, kissing her skin gently, watching her fingers move swiftly across the keyboard - Oi, Rachel, I can see myself in your laptop! - She smiles at his reflection in the screen.
It is small wonder that this is the ultimate destination for most of the visitors to Peru - a sort of sacred tourist shrine, but not in that unhealthy touristy way that is so annoying, littered with souvenir stands and hot dog vendors and the like (although in this place, I would imagine that it would be a guinea pig stand, seeing as that was the ancient Incans favourite dish!) As you walk around, there is such a feeling of reverence and amazement at what man has wrought..... Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet, described it as "the city upraised like a cup in our fingers." There are those who ascribe to the theory that Machu Picchu was a sanctuary for the training of priestesses, or perhaps the brides of the Incan rulers, due mainly to the higher proportion of female bones to male bones found here. But recent discoveries of more male bones has largely caused this idea to be rejected, and is now mostly held onto by extremist New Age theorists.
We arrived on our dear little llamas this morning, to find ourselves at the base of an immense set of stone steps, other visitors ebbing and flowing about us on foot. There was a group of older ladies dressed in choir robes, who seemed to practicing something - their voices a pleasant murmur in the early morning air. Doc jumped off his llama, and to my amazement began to tap dance up the steps, lithely and gracefully - I bet Sean would be amazed to know that he is quite light on his feet, seeing as he tends to refer to him as a clumsy lout - and you, too Gary, don't deny it! - before turning about and making his way down again. Somehow I found myself on my feet, and his hand was reaching out to mine, and Ginger Rogers joined her Fred Astaire, dancing cheek to cheek on the steps of Machu Picchu, as the chorus began to sing....Heaven, I'm in Heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak and I seem to find the happiness I seek when we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek....... What a magical moment that was.....
We spent the day wandering the ruins, talking to natives and tourists alike. Manolito and Estrellia met us there by prearrangement, in order to take back the llama - how I shall miss those dear sweet little things - and we walked about everywhere we could go. From below here, Machu Picchu is invisible to the eye, hidden away in its own little world, much as I envision Shangri-La must be - perhaps this was an inspiration for that place? - while two thousand feet below us the Urubamba River rumbles along its way....
There are guides who are more than glad to take you about, explaining to you the wonders about you - for a price, of course, but you can't blame them, it's how they make a living, and they are very knowledgeable...Doc and I didn't feel the need, but then Doc got to talking to one of the young men - his name was Pablo - and he took a liking to Doc and took us to a few of the sites for free. Doc can't help but make friends wherever he goes, there is just something about him..... she turns to look adoringly at Doc, who is engaged in a rousing discussion with Pablo about England's heartfelt 3-0 victory over Switzerland
We found the Intlhuatana sun dial, which is considered to be the hitching post of the Sun god. It sits in the center of some ruins, and is cordoned off from the public, but Pablo apparently knows someone, and gave Doc permission to touch it, which he did most reverently, which pleased the young man no end. There is a sacred carved rock here that if you look at it one way, it looks like a fish, while the other way is a guinea pig! Doc went from side to side - puffing up his cheeks to look like a blowfish on one side, and squealing on the other like a guinea pig! Everyone about us was in total stitches! After that, as we wandered about the site, Doc started counting how many times we could find the number three carved in the windows and on the stairs - that is a magical number here!
Well, my time here is almost up - and we have to get on the train. It is ten hours to go to Cuzco, from where we shall take another small plane - perhaps with the same pilot - back to Lima, and from there on to England.... sighs How I shall hate to leave this place.......and I think we aren't going straight back to London, seeing as Monday is such a special day..... I think we shall make a sojourn, albeit a short one, at another place, which I shan't mention in case Bean feels the need to tell Marleen, who is going to be having a cow as it is when we do get back....
Farewell, Peru, you beautiful land, beautiful people...... Doc and I were always happy here...
Doc wanders over from his discussion, smiling gently, as he reaches down to claim her lips, and she logs off.....