Urubamba, Machu Picchu, and Arrival in Cuzco

When I landed in Cuzco and stomped out into the brisk 11,000 ft-high air, the program coordinators were calling out to me by name.  From the airport we shot directly off to Urubamba city in the Sacred Valley for a couple days of orientation.  That drive is spectacular: out of Cuzco, along the mountain pass, and down into the Sacred Valley.  The view and the altitude of the high Andean plains are breathtaking.  When we got to the hotel of dainty cottages and flowers, the rest of the students were waiting for us to begin lunch.  Too many names and introductions ensued.

Much of our time in the small town of Urubamba was spent in an orientation presentation or at the table.  We had some great ceviche down on the town’s miniscule main drag.  One day we were commissioned to survey the Andean cereals in the nearby town of Ollantaytambo.  After pestering the helpful ladies in the market with questions about cultivation and preparation of these cereals, we went for a saunter about the town.  We did not have time to enter the Ollantaytambo ruins that day, but we did steal in the side entrance and shoot a couple pictures.

And what of Machu Picchu?  If we count the time when I was three months old, I have just visited it for the third time.  The group anticipation of the adventure was great fun.  Upon arrival we took a guided tour of the ruins.  Our guide Esmeralda was great fun and she agreed to speak Spanish to us.  Then the wind and rain began.  When we finished the tour, some of the SIT students left Machu Picchu for the warmth of the Aguas Calientes hot springs at the bottom of the mountain.

About fifteen of us remained in the park for another 1.5 hours.  We shot up to the top where the stereotypical MP pictures are taken from.  The clouds were rolling in and out the ruins with dramatic speed.  From there we headed over to the trail to the Inka Bridge from which you can see and hear the Urubamba River roar down toward its Amazonian fate.  Soon thereafter the rain ceased and we had a ball with the llamas placed in the park for gringo enjoyment.  I am a gringo and I got enjoyment from them.  Also, if I were a llama, I imagine I would prefer the green terraces of Machu Picchu to the various other alternatives.  Besides the llamas, we actually had the company of a couple meaty lizards and a chinchilla.  Roughly twenty minutes before our bus back down to Aguas Calientes, the sun emerged.  That offered a sweet bite of low-angle sunlight for our final thoughts and pictures.

The train back to Ollantaytambo featured a clown-demon dancing with some of the female passengers, a fashion show for alpaca clothing, and a bit of salsa dancing.  Before this excitement we had all planned to flop into our seats and crash to sleep!  Overall it was a fantabulous mission.

Two days ago we arrived in Cuzco and met our host families.  Señora Carola Yabar Morales picked me up and we went back to the house for a welcome lunch.  The house, my room, and most importantly my family are all I could hope for.  Abuela Tula and my three host brothers (all in their thirties and two with families) make a cheerful family atmosphere.  My room is on the top of the building where I share a bathroom with one of the sons.  The nearby montañas cusqueñas stand stalwartly during the day and wink with lights at night.

Yesterday was my first day of class and—after written and oral exams—I was placed in the Spanish class I was hoping for.  My teacher is a lively fellow named Gustavo.  Our other studies will begin ramping up soon.  So far so good for I seem to have escaped being knocked flat by soroche: altitude sickness.

Last night in a café in the Plaza de Armas we watched Peru tie Bolivia in a soccer match.  Afterward, we received some tips on salsa dancing from the host brother of one of the girls in the program.  It will cost me much time and dignity to learn, but I’m game.