Machu Picchu

Yesterday we caught a train to Machu Picchu (an old inca ruin that managed to survive the Spanish invasion). The trip was filled with mixed emotions for us as we were originally due to walk the four day inca trail. However, Edward is not quite built for the higher altitude of the Andes and so instead of the trek we spent a couple of days in a hospital in Cusco. This was certainly an experience in itself, especially with our lack of Spanish. We decided to go to hospital the second day we were here because Ed was having a lot of trouble breathing. On top of this he also had food poisoning. Of course I thought he was just over reacting and that his altitude problems were simply pshychological. Though when he had taken his own heart rate, done some extensive research on the internet and simply didn't look like he was getting better, I agreed that a trip to the doctor was necessary.

To cut a long story short, the inital doctor we saw was not great (Ed could have done a better examination) so after a few bad attempts at taking some blood I decided enough was enough. My attempts at talking to the receptionist was something like this: (in Spanish)

"Now we go, passport please. What is cost? No more here."

She quickly called someone and next thing a lovely English spesking doctor arrived to help us. From then on we were very happy and had first class treatment. This was mainly due to them discovering that we had travel insurance. So after a luxurious night in hospital and me admitting that Edward was actually quite sick, all was good in the end.

So, back to our trip to Machu Picchu. Of course we felt a little defeated at not walking the trail and instead catching the 'train of shame' but we had an amazing day visiting the ruins. It was perfect weather and I think the photos are a better summary than what I can write here. We had an excellet guide, something I would highly recommend, who was able to tell us a lot about the history of the ruins. What has amazed us about Peru is that most of the history prior to the Spanish arriving is largely just a hypothesis. The incas and other civilisations did not record their history. Archeologists rely heavily on artifacts and buildings that have been found. Every place of importance has several possible stories attached and so tourists are largely left to make their own assumptions about the history of Peru.

















The classic postcard shot, so perfectly taken by Ed!







Next stop: Bolivia