The Machu Picchu Post

This weekend was all about the sights, so I’m just going to have the photos speak for themselves. Brief captions on nearly all of them, and a lot more on Picasa.

Parting words/thoughts:

1. I’ve gained seven pounds since coming to Peru. Ha.

2. On the Monasterio: Once an actual monastery, the place was lent to Orient Express for 60 years to be used as a hotel. In exchange, the tourism company restores the deteriorating artwork, cares for and beautifies the building, and now runs a five star hotel. Sound like corruption from the big bad West? One might wonder, though, what the priests are doing with the 10% of the proceeds, and how their houses suddenly got so big. I don’t know though. I obviously got a biased perspective on the tourism from my host father, who’s a big figure in the business. My natural instinct is dislike of what the businesses do (change), but I’m really nothing but a tourist. More generally, tourism has all those ugly connotations of “big bad West” vs. “innocent villager”. But the way my host father put it, the “innocent villagers” sounded almost malicious. The ciudadanos always protest the presence of outside businesses, but they reap benefits from the expansion of tourism as well. Tourism is what the city lives on. Literally– PeruRail is even Machu Picchu’s free garbage service.

But I don’t think it’s bad here. The Monasterio was more modest than I expected (though still beautiful and definitely five star), because I’ve seen photos of crazy New York City five star hotels and they’re just ridiculous. Relatively, Cusco is still more about the hostels and the backpackers– after all, it is the launching point for the Camino Inca, and as long as this trail is associated with it and Machu Picchu, these tourist points are still going to be attractive for the backpacker type. What’ll really be sad is if in the future Machu Picchu ends up being an oasis of Incan ruins in a mass of gondolas, skyscrapers, and hotels. But I really can’t imagine that happening.

All in all, this was Cusco and Machu Picchu high-end tourist style, all packed into in a day in a half. My host father allowed us only the absolute best; I’m sure I’m not going to have another experience like it. And I do enjoy luxury, when it comes once in a while, like this time. I know I definitely couldn’t do it on a regular basis, but this weekend was una locura, in a good way.

3. Machu Picchu– beyond beautiful.