Machu Picchu Shows Wear of Being on Must-See List

[Haole Girl]

Machu Picchu Shows Wear of Being on Must-See List

By Patrick J. McDonnell, Times Staff Writer
May 3, 2006

..."The stones are separating," he says, pointing to the fissures separating blocks once snugly fit together by craftsmen toiling without wheel or cement. "Something needs to be done about this..."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-machu3may03,0,7697946.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[NVMojo]

1. wow, one of the sites I've always wanted to see in person ...

sad...

[karlrschneider]

2. Geez, me too. I made as close as Cuzco years ago but couldn't

manage to find the time or wherewithal to get to MP. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

8. BIG mistake

The trip alone to MP was worth it - if you enjoy near-death experiences.

[laureloak]

9. Oh no, please explain.

My son's Spanish class is going there this summer. Tell me what I need to worry about.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. Well, it's probably changed a lot

since 1968, when I was lucky enough to be the only North American taking the trip up to MP from Cuzco. That's a LONG time ago.

It was a narrow-gauge railway that ran right along the edge of what seemed like an endless ascent, descent, ascent, descent, ascent, descent, with a switchback every hundred feet or so, because of the angles. It was incredible, and it was frightening, but here I am, almost forty years later, still smiling when I think about it.

It wasn't nearly as scary, though, as flying over the wreckage of the Aerolinas Peruanos (they're no longer in business) plane that had crashed at Cuzco Airport a couple of days before I flew in. I had been scheduled to be on that flight, but when I got into my collectivo in Lima to go to the airport, I found a newspaper with the headline about how LBJ had decided not to run for President again. That was such stunning news to this hippie chick, I had the driver take me back to our pensione, where I woke up my fellow students with the news, and postponed my Cuzco trip.

Years later, I ended up working for the man who had been LBJ's chief of staff at that time, and told him the story about the plane crash in Peru. He said he had tried so hard to talk LBJ out of making that choice, but if it meant that I didn't get on that plane that day, it was well worth it.

Small world, huh?

Some school trip your boy's taking. We used to go to an amusement park.

I am SO old .................

[laureloak]

13. My son was thrilled to read your post.

The scarier the better, he says. I cannot bear heights so I would be terrified.

His school offers several trips each year but this is his first because he always complains when we go sightseeing on vacation. Oh well, I hope he's mature enough to appreciate it this time.

These trips are put together by teachers through Educational Tours (eftours.com). They have an excellent reputation and the cost is far lower than you could get privately. Two teachers accompany a group of 12 or so and their expenses are covered if the group is adequate. This trip was arranged by his amazing Spanish teacher.

Quickly, here's his itinerary:

Day 1: Flight to Lima
Day 2: Lima sightseeing
Archaeological & Anthropological Museum
Day 3: Flight to Cuzco
Cuzco sightseeing
Day 4: Excursion to Pisac
Day 5: Machu Picchu
Overnight in Machu Picchu
Day 6: Inca trail
Return to Cuzco
Day 7 River Rafting
Flight to Lima

Judging from the photos in the travel brochure, I would love to see Machu Picchu and Lima's San Francisco Monastery. Do you have any recommendations or advice?

[OldLeftieLawyer]

14. Wow!

That's a lot to do in seven days. Lima's a HUGE city and the traffic is nuts, so don't bet on doing a whole lot there on your second day - when you're also going to be very tired from the flight.

Seriously, if I had a day in Lima, I'd try to get to the beach - any beach - there are some beauties. The Museums are hard work, and the best museums - seriously - are privately owned, so tourists miss out on much.

The Monastery is a monastery, and very beautiful, but it's a trek, too, as I recall.

Keep in mind, by the way, that when you fly into Cuzco, you're going up about 13,000 feet, and you are going to be hit with "suroche" - altitude sickness, which is terribly debilitating. The cure - first time I got hit with it - was coca tea, which was served as a soup or tea in the hotel dining room. Yeah, it's made from coca leaves, so I doubt that cure is still available, although there are people who can help. You will not be able to move around very easily, since breathing will be difficult for you and your red blood cells will discover that they're the wrong shape, so they won't be able to absorb enough oxygen to keep you energized.

Walk very, very, very slowly. Sip, don't gulp, water. And, if you find yourself bleeding out of your ears or nose - yeah, this happened to me when I tried to move normally right after I got off the plane in Cuzco, just sit down and it'll stop.

The best rest you'll get will be the trip up to MP. How's that for irony?

I think seven days is unrealistic for this kind of trip, especially with the altitude sickness factor. Be careful. I'd never undertake this short a trip to this location, but, as long as you're going, don't miss the escabache de corbina anywhere in Lima, and if you come across street vendors selling anticuchos, be aware that they're marinated and charcoaled beef heart chunks, and they are GREAT. Peruvian beef ain't Argentinian, but it's not bad.

Peru, by the way, has great ice cream. Go figure.

Don't drink the water or eat anything you can't peel. The aqueduct system in Lima predates Christ.

I love that country.

Have fun.

[Sacajawea]

15. OLL....I was there in 1965 as a 16-year-old exchange student.

Like you, I have a very special place in my heart for all things Peruvian.

I lived with a family in Lima for the entire summer of '65. I also made the flight to Cuzco and took that amazing train ride up to MP. I have great pictures (Kodachrome slides!!! Kodachrome...that gives you those nice bright pictures!).

But it's funny. I have absolutely no recollection of the altitude or being sick or feeling weak. I don't think I was, and I definitely didn't experience that bleeding you mentioned.

Ah...anticuchos! I probably haven't heard that word in 40 years. Being a vegetarian, I never tried them. But I do remember the smell of them on the streets of Lima.

I remember visiting a cathedral in Lima and seeing the bones of Franciso Pizarro (more Kodachrome memories), as well as a multitude of neatly lined up skulls in the catacombs under the cathedral.

I also kissed a boy for the first time that summer. I think I'll dig out those slides for a trip down memory lane. :D

[laureloak]

17. What sweet memories.

My son who is going on this trip is also 16. I hope he brings back at least a couple of dozen photos, but ... well, you know how boys are.


Any advice or recommendations for a 16 yr old in Peru?

[laureloak]

16. Thank you so much for the information.

You can't imagine how helpful you've been. The tour is June 4th and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't researched it at all. I called my Dr. after you mentioned altitude sickness and she said it shouldn't be a problem as long as he didn't already have respiratory problems or insufficient iron.

Another thing I've wondered is whether he might be able to see the Nacza lines?
And another thing, if you don't mind, please tell me what escabache de corbina is.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

18. So glad to help

Your doctor has no idea what he's talking about.

The thinness of the air in Cuzco is amazing, so heed what I said, and forget the doctor - it's not about the iron, it's about how the red blood cells can absorb the available oxygen from the blood - in Cuzco, and other high-altitude places, indigenous folks' red blood cells are flattened ovals, with a larger surface area, the better to take in the necessary oxygen. We're not built like that, so we can get into trouble.

So, go slow up there, and, by the way, the sunlight is much more dangerous since you're up so high, so sunscreen, cover up, hats and the best sunglasses you can afford. Seriously.

That light there, though, is amazing. You'll take incredible photographs. It's so clear - if the weather holds.

As for your son seeing the Lines, I think that would require a CIA connection. I swear. Not realistic, I suspect.

I might have spelled that dish incorrectly, but here's the recipe I've used for all these years - a nice firm white fish like cod works best - and, boy, have we enjoyed it! (I also have the beef heart recipe, if you ever want it - its marinade works great on regular steaks, too!)

ESCABECHE de CORBINA (cod)

2 lbs. fillets of cod (or other white fish), boned and cut in 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teapoon curry powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oil
3 garlic cloves,finely chopped
3 green peppers, julienned
3 medium onions, julienned
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
salt to taste
1 bay leaf
dash of paprika

Season the fish with the garlic salt, paprika, white pepper and curry powder. Dip the pieces in the flour and fry them in hot oil until lightly browned. Drain and place in a glass bowl or Pyrex dish.

Take the fish out of the oil and add the garlic, pepper and onion slices and cook from 3 to 5 minutes. Place the vegetables in a bowl and add the vinegar, water,salt,bay leaf and paprika. Mix well. Pour this mixture over the fish and let cool. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Serve cold.

Again, glad to help, and have a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful trip, but don't forget to stay very hydrated, and go slow.

Come back and tell me all about it, will you?

[laureloak]

21. That sounds delicious

and I'm always looking for new recipes. I'd love to see the beef recipe too, if you don't mind sharing. I don't think I'll use it on hearts though.

Do you remember mosquito's being a problem there?

[Seabiscuit]

19. My wife and I honeymooned at Cuzco and Machu Picchu

following our second wedding in Lima (for her large Peruvian family) in 1999.

Cuzco isn't quite 13,000 feet. It sits at an altitude of 11,203 feet (http://www.access-able.com/tales/feature-6-cusco.html).

Machu Picchu is lower at 8,000 feet (http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/PerIncaTrail.htm). So the train ride actually descends from Cuzco 3,000 feet, so that's probably why you felt reprieved going there from Cuzco. To put Machu Picchu in perspective for American hikers, it's about 800 feet below the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park (where the valley floor is about 4,000 feet).

The altitude at Machu Picchu shouldn't bother anyone, really.

And to bring you up to date, yes, they still serve coca tea in Cuzco for altitude sickness. In fact, anyone can buy bags of coca leaves at the outdoor market places in Cuzco. The Incans don't smoke it - they chew the leaves and use them in tea - the mild high they get from chewing the leaves helps them work harder in the high altitudes. Unfortunately, over the years, this habit destroys their teeth and gums.

Although some relatives told us about what a picturesque train ride it was from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, we decided to fly there by helicopter instead. It's a lot quicker.

As for altitude sickness, it doesn't affect everyone the same way. Some people get off the plane and it hits them right away. Others, like my wife and I weren't affected at all except when climbing the long steep stairs to our hotel. By the time we arrived in the lobby we were completely out of breath and had to sit down for awhile. The coca tea doesn't get you high, but if you're suffering from altitude sickness it can help. If you're not sick it has no effect at all.

One thing that does have an effect on you in Cuzco when you're not sick is champagne. Sip it slowly - the bubbly really gets you drunk a lot faster than ordinary wine.

Oh, and one thing to make your stay up there really unforgettable. Look up at the sky at night - you can literally see forever - there are a lot more stars visible at that altitude on a clear night.

[Township75]

3. Thank God I saw it in 2004.

I remember being there and wondering how something like this could last so long on the steep slopes of a mountain. Even without tourists, it always looked to me as if it should erode away.

[bleedingheart]

4. How nice....damaged during Beer commercial ...

ugh!!!

[mitchtv]

5. It was beautiful when I was there in'72

They were still uncovering things. Already there was a problem with litter

[henslee]

6. Soution... Open a Costco down the streeet, to relieve traffic congestion.

Duh.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

7. I got there the day

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated back here in America.

April, 1968. No one was allowed to go down into the ruins, which is how it should have stayed. Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu - even today, the photos are amazing.

Best trip I ever made. In spite of the narrow-gauge train that was one of the scariest things I've ever encountered.

On the other hand, I didn't get out of Cuzco for a few weeks, and, well, oh, never mind....................

[Bacchus39]

10. Macchu Picchu was restored when it was rediscovered in 1911

it was covered by layers of soil and vegetation. It was reconstructed as best the archaeologists were able to determine it actually was when the Incas inhabited the area.

surely they can make the necessarily repairs now in 2006.

[alarimer]

12. Is there any decent place left not ruined by tourise hordes?

And can we keep them a secret??

[Bo]

20. Machu Picchu City

The little town below the ancient city where one takes a bus up to the ruins has become quite a interesting little place to drink a coffee stay overnight and meet people from all over the world. the Thermal baths that are located outside of town a 5 minute walk are a "MUST DO" after a long day of climbing up and down mountains on top of the worlds "Belly Button" as Incas used to call it. And the actual living Inca town of Ollantaytambo is also very mystical to travelers from all over the world it sits in the sacred valley and contains the "Seat of the Inca" You wont believe this but real estate prices have Soared in the Sacred Valley with Europeans building second homes there to retire. Who would have thought it?