Too Machu

2 Hours South of Cuzco, Peru

We've spent the last 28 hours trapped in a surreal little room, slowly making our way from Lima to Cuzco to see the famed ruins of Machu Picchu. Somehow, we got stuck in the tiny 6-seat section in the belly of the Royale bus, separated from the other forty-odd passengers on the trip. On occasion, another passenger has joined us, and our bus-steward comes by every once in a while to give us sandwiches or watch Shaolin Soccer (dubbed in spanish) with us. But, for the most part, Mike and I have ben stuck in this poorly-lit piece of reality all by our lonesome. It's been kind of strange watching Peru pass us by wrapped in our hermetically-sealed prison. I, for one, am ready to get off.

Our original plan had us swinging by Cuzco a week or so from now, and then hiking the four-day Inca Trail up to Machu Picchu. For me, this was the real draw of coming up this way. Spending four days roughing it through the Peruvian jungles, passing by crumbling ruins, culminating in a sunset view of the ultimate in ancient cities. Pretty frickin' sweet.
But, alas, it is not to be.
Apparently, due increasing regulations by the Peruvian government, getting permission to hike the Inca Trail is both expensive and time-consuming. One person I was talking to said that we really should have started the process two weeks ago. But, because we were trying to do it so late, it was severely limiting our choices and forcing us to run around like idiots and jump through some possibly scam-laden hoops in order to secure our spot. Sufficiently soured on the process, we decided to give the hike a pass. For a while, I was considering giving Machu Picchu the pass altogether, but Mike convinced me otherwise. Coming to Peru ain't exactly cheap, so missing out on it's crown jewel while I'm here would be a shame.

Anyway, to sum up. Peru. No hikie. 30 hour bus. Prisoner. Almost in Cuzco. Go Machu Picchu! Damn.