Life of Ford: Machu Picchu

So after clearing out of the plane in Santiago, Mark pretty much bolted to make his flight back to the US and I was left at the baggage claim with no concrete plans, reservations, or obligations for another 3 weeks. I eventually got my bags, asked around how to get to the bus station, walked outside, waited for 30 seconds, got on a bus that I hoped went to the bus station, asked a guy to tell me when to get off, and luckily everything worked out and I ended up on the steps of the bus terminal. I thought i might have to spend the night there but I figured I might as well try to get a bus (it was midnight by this point). From the blogs i had read and advice i had been given, I knew the next city i had to get to was Arica- the northernmost border town of Chile. I hesitantly approached the first counter I saw open, not expecting much success, only to be told to get my butt moving b/c they had a bus leaving for Arica in 10 minutes. Talk about relief. So I sprinted around the terminal (which a 60 pound pack on my back and a drawstring bag flying around on my chest), withdrew some cash, got some sketch pre-made sandwiches, and booked it to my bus. I knew i was in it for the long haul, so i got my kindle, ipod, and Bible and took my seat. Many movies, a book or two, several hours of music, a buncha Jesus time, and 32 hours later i arrived in Arica at 5am on December 27th.
Luckily, I made a friend on the bus and he told me the best way to get across the border. We had to wait at the terminal for about an hour, then the taxi service next door opened up and we (along with a family of 3) piled into a private taxi-for-hire to take us across the border to Tacna, Peru. At this point I was still a novato traveler and didn't know or think to keep every piece of paper i got while crossing borders. Apparently, at some point while crossing into Chile to go to easter island, I was given some 2inch by 3inch piece of paper that i had to keep to get out of the country. I definitely didn't keep it, and it was definitely a big deal. if it weren't for my friend who talked the border agent into writing a new one for me, I would have had to go back to Arica, go to some government office, and spend only god knows how many hours and dollars to get things set straight. So by the grace of God and words of my friend, we eventually got across the border and into Peru. Once we arrived in Peru, my friend (a 30-something dentist) offered me to use his shower and made me allow him to buy my breakfast (I guess he could tell I was a cheap college kid). I'm convinced he was an angel.
After breakfast, I went to the bus terminal and caught a bus to Arequipa. On that bus I made another friend who was giving me all sorts of advice on what cities were safe and what were dangerous (not that it changed my path at all, but it was still nice to know). After arriving in Arequipa, I bought a bus ticket to Cuzco that left an hour later. We bused through the night to Cuzco, and I quickly hopped on a minibus to another bus terminal to get to Santa Maria. I wish I had spent more time in Cuzco, but I had to make it to Machu Picchu before January 1- when all the tickets were sold out for the next month. The bus ride to Santa Maria was gorgeous- rushing rivers tore through the winding valleys that were enclosed by endless mountains completely plastered in green of forests and undergrowth. From there I was pretty much forced into a taxi (with 3 other locals- at this point i hadn't seen a white person in 3 days or so) that took me to Santa Teresa. From there, i was again hurried into another taxi/minibus thing that took a load of us down the bumpy, dirt path that led down through the valley to the hydroelectric plant. En route to the plant we stopped, the driver and the guide got out to assess the condition of a ford (water crossing). It had been raining pretty hard all day and the ford looked impassible. They decided to go for it. With water up to our windows, we barely made it through.
Eventually we all got out and started the 3 hour over rivers, through the woods, and along the train tracks. I was having a good conversation with an Argentine who was in the navy (he was telling me of all his travels around the world during his deployments) when i looked up and saw some strangly American looking kids coming our direction. Before i could even give a second take, Daniel Mattox, Daniel Lander, and Wil Fisher were all sprinting towards me with arms wide open. Talk about finding a needle in a haystack. We talked, laughed, and told stories for about half an hour on those train tracks and then continued on our separate ways, they had a train to catch, and i wanted to reach Aguas Calientes before nightfall. Seeing them was such a boost to my moral, not that i was doing bad by any means, but still it made me so happy to see them. Eventually i got to AC and found a hostel, showered, and chilled for a bit. While walking around town a bit later, i ran into my Argentine friends and had dinner with them. They all had the full guinea pig platter- a peruvian delicacy.
The next day was spent exploring the town, buying my MP ticket, buying souvenirs, hanging in the hot springs (met a pilot from Ft. Worth), chilling, reading, and having a nice dinner by myself at a restaurant right on the river (they even had a small trout-farm operation going on). I couldn't sleep that night with the anticipation of the next day. I couldn't believe i was about to surmount one of the wonders of the world. I was about to do something many only see in movies, read in books, or dream about in their sleep. Pretty surreal. After killing some time by walking around the city at 3am, i eventually made my way to the gate at the base of the mountain. I was the first to arrive but I had to wait 15 minutes for the gate to open. By that time a good group of people had gathered to do the same thing i set out to do- to be among the first in the park. The gate finally opened after what seemed like years and i started booking it up the mountain. Even with a few wrong turns here and there, I was the first one up- made it in about half an hour. Once i reached the top i had to wait another 40 min for the entrance to the park itself to open up. Talk about agony. I eventually got in, booked it to the Sun Gate for the sunrise, and came back and did Machu Picchu Mountain (different than Huaynapicchu). That hike was TOUGH. Literally 1.5 hours (for most people) straight of the steepest stairs you've ever seen in your life. No flat parts, hardly any break points. The prize at the top was well worth it. I was the first one up and I was lucky to have several solid minutes of alone time up there. The view was literally breathe-taking. That term gets thrown around a lot but it was very relevant and true for what i saw. The ruins, thousands of feet below still appeared free of the congestion of people to come, the fog was still looming in the valleys surrounding MP, the sun was causing the fog and clouds to glow a brilliant orange- making the mountain appear to be engulfed by raging fires on all sides, the adjacent mountains grew so high that the dense rain-forests ceased to grow- leaving rocky, grey, sharp mountain tops piercing the brilliantly blue skyline, and the raging river of chocolate-y water rushed through the main valley in both directions for as far as the eye could see. If there ever were a place too beautiful to be done justice by words, poems, songs, or pictures, this was it. Never had I seen such a sight as magnificent as this.That view made all the thousands of miles, multiple buses, several taxis, meals of alfajores, and sleepless nights worth it. After descending the mountain, I dwaddled around all the ruins, eavesdropping on English-speaking guided tours at locations i deemed interesting enough. It was pretty surreal walking around a place that was so ancient, yet so perfectly preserved. Very cool experience all-around.
I then hiked back down the rest of the mountain, went back into town, got my stuff, and headed back the way i came. Along the way back, i got poured down upon. Luckily i was prepared with a buncha rain gear and so I wasn't too bad off. it was quite enjoyable to be honest. Felt like it was some scene out of a movie- some homeless looking kid, walking stooped over with his backpack, head covered by his hood, walking down some train tracks, wading through mud, and eventually making it to the end of a rainbow. This was the beginning of my journey towards Lake Titicaca.

(the below pictures are not mine, I lost my camera later in my journey : / - details to come...)