shall we take a nap???

(Manhattan's central park zoo)

a world wonder!!!!!!

the final results of the "new seven wonders of the world" contest have been just released and Machu Picchu, our amazing city, has been selected as one of them. This makes me feel extremely proud of the history of my country; but also concerned about the responsibility we will have to preserve this (as this means more publicity for the country, more money that will get there but more tourists, therefore, more weight on the stones, more careless people walking around, etc).

But today is all about celebrating the history and legacy of my amazing country: Peru. I will celebrate in NY though (where I am).

Drink a pisco sour on the name of Machu Picchu and plan to visit it soon. You'll never regret it.

Machu Pichu!!!!

It is always a pleasure to go to Cusco city. I haven't been there since 1994 and I have to say that Cusco city has changed a lot. The main square has very fancy restaurants and shops. It still has its magic though, but you can definitely see how much money is there. I remembered the streets filled with backpackers. But now, you can see rich tourists, along with the usual backpackers.

Some things haven't changed... like the extremely cute children asking you for "guan dolar mis" for a picture or a postcard.

Cusco keeps its magic. That same magic that makes you want to come once and again. Especially if you can have a cup of coffee with a friend while enjoying the view of the Cathedral at night.

And, of course, Mapi (Machu Pichu) remains as one of the most magical places in the world...

To get there you have three options (four if you are Peruvian): the backpacker train, the Vistadome (which we took) and the Hiram Bingham. This one is the most expensive and fancy one (each ticket costs around US$500) and is the one the "celebs" that come to Mapi take (like Cameron Diaz and Bill Gates last week). But for the normal working class people: the vistadome is a nice option (I will suggest you to take the Vistadome 2 and enjoy the show they give you during the 4 hr trip!!!!!). Moreover, the Vistadome 2 gives you a superb view of the Andes on your way back to Cusco city:

Also, the buses that take you up to Mapi are nice and organized (and ecological!!!). There are expensive hotels in Aguas Calientes (the town that is at the bottom of the mountain where Mapi is and where the train arrives) that weren't there 13 yrs ago.

One good thing is that they are restricting the number of people that can go up to the Wayna Pichu (the mountain behind Machu Pichu) and the number of people that can do the Inca's trail (if you would like to do it, you would have to book it at least 6 months in advance). They haven't put a fixed number of people that can enter the city of Mapi yet and I hope (even though that can be a pain in the neck for my job) they do it.

We have to take care of this world wonder, so our children would be able to enjoy it the way we can do now.