Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Hiram Bingham, re-discoverer
of Machu Picchu, "noticed a name and a date scrawled, apparently
with charcoal, on one of the walls. On closer examination he was able
to make out the name, 'Lizarraga,' and the year, '1902.' Clearly the ruins
had had at least one other visitor" prior to Bingham's 1911 visit.
From Hiram Bingham, Explorer
The Goodbye Boy at Machu Picchu
A lad about 11 years old shouts to the bus leaving Machu Picchu, "Goodbye!"
A few people notice him and the bus starts down the mountain, moving through
a series of traverses and hairpin turns. After the first turn, in the
middle of the traverse, a boy pops up beside the road and shouts, "Goodbye!"
Several people chuckle. After another turn and traverse, here's a boy
shouting "Goodbye!" Now the bus passengers are wondering if
the same boy is appearing at every traverse, and watch for him. By the
time the bus reaches the bottom of the mountain, everybody is watching
for him and
laughing, and we finally notice that he is taking an old Inca staircase
straight down the mountain, descending faster than a motor vehicle even
though he isn't wearing Nikes. At the bottom of the mountain, the bus
driver stops and lets him come on board to ask for tips. He's good entertainment;
well worth a sole or two.
From Destination Peru, Lonely Planet