It is criminal how the government (both fed and local) withholds vital funding for the people. I have heard some horror stories from people who’ve dealt with various city mayors in the last two years on humanitarian issues.

One mayor in southern Peru was approached by an international aid agency to bring medical care to his town after the Aug ‘07 earthquake. The mayor told my friend (who is an administrator for the NGO) that in order to have his permission to “work” in the area, the NGO would have to pay for the mayor and his wife to fly to Spain for a two-week vacation. Seriously.

The guy refused to budge until he was given the stupid trip. Meanwhile, his constituents were dying in the street. Disgusting.

In all seriousness I agree the popularity of Machupicchu is something to be handled with care. There are definitely challenges ranging from the condition of the site to the poverty of the immediate area and the unabashed development here in Cusco.

I agree with Rachel as well. I once read in a Lima newspaper that “Peru is a poor country because Peruvians act like poor people”. When the government sees any money, they’ll take it – even though what they give up in return may be much more valuable than money.

Ward
Cusco

I agree it is a load of something.

Last year there was a piece on one of the Peruvian news programs that compared entrance prices to the “New Wonders” sites and MP came in as the most expensive.

Not only is it expensive, but for a foreigner traveling independently the ticket purchasing process can be quite confusing.

The government and the media are going to make the Hilton/Maxim visit a bigger deal than it should be, unfortunately.

If it wasn’t for the beauty and mysticism of Cuzco and MP, my trip would not have been worth the expensive price tag.

I had to smile (somewhat bitterly) at the comments made by your husband’s friend that MP was better during the Shining Path years. How ironic. He may be right, as far as the site’s being less crowded.

I visited MP for the first time in 1995, and it wasn’t overrun with tourists then. We happened to arrive on a date when there was a full moon, so we left the park at 5 (as mandated), waited several hours, and then paid a small fee to be admitted to again to tour the ruins at night.

There were about 10 tourists total wandering around Machu Picchu that night. We were outnumbered by the llamas, actually. With the full moon overhead casting deep shadows among the ruins, it was magical. I doubt that you could have that experience today without paying some outrageous fee to stay at the on-site hotel.

MP is a jet set destination, b/c it has become so expensive to visit. 60% of Peru’s tourists are comprised of Mochileros or Backpackers. A visit to MP puts a big dent in their wallets.

I’m not excited about Hilton and Maxim’s visit either. I think it only contributes to government greed, high tourist prices and more importantly ignores the more serious social issues at hand.

My husband has a Peruvian friend who has been visiting Machu Picchu for over 20 years and he prefers the MP of the terrorists’ days, because it was “as if you had the entire place to yourself.”

It’s amazing that the government claims they are going to run out of funding to maintain the sanctuary, yet they are encouraging outrageous numbers of visitors that overwhelms and compromises the integrity of the ruins.