July 13, 2008

               

Today I started working on a web project at Machu Picchu. It is amazing to me how one man's discovery, some 100 years ago, has shaped the history and cultural identity of an entire country. It seems that if a people tried to build a city that would allow them to live as close to their deities as possible—this might be the place.

The morning started early. I tried to beat the crowds and get to Machu Picchu before the sun rose, to no avail. When I arrived (before 6am) the line stretched down the street. The 30-minute bus trek delivered us there before the sun broke over the mountains and a thick fog still hung in the air. On the bus I sat next to a woman who has been a tour guide here for seven years. As we whipped up the narrow, one-lane dirt roads overlooking the valley below, I asked her how often there were accidents. "All the time," she said with a smile, before saying that they were actually very rare.

Loneliness and boredom are two things that can potentially drag me down in a serious way when I'm on the road. On a shoot like this working hours are limited and once you are done for the day it can be hard to stay motivated. After a couple hours of sitting alone in a dark hotel room, I forced myself to get up and do something. Peeking outside, I saw hundreds—if not thousands—of flying insects congregating around the porch light on my fifth floor balcony. Looking like dancing embers rising from a fire, they were beautiful and chaotic. Even if the resulting images don't do the scene justice, it was enough to rejuvenate me and put a smile on my face.

            

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