Machu Picchu

We arrived in Cusco, Peru in the afternoon and as I pulled my backpack off the conveyer belt I got my first taste of high altitude. I felt short of breath just from walking to the van and loading my bag. The altitude did not make me feel sick but I was constantly aware of my breathing as we walked around. I appreciated the coca tea when we arrived at the hostel!

The first night we went all out for Peruvian food. We ordered aji de gallina, alpaca brochette, quinoa soup, and cuy...aka whole roasted guinea pig. The guinea pig came cut in half with the innards and brain exposed and still had teeth and claws. I dug right in and was fairly impressed with the taste of the meat but was put-off by the number of small bones that I had to sort through.

I woke up early the next morning in anticipation of Machu Picchu. When I used to think about South America the most frequent images that I would see belong in Peru. For me, the Indigenous groups, high peaks of the Andes, and Amazon jungle lowlands of Peru epitomized South America. I've learned a lot more about the continent since then but I was excited to be in Peru and experience these images.

We walked to the colectivo station and found a taxi that was headed to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is a small town in the Sacred Valley that serves as the starting point for many trips to Machu Picchu. The ride to Ollantaytambo was spectacular and my face was glued to the window the entire time. We climbed up a ridge beside Cusco and were able to see the entire city before descending into the next valley. As we drove (sped) along the road we passed small towns, traditional farms, and incredible mountain and valley views. Ollantaytambo sits on the Urubamba River and has Incan ruins alongside traditional Peruvian houses. The hour-long PeruRail ride follows the banks of the Urubamba River and goes from dry mountain valleys to a semi-jungle landscape. We had the front seats on the train and enjoyed the best view out of all the passengers.

The next morning in Aguas Calientes we woke up at 3:00am and were outside in line for the bus by 3:45. We took advantage of the entrepreneurs that were selling coca tea and sandwiches while we waited for the first bus to depart at 5.

The bus climbed some of the steepest switchbacks I have ever seen on the way up to the Machu Picchu entrance. We made it in time and were among the lucky visitors that got tickets to climb Waynu Picchu at 7am. As we made our way to the start of the hike we watched the first rays of sun come over the mountains and move across the Incan ruins. It was absolutely spectacular and worth waking up at 3am to see.

The climb up Waynu Picchu was challenging and steep but rewarding. As we reached the top we found ourselves walking along rock cliffs that plummeted into the valley below. I was a little unnerved but once we reached the very top we were away from the cliffs. From high above Machu Picchu we could look down on the alpacas sleeping in the ruins. We picnicked near the top before climbing back down to explore the ruins.

We spent another night in Aguas Calientes but were unable to sleep in because the check-out time was 9am. Our train was at 2pm so we perused the handicrafts market and had a long lunch (that we bargained for and ended up paying $4 for an appetizer, main course, dessert, pisco sour, and juice). When we arrived at the train station we were told that our train had been changed and that we would have to wait another 2 hrs. As we sat down another train pulled in and started to load. We went back to the ticket booth and asked why we couldn't be on that train but were simply told that we couldn't. Since that is not an acceptable response we asked another employee and started arguing our case. Everyone else with our tickets had been notified in advance of the change and did not have to wait. As the man got more and more frustrated with us I was presented to "the boss" and we managed to get seats on the train. Take that PeruRail; three girls can travel alone.