After Huallay we decided it was time to do some touristy stuff so naturally Machu Picchu was on our minds. We took the night bus back to Lima and went back to our usual hostel. That night we went to the sushi joint again for dinner and killed it on the all you can each sushi menu. Super proud I went to sleep with a full tummy. I’m sad to report, I got food poisoned again. It wasn’t as bad as the first time, but seriously now, is food poisonings ever not bad? Ill spare the details. So, after an extra day in Lima recovering I found myself sitting in the bus terminal of Cruz Del Sur which looked more like an airport then a bus stop.
After a long but fairly easy 20 hour bus ride, we made it south to the ancient city of Cuzco. One thing about the bus that I thought was funny was in the beginning of the trip they announce that you’re only aloud to pee in the toilet, no number two. They expected us call the attendant to our seats and then get the bus (which was full) to stop. Luckily neither of us had to go, but wouldn’t it be embarrassing to have to stop the bus and then run to a washroom and poo with the whole bus staring at you? Oh, another thing about night busses. As soon as it’s past 11pm, the driver rages it. If you have fear of going around hairpin corners at mach 10 with the bus almost tipping over and your body lunging back and forth in your seat, take the day bus.
Cuzco is massive. I had no idea it was such a large city. It’s nestled in a wide valley at around 3000 meters, with old steep cobbled roads winding their way up the mountain between colonial buildings that are literally built on top of Inca ruins. The main square is Plaza de Armas and although I typically hate touristy spots this one was really impressive. There is a massive cathedral which looks hundreds of years old and a big church with 2 massive bell towers that Cati and I are going to try and climb up. Catis Grandma sent her an email and supposedly there’s a painting of one of their ancestors on the wall so we plan on searching it out when we climb the towers. I read that when the Spanish conquered the Incas in Cuzco, they built the church with the bell towers on top of one of the royal Inca palaces. Ouch.
We got our stuff off the bus, took some lady’s advice on a cheap hostel and just like that we were settled in our new surroundings. We spent the afternoon walking around city following wrong directions looking for a Guiding Company that was supposed to have information about climbing spots and maybe even crash pads for rent. We didn’t find it, however we did find an adobe oven clad restaurant and stuffed our faces with yummy, artisan pizza.
The next morning we called Andean Destinations and got a name of a local climber. They didn’t have pads to rent but at least we got a number. David answered his phone right away and was just about to go climbing. We met him down by the plaza and started walking. We walked for 15 minutes, took a bus for another 10 then walked for another 45. On the way he showed us an old cave temple where the Incas used to do rituals. As we walked past old ruins he also told us to be home by dark. 8 years ago, apparently there was a satanic cult practicing in the area and a few years back a tourist was found dead. Home before dark, check...
The rock at the spot we finally came up to was decent. Nothing special but worth finding if you’re in Cuzco and craving some stones to climb. While we were there we met a crazy Spanish expat who we had heard about. All we heard is “He’s easy to find.” We climbed with him for a bit and he told us that he found a lady would sew crash pads for him. All the materials and labour would cost $30 dollars. After hearing this we promptly put in an order for one. Apparently well have it in 3 days...Love it.
That night we both agreed we were feeling restless and it was time to make the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. There are multiple options to get there with the touristy expensive ones being at the bottom on our list and riding a motorcycle there being on the top. We looked into the motorcycle idea but being as it was the rainy season and apparently the road is a death trap as it is, we opted out of that one. So, it was either take the train which would cost in the hundreds our do the more economic route and take public transportation which involved one 5 hour bus ride to Santa Maria, another 1.5 hour cab to Santa Teresa then another 1 hour cab to Hydro Electrica. After this a short walk to a Train access only town called Augas Caliente.
We decided on the eco bus mission and thinking it was easy, we woke up at 730, leisurely packed our stuff up that we needed and put the rest in storage, had the usual toast, jam, and coffee and then walked down to the plaza to get some money from the ATM. We went to 4 different ATMs and not a single one would let us withdraw more than $200US. Any other city we’ve been in you can take almost $400 but here, being the tourist trap it is, $200 would have to do. This wouldn’t be a problem in my home country but here, it costs $5 every time you use your card.
The bus terminal was buzzing and seeing how it was already 1045am this was no surprise. We asked around at the various counters and ended up at the one going to Santa Maria. The lady was a real cow and told us it was either take the bus at 130pm which would be too late or, with a smirk she said “You could always take a helicopter.” Such helpful people you run into at you shoestring travel. Yes I know this isn’t some tour bus company and she probably doesn’t make much but is sarcasm really nessaccery? A solid fuck you in our minds and a polite “thanks but no thanks” from our mouths and we were out of the terminal.
We had heard from a few locals that you can also take a minivan and they park just up the street. Along the way we met a couple of 20 something yr old French tourists who were clearly traveling for the first time. Something about the way people dress and the way they talk about money and such. It just seemed obvious. Anyways, we walked up the street with these two and found a private taxi company. They wanted 35 soles each which wasn’t really that bad as the bus was 20. We were trying to knock the price down a few soles and they aggressively told the driver they would pay 25 and no more. I felt like telling them that frowning, scowling and raising your voice isn’t the way to negotiate. Watching them talk to this driver, Cati and I said gracias but no thanks and tried to slip away from the couple. The wandered back to the terminal but then half jogged and caught up to us as we continued up the street. We found a mini bus that was about to leave and got it for 25 soles. The good thing about a minivan about to leave is it’s about to leave. The bad part? It’s packed and there are only seats in the middle which are barely even seats. More like hard wooden benches with pads on them.
The drive we bumpy and cramped with Cati riding in the very back squished between a snoring lady passed out on her shoulder and a motion sick mother and 1 year old both puking yellow liquid into a bag. Up until the puking, I envied here because I was in the middle of the van with my legs unable to stretch out and me head not able to lean on anything. Awful. To make things worse the French guy was sticking his camera in every ones face so he could get shots out the window. What a douche bag. The coolest part of the drive is the switch backs with creeks running over the roads. No culverts, they just built the road through the creek and you drive through 6 inches of water as it flows over the pavement.
After 4.5 hours of hell with a short stop where I observed our brakes smoking we made it to our first destination, Santa Maria. There were a few guys with cabs waiting for our minivan. We already knew 10 soles was the going rate so without problem we were out of our minivan and into the cab. The french however thought this was too much. They put their packs in our cab, and then said they needed to go get a bag of chips from the nearby store. They weren’t fooling anyone; we watched them walk around the road asking other cabs for rides while we waited in the hot car. They came back and tried bargaining with no luck and making another scene. Embarrassing for them and annoying for us. The guy kept saying, “Go ask anyone, that’s the price!” as the whole town watched. They were actually arguing over 60 cents...wow...
After their scene they agreed to come with us and we made it to Santa Teresa without incident. The road was bumpy and not paved and it zigged and zagged dangerously close to a 100 meter drop with no barricade. Most roads don’t bother me but this one was intense and to make it wore the cabbie was wearing headphones blasting Red Hot Chile Peppers and honking super loud as we skidded around blind corners. What I didn’t get was, if he was honking so the other guy could hear him, how he was going to hear oncoming cars honking at him...
We ditched the two French in Santa Teresa and then continued on another dirty bumpy crazy road which winded through a dried up river bed. Next stop, Hydro Electrica. Oh, and the French who didn’t want to pay 10 soles to take a cab? Pulled out 100 soles to pay for it. Lame Lame Lame. As we were driving on the road in the river bed, Cati and I put it together that there’s a Dam up stream at Hydro Electrica and this is why the river is dry and we are driving in it. This wouldn’t be allowed in Canada for sure!
At Hydro Electrica we checked in with the tourists check point and signed in. From there you have to walk along the tracks. We walked for an hour or so, taking photos and generally strolling leisurely. As it started to get dark we picked up the pace a bit. Every corner we walked around we hoped we were there. It was pretty much dark when we saw the lights of a train coming. As it got closer we realized it was a service car. A small square 5 meter by 5 meter box with a diesel engine. We stuck out thumbs out and it stopped!! We squeezed in and laughed as it took off. We had just hitch hiked on a train track... I really didn’t know that was possible. They did want a few bucks for the ride but after th0 15 minutes ride on the service car we realized it would have taken us a few more hours.
We rolled into Aquas Caliente in the pitch black just as it started to rain. We bought tickets for Machu Picchu and found a hostel. Things are in the low season around hear so hostels are cheap and restaurants have people in front trying desperately to get you to come inside. Aquas Caliente is a resort town but with not so much money. There is tons of restaurants with wood fire places, hotels, and overpriced everything else u can think of. We didn’t really explore because the plan was to be up at 3am to grab coffee and then be on the trail by four.
We woke at 3am, got out the door by 350 and made it to the coffee shop by 4 something. The guy told us we were kind of early so we sat down. After our coffees we walked the 15 minutes down the dirt road to the gate. There were a few couples ahead of us waiting and while we waited for the gate to open a dozen others showed up. Some people looked super serious like they had been training to do this their whole life. One lady in particular had her game face on but the other two dudes looked pretty chill and were taking photos and talking. She just sat there staring, ready to rock.
When the gate opened Cati and I didn’t even line up. Serious lady on the other hand had her nose right on the gate and was not going to let anybody be number one. Someone needs to tell her it’s not a race...jeez... We packed our sweaters into our packs then started. We were behind maybe 12 people. The trail is basically just a bunch of steps made from stone which were made by the Incas. As it winds its way through the jungle I realized what an impressive feat it was just to make these steps... The trail was steep, but nothing too bad. Cati and I had been at 4300 meters in Huallay and Hatun climbing and hiking with heavy packs. Today as we hiked up to Machu we were at 1800 meters and had basically no extra weight.
Less than 10 minutes into the hike a few people in front of us had to stop. A few more minutes a few more people. After 20 Minutes it was serious lady and one of her friends and then Cati and I behind her. He buddy was huffing and puffing and had to stop. She was trudging ahead with no mercy until then but stopped with her friend. Cati and I were now in the front. We continued 10 minutes more and 30 minutes after we started we were at the top! There was 4 more Ausie guys right behind us but we were first!! Thousands of people come to Machu Picchu a day but we were number one at the gate. One more thing about being one of the firsts is that the first 400 people get a free ticket to access a mountain called Waynu Pichu. Oh, and serious lady? We saw her come up maybe 10th and she had ditched both her friends and was scowling at Cati and I... haha... again, not a race lady, but we we beat you!! Hahaha
The gates at the top opened at 600am and by now the sun was up and lighting up the clouds that swirled around the mountains. I’m not going to describe the sacred ruins that much because you can look at my photos, and to be honest, seeing it in person is the only way to do such a place justice. To be one of the first in the ruins has its benefits. We snapped a whole bunch of photos of all the different ruins with no one in our shots. The rock walls, tiers and stairs were incredible. I don’t know where they got the rocks to do this or how they lifted such massive stones. We walked through the maze of paths and stairs and made it to the gate of Waynu Pichu... There was a small line in front of us and we started the hike around 730 am... This mountain was a lot steeped to climb. The clouds were all around us and the misty ruins, and steps winding up this steep jungle path had a very mystical feel... It took us 40 minutes of steep climbing and we made it to the top. Literally standing on top of a mountain peak with century old ruins perched on top. Again, I couldn’t understand how they created it. We hung out for a while and then walked back down. Our legs were burning and wobbly and we had to take extra care as we walked the hundreds of steep stairs down. It was al lot busier in the main ruins and a lot cloudier. We had lucked out because when we arrived it was cloudy but clearer. As well, it was starting to rain. We walked slowly through the ruins on the way back to the exit taking our time to savour the ancient stones. Outside, every 5 minutes tour busses unloaded more people. Raining harder, Cati and I were happy to start the decent back down to the town. My legs ached and my eyes burned from lack of sleep and we had to take extra care not to sleep on the wet rock stairs... We made it back to town, ate some food and took a nap. I woke up and felt compelled to write this. As I’m sitting here I can feel my legs ache and I can’t wait to get out of this over priced tourist trap. That being said, seeing the ruins at the top is something I wouldn’t change for the world.
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