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April 17th 2008

Published: April 17th 2008

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Team JuMa

Ready to head to Machu Picchu

outside our hostel in Ollantaytambo

Julie - Finally the day had dawned when we were to go to Machu Picchu. Our train left Ollantaytambo station at midday and took 1 1/2 hours to arrive in Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs) which is the town at the bottom of the hill from Machu Picchu. It is a very small but lively town with some many restaurants and hotels it´s not funny. We had booked the Wiracocha Inn, a hotel a bit above our usual price range at $55. We were expecting great luxury for that price, considering our other hostels have cost so far around $25-$30 a night. Unfortunately, we had picked wrong again...the hotel was clean but did not have a TV and was just as basic as our other places. The breakfast the next morning was nothing to rave about either. It seems everything is more expensive in Aguas Calientes because of its location. There are no roads into the town...you have to either go by train or by hiking the Inca trail which is a three day walk from Ollantaytambo.

We had arrived in the early afternoon so we had lunch and then walked up the hill to the Hot Springs that the town

Getting off the train in Aguas Calientes

Now where´s the hotel?

is known for. They are little more now than concrete baths that dirty backpackers frequent. Marco braved the waters that are supposedly medicinal but as soon as I saw all the young people there, just returned from the ruins and trekking the Inca trail, I declined!

We went to bed early that night and were up at 5am to have a quick breakfast then catch the bus up the hill to Machu Picchu. The bus takes about 1/2 hr and literally climbs up the hill, switching back and forth very close to the mountainside. A bit scary but the drivers are very experienced and drive the buses with great skill. We had bought our tickets the day before and Marco was lucky to be able to show his Australian passport that said his place of birth was Lima, Peru and get his ticket for half price. I paid full price, costing me $40 to enter. Machu Picchu itself is situated on a high mountain, but it is still only about 2,200 metres altitude, much lower than Cusco at 3,400 metres. We had no view to start with at 7am as there was heavy fog and a little rain. Our

Watch out...the train´s coming

Train through middle of Aguas Calientes

plastic ponchos came in handy. We climbed to the very top to start off with, and had to wait an hour and a half for the fog to clear before we got our spectacular view that everyone sees in the postcards. It was well worth the wait. There were not that many tourists there at the time so we were able to sit and appreciate the view of the ruins and the huge mountains all around.

We spent all up about 5 hours climbing up and down the ruins, seeing most of it before it got too hot at midday. We made our way back down the mountain on the bus and had a lovely lunch before killing time wandering around till our train left at 6pm. We are now back in Cusco for two days before heading to Lima on Saturday. Cusco and the Sacred Valley has been amazing and well worth seeing. We have enjoyed relaxing here together and Marco has seen his country up close for the first time really. Until our next blog...take care...J and M

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