Macchu Picchu - the easy way (well at least it was supposed to be!)

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Just getting to the train was an experience in itself, after our trusty Adam sleeps in, and our efforts of waking up at 5am are wasted when we were left with 5 minutes to decide whether or not to jump into a taxi to make the train!

We get onto the cramped and appropriately named ¨backpacker class¨ train with mixed emotions - concerned with whether we would even have a guide when we get there, and regret knowing that we could have organised everything ourselves the way we always do and have had peace of mind all this time! And just when we thought things could only get better our train comes to a sudden halt and decides to reverse, for say a good 20 minutes or so. This continues during the trip, and after much consideration we can only attribute this to a driver who is asleep and misses the track changes, every time. Our engine then breaks down and we wonder whether we should get off and start our own Inca trail. But after a 6 hour or so trip (should have only taken 3.5) we arrive to a rainy dark and dreary day, and hoards of poncho sellers. (We try to forget that perhaps without Adam we would have made it the day before, when the sun was shining).
The tour gets off on a shaky start, disorganised in true Peruvian style, and Dan starts to get crowd phobia. We pile onto 2 buses and descend up a dangerously windy road. I reassure us both by noting that we can at least see our driver in the rear view mirror - but we notice that he looks like he has his eyes closed!
However, the magic of Macchu Picchu overwhelms us and prevails! We even manage to do away with our rain ponchos (which travelled with us all the way from Sydney causing us to stand out from the crowd - again- like white angels amongst locally purchased colourful ponchos) and see the ruins in the sun. From a distance the mystical town is breath taking, and up close wandering through, it feels surreal. Our guide, Johnny, is entertaining, and passionate, to the point of constantly shouting for our attention, and being irritated at everyone´s clicking cameras. We wander through the ruins on our own for a few hours and head to Aguas Calientes - I can´t wait to get to the hot springs.
After 3 for 1 drinks - with only 1 pisco sour, the national drink served with egg white that I cannot (or refuse to) acquire the taste for, we head to the hot springs. Dan thinks it is fortunate that we did so at night considering my germ phobia. They are not quite the springs I am expecting - more like pools filled with what we hope was fresh water in some way heated and clean (there were crowds of people there, and strangely girls wearing underwear with their swimmers). We do a couple of quick dips (holding our breaths to avoid the strange smell) and run to the showers to soap and scrub!
Dinner is another spectacular menu for small change, and we have more 3 for 1 drinks to follow. The bars are great with so much atmosphere, was just a shame we were probably only 1 of 3 groups of gringos there..Dan and I are glued to our seats as we sing along to the Counting Crows, and Dan has one too many Cuban Libres - a great night..

The next morning starts at 5am - the Inca trail is closed so we have to at least climb Waiyna Picchu. A one hour or so trek (probably 2 for the poor unknowing American tourists dressed in their best white pants, ready perhaps for a flat railed leisurely walk up the hill?)that I was ready to give up for the hot springs, until I saw the hot springs that is. This was the first mountain I have ever climbed it was well worth it - I even enjoyed the mud on my hands, the constant feeling of not being able to catch my breath, scrambling up steep rocks and Dan´s pep talks (my office conditioned body was just about ready to give up far too many times).
We were about the 6th/7th to sign on, so we had the summit of the mountain basically to ourselves. Seeing Macchu Picchu from this point gave us a totally different perspective of its manificence.. and waiting ten minutes for the cloud to disappear no doubt added to the suspense!
Sitting up on the highest possible rock (it´s just not the same for Dan if we are on one of the highest)was just spectacular.. A truly unforgettable experience..

xx haze xx

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