Cusco, Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes & Machu Picchu!

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4/8/2013: Got of the bus really early in the morning, found a hostel called "Point" for 28 the first night and 22 the next night. We brushed our teeth and a guy came in to take some drugs and left again so we concluded that it was a party hostel.
After some sleep we got up and took a shower and had some breakfast. Later we used the wi-fi and got all of the things done we couldn't in Bolivia and skyped a little.
Then we went for a walk, booked a tour to Valle Sagrada and had lunch at Plaza de Armas. In the evening we walked around a small market and Plaza San Fransisco and bought some more gifts.
Then we went for dinner at an "italian" restaurant, a little dissapointing food - guess we should stick to local food. Early to bed to be ready for the tour next morning.

D. 5/8/2013: Got up early to go on the Sacred Valley tour. A lot of pan flute music in the bus from the beginning. First stop was surprise - a market! Spent some time talking to a little boy and with his lamas.
Then we moved on to the first Inka ruin sight in Pisac, with terraces from the Inkas that they used for farming and an we also saw an old Inka cemetery with over 5000 graves inside a rock wall.
From the top we had a beautiful view of the valley and the terraces, unfortunately we had to leave really fast.
Then we moved on to visit a jewelery city where they explained how they made the silver and wanted to sell s a lot of things again. What caught my eye in the village was a beautiful horse - a Peruvian Paso! Horse lovers will know.
Then we had lunch in Urumbu, the buffet our ticket lady said was 20 in the end cost 30 soles, so we found a buffet next door for 20.
Then we moved on to Ollantaytambo and saw the sun temple on top of a hill with terraces too, really beautiful and here we had some more time so we could enjoy ourselves and take pictures.
Last stop was Chinchero where we saw an old catholic chapel. We saw how they dried potatoes on the grass outside. Then we went to a house to see some local women and their rituals when they make alpacha products.
Really interesting to see how they make all the natural colours, especially the red which is made from small spiders from cactuses that they crush in their hands. Then of course we could buy some more products.
All in all a super nice tour, but too many shops and tourists, I would recommend going on your own if possible.
After a very bumpy busride home I felt a little sick so we got very overprized train tickets for the day after and went to bed early.

6/8/2013: Got up early to go to the ticket office and confirm our ticket to Machu Picchu. When we arrived at the office she said the reservation wasn't valid anymore because we didn't pay it up to 6 hours after.
She said she didn't have any tickets until the 10th - but when she found out we had bought our VERY expensive train tickets she said we could change it to the 7th in Aguas Calientes.
We found a minibus to Ollantaytambo, first for 15 soles but when we went to buy snacks another lady offered the same for 10 so we went with her.
In Ollantaytambo we bought sandwiches to go, only to find out that we got food and drinks on the train. The views from the train were really amazing.
When we arrived we found a hostel for 25, but only this cheap because it was still under construction. Then we went and bought the ticket for Machu Picchu and we even got our student discount.
We walked around the city a little and the girls had a drink. Then we went to the hot springs, but we were a little dissapointed since they looked not too natural with white and blue tiles instead of leaving the raw rocks.
A shower and then dinner and early to bed.

7/8/2013: Got up at 3:45 and left the hostel at 4:30 to start hiking to Machu Picchu. At first we were surprised that there weren't that many people hiking but when we came to the first entrance there was a lot of people in line already..
We found out just before the entrance that our ticket had a wrong date, but the guy at the entrance didn't care and luckily we went up without a problem. After the entrance it was all stairs upwards for an hour and it was really tough but we made it and in an okay tempo.
In the line we found the other girls who had taken the bus up - we got inside and found a good spot just in time for the sunrise. Unfortunately we only saw part of the sunrise because it was cloudy, but this just added a bit of mystery to the place.
In the end the place impressed me more than I expected - I cannot stop getting the feeling that we are on another planet or at least a completely different world.
We decided to hike up to the sungate, a lot of stairs again. But it was a beautiful walk and we Machu Picchu was in the background all the way. On the way we met all the people who had done the big Inka Trail, and now finally had reached Machu Picchu.
We laid down and relaxed in the grass on one of the terraces with lamas walking in the back and enjoyed how silent it was. Almost fell asleep before going down to the village itself to look at the ruins. Kirstine touched the sacred rock and is now young forever.
After walking around for 6-7 hours we decided it was time for something to eat so we went down to the overpriced cafe and had a small meal and a coke.
Then we started hiking down - at this point our legs felt like jelly. When we reached the city we stopped at a fountain to cool our feet down and then back to take a nap.
In the evening we had a few beers before going to dinner with the girls and a couple of drinks with live pan music - one of their songs sounded like a Danish one and when we started to sing along in Danish they asked us to join on stage - we declined politely - would have been a shame for the other guests.
8/8/2013: A day of sickness and transportation - On the train I got woken up by a clown and everyone in the train went crazy over him and also a fashion show was on all of the sudden. As I was not feeling to good I drifted in and out of sleep.
Then we took a minibus and then big bus to Lima which was luxury - it had a hughe bed-chair, wi-fi and private screen with new movies, got a lot of sleep which I really needed at this point.

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