Blogs from Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 80

In 1911 an explorer named Hiram Bingham paid 1sol (0.25 euro) to be taken to a sacred place hidden in the jungle. He then discovered Machu Picchu, the lost sacred city of the Incas. And what a fantastic place it is... The "Inca Trail" (the path the Incas took during the Spanish occupation to get there) being over booked, we decided to do an alternative 5 day trek to the sacred place, supposedly following Bingham's steps. For 4 days we walked through mountains (up to 4500m), villages and jungles until climbing up to Machu Picchu on the 5th day. We arrived very tired but it was entirely worth it because the lost city lived up to the expectation. We also climbed Huayna Picchu, the mountain nearby and had lunch while enjoying the magnificent view. ... read more

We decided to go a different route to Macchu Picchu than most, which is a comfortable train journey from Cuzco, filled with loud Americans and picture-happy Japs. Nay, we decided to hire a 450 cc off-road beast and ride the 260km there. Of course, the massif 80´s party (in our awesome party hostel) we attended the night before we were due to leave threw a spanner in the works - as were dressed the part, having bought clothes from a 2nd hand store and looking like extras in a Cindi Lauper video, we had to party like we meant it. What this really meant is we could only leave a day later, owing to our enormous hangovers, which would have killed ordinary travellers. Bedecked in off-road gear and a small workshop of tools, we set off ... read more

After a false start including spending a night in Lima and our plane diverting to Arequipa for an hour, we finally arrived in Cuzco on the 9th. Had to acclimatise to the high altitude (about 3400m) by taking it easy doing some housekeeping stuff like banking and getting our train tickets to Machu Picchu for the next day. We´ve become hooked on coca tea which is supposed to help. Arose early on the 10th to catch the 6.15am train to Machu Picchu. Trip took about 4.5 hours as there are a series of switchbacks while the train ascends/descends onto different tracks. After dropping our stuff off at the accomm in Aguas Calientes, we then went by bus to the site. It was an awe-inspiring on a gorgeous sunny day, with Huayna Picchu mountain in the background. ... read more

Macçhupicchu after meeting several people a bit more organized than ourselves... we decided to do a day trip with the understanding that we could return for the Inca trail at a later date. Locating an agency to service our needs wasn´t difficult while Sean was in Spanish lessons at Machupiccu Language School I went around comparison shopping for the best deal - choosing to go with Peru Journey´s run by a woman called Zozi. Very convenient but slightly pricey vs. buying direct $120 a person - including all transport door to door and most importantly all entrance tickets and English speaking guide which is great. By the end of a long day it´s nice to have someone waiting to drive you straight to your hotel for a hot shower and a bit of rest. ... read more

We were up in the 5s to get the 6.15am train to Aguas Calientes a.k.a. Machu Picchu village. Getting up in the 5s is my pet hate (I refuse to do it for work purposes) but today it wasn´t pàrticularly difficult as I honestly hadn't slept a wink due to excitement. Goodness knows what I am going to be like before the wedding! The views from the train were fantastic though by then I was finally getting sleepy and struggling to stay awake. On arrival we walked from the town down the road to find the camp site mentioned in the Lonely Planet. It was quite a walk so we were gutted to find it completely deserted. Eventually we found a hostel within our budget and tried but failed to have a little nap. The plan ... read more