Cusco, Peru, South America

I finally got to see Machu Picchu today, and it was phenomenal! I got up at 4am and got my stuff packed up so I could leave my bag at the hostel for the day while exploring Machu Picchu. I met the rest of the group at 4:45am and we headed down to the bus stop to get the bus up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes. Wilbert recommended we get the bus up there instead of climbing 1,000 stairs in the dark when you can’t see any of the scenery. It was a good idea because we ended up walking so much at Machu Picchu, that I would have been exhausted if we climbed to Machu Picchu as well.

It worked out really well. We got the third bus up to the top and we were in line with the first group of people to enter Machu Picchu when it opened at 6am. Wilbert met us while we were in line (and he was still in his fancy shoes from the night before, and we never found out what he was getting up to), and we hurried up to the top of the Machu Picchu city to get some pictures. Since we were among the first ones in there, we were able to get some great pictures without thousands of people crowding the photos.

We also got a perfect day wandering around Machu Picchu. You never know what you’re going to get up there. The weather can change in a heartbeat, yet we got an entire day of sunshine and some big white clouds. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for exploring and taking pictures up there. We got some pictures from the classic spot where everyone takes photos from, and also got some pictures with llamas that are just wandering around up there. They are so comfortable with people, that you can practically give them a hug and they don’t mind. They are great for taking pictures with their faces right in front of Machu Picchu. Unfortunately for me there was a really rude Russian guy there who twice (!) put his camera in front of mine to take the picture I was trying to take. He pissed me off so I just left and took some pictures far away from him. I just can’t deal with people who are so rude.

We met back up with Wilbert and had a tour around the city of Machu Picchu for about two hours until about 9am. We said bye to Wilbert and headed off on our own for the rest of the day. They have a long list of strictly enforced rules at Machu Picchu, including no food allowed in the park. We had brought this food to eat, but weren’t actually allowed to have it in there. We had to leave Machu Picchu and go back out to the entrance gate to eat our food or use the toilet, because there isn’t one in the entire Machu Picchu area. It seemed crazy to all of us, but those were the rules, so we went out and had our food at 9am.

I split up from the group after that because I had a ticket to climb Huayna Picchu, but the other four had tickets to climb Machu Picchu Mountain. I said bye to Linda and Drew because I’m not sure I’ll see them again. I have the same train time as Nicole and Scotty, but Linda and Drew have a later one. I headed off on my own and checked out some of Machu Picchu city. I was surprised at how big it was. I didn’t realize it from pictures I had seen before, but there are a lot of buildings and structures in there. It was cool to walk around in there and imagine how much hard work must have gone into building this about 600 years ago, with very little technology.

I made my way over to the entrance gate for Waynapicchu at 10am, my ticket was valid from 10-11am. I ended up having to wait in line for about 20 minutes to get in because they check your ticket, your passport, and then make you sign into a book as well. I suppose it was better than letting all 200 people in at the same time though, because at least we were staggered on the hike up the mountain. It was a pretty difficult hike that went straight up the front of the mountain. It was a bit annoying at parts because you end up catching up to people who hike a lot slower than you, but there’s not many places where you can pass them because it’s such a narrow path.

The sign said that it should take one hour to get to the top, but I ended up making it up there in 35 minutes. It really was an amazing view from the top. From Waynapicchu you get to see the city of Machu Picchu from the opposite side that is normally shown in photos. I was really happy that I had chosen to get the ticket to climb this mountain because it was well worth the hike. I stayed up at the top for about a half hour taking pictures and just enjoying the moment of being at the top of the mountain looking down on Machu Picchu on an absolutely beautiful day.

I headed down the mountain and was stuck behind a guy who was obviously terrified of heights so he was just hugging the wall the entire time. It took him ages to get anywhere, so eventually I had to ask him if I could get past and I realized there was a line of about ten people behind me, who were also dying to get by this guy. It only took about 40 minutes to get down after passing that guy, and by the time I got back into Machu Picchu city, my knees were shaking. As hard as it is to climb these mountains, coming down is so much harder on my knees, so I was thrilled that we had decided to get the bus tickets instead of walking down the thousand stairs to Aguas Calientes.

I waited in line for a bus to get back down, but it only took about ten minutes because they have thirty busses that just go back and forth to the town below, so there is one arriving every five minutes. I got back down to the hostel at around 1:15pm, and about five minutes later Nicole and Scotty showed up. It was perfect timing because I was starving, and luckily so were they, so we went out to a little restaurant in the town and got some lunch before our train.

We had a really nice lunch and finished right on time to head over to the train station. I was in car A and they were in car G, so we split up and I headed over to my seat. The train was really nice, and I had a window seat next to an American guy named Rob. He was a really nice man in his sixties who travelled down from Colorado Springs to Machu Picchu on his own for a few days. We talked for the whole train ride which made the four hours fly by. It was a cool train ride that included a nice meal, and then a mini fashion show of the alpaca clothing items they sell. I have never seen anything like it, but it was pretty fun.

I arrived into the town of Poroy at about 7:30pm and then I hooked up with Nicole and Scotty again. We shared a taxi back into Cusco to their hostel which is only two blocks from mine. I’ve come back to the hostel and I am pretty hungry but I am just way too tired to go back out and get some food. I had a much needed shower when I got back and I’m ready to head to bed already. It’s been a long and challenging few days, but incredibly fun and totally worth it. I absolutely loved this tour and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to check out Machu Picchu with a little adventure involved. I’m so glad I was able to do this, and it was absolutely as awesome as I have always hoped it would be.