Machu Picchu

Sunday, February 20

We were so happy to land in Cusco early in the morning with no hiccups, knowing we still had several hours before we needed to catch our train. We got an Uber into town and enjoyed talking with the driver who spoke slow, well pronounced Spanish that we could completely understand! He dropped us off at the Inca Rail office where we checked in just to make sure we were prepared for that afternoon. Then Carl and I wandered to a café to get some caffeine and something small to nibble. With the lack of sleep, high altitude, and still upset bellies we were feeling unwell to say the least. We got some cappuccinos that were too milky and a delicious meat empanada. Unfortunately the place didn’t have WiFi so we had no incentive to camp out longer and we meandered over to the main plaza. We sat in the plaza for a while and eventually our friend Karen came and met us. The three of us caught up while sitting on a park bench and shooing away all the trinket peddlers.

We hiked up a hill to get to a Peruvian restaurant that was recommended to us but when we got there it hadn’t opened yet so we opted for a vegan place close by. The vegan place ended up having really good food and we realized we hadn’t eaten enough vegetables so far on our trip so we made up for it with a green salad and a beet burger. I got a strawberry kombucha that was so good, it would’ve been worth it just for that.

After lunch we walked back down the hill, back to the Inca Rail office. We had to buy face shields for .50 cents each (2 soles) to wear in the train and were asked to wear double masks for the bus ride. The first part of the journey was a 2+ hour bus/van ride to the town of Ollantaytambo. The scenery was so amazing and I tried so hard to keep my eyes open but I’d find myself waking up when the bus jostled, not even realizing I had fallen asleep. In Ollantaytambo we had an hour wait until the train. Karen and I walked around and bought some water and some pretty cloth face masks for the train. When we came back Carl said that a guy had come by and said the train was boarding and we needed to go. We hustled and bustled and got down to where the gates to the tracks were. The gates were closed and they were letting people out so we hung around. Next thing we knew I hear someone say “Shelton?!” and I turned and said that’s me. He said “you’re train is departing”. At exactly this moment it started to sprinkle rain. He pointed down the tracks – all the way on the other side of the station was a single train car. We ran down and climbed aboard, realizing we were the last ones on. We had nearly missed it! After all that! All we could do was laugh and be grateful that we made it, again.

The train ride took us through a valley, adjacent to a river. The area had experienced heavy torrential rains in the last couple weeks which even knocked out part of the train tracks. The river was gushing with cloudy brown water, going so fast that it gave us the creeps to look at. The mountains that rose up on either side of us were jaw-dropping: steep, craggy peaks poking through the low hanging clouds. We could see little glaciers on the distant mountains. Occasionally we would go through a tunnel only to re-emerge into the verdant green jungle. When we looked at the weather report for the week we saw rain and thunder clouds predicted for every single day. This made sense, given that February is the height of rainy season. In fact they close the main trail, the Inca Trail, to do repairs during February because it is the low tourist season. Given rainy season and slow recovery from COVID I’m not sure why we booked things so far ahead, but here we were ready to embrace whatever the day would be.

When we finally got to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu, we were immediately introduced to our guide, Joel, upon disembarking. We had heard rumors that you needed a guide to get into MP and anyways we thought it would be nicer to have and we were able to book one as part of a package that included bus, train, bus, park entrance and guide. We followed Joel down the train platform which ran perpendicular to the river. He showed us where we would need to board the train when we left AG and then showed us where our hostel was. We made plans to meet him the next morning for our trip up to MP, and said good night.

We went to Mapacho restaurant for dinner because they advertised they made their own craft beer. We got IPAs, of course. Their beer was surprisingly good! For food we ordered a trio sampler with three Peruvian dishes: trout ceviche (amazing!), a yucca ball in spicy sauce, and a potato with chicken salad on top. We also had to try Guinea Pig. Carl and I split one and they gave me the back end. It was so fatty and overcrisped that I could barely eat it. The meat that I could get out was good but I tried not to think about it, knowing I would never order it again because Guinea Pigs are too cute and I just wanted to say I tried it once. That night we watched emperors new groove to get into the Inca emperor mood. I had forgotten how funny it was, and also how little it had to do with Peru.

Monday, February 21

The big day. We met Joel outside our hostel and walked to the bus stop together. Some other tourists joined us, having taken the train from Cusco that morning. Some people see Machu Picchu as a day trip from Cusco but this would likely be the longest day of their life after a 2 hour bus + 1.5 hour train + 40 minute bus from Aguas Calientes up the hill to MP. It is possible to walk from AC to MP but it’s straight up and I think it would take about an hour.

Once at the top we paid 2 soles (.50 cents) to use the toilet because once you go inside the park you aren’t allowed to leave and re-enter. Obviously peeing on the UNESCO world heritage site is also frowned upon, if not illegal? Once inside, Joel stopped at many points to tell us about the natural area and the history of Machu Picchu. We learned that the site is surprisingly young, built around 1420 and abandoned about 1520, when the Spanish and their diseases were spreading through South America. The site was built by workers, not slaves, but they were paid in Coca leaves which helped them work harder and longer. Joel made a point that women and men were considered equals, both expected to do hard labor and fight and could also be well educated. He told a story about a famous female warrior who, after defeating her notorious enemy, bashed his head in and drank some Chicha out of a piece of his skull while shouting at the crowd to see who else wanted to try to fight her.

We took oodles of pictures and chased around the llamas a bit to try and pet them. I pet a baby one and it was ridiculously soft. We wound through one of the designated trail circuits before having to exit. All the while we walked there were few clouds in the sky and it was actually really hot-so much for that forecast!

We got down the mountain by bus and went straight to lunch. We went to a place next door to where we had been before which also advertised craft beer and Peruvian food. We had a big pile of trout ceviche and an Alpaca burger which was surprisingly good (but again, just ordered the one time to try it!). Aguas Calientes is primarily a tourist town and the restaurant prices definitely reflect it.

After lunch Carl and I went up to the hot springs for which the town is named after. We had read online that the timing to get into the springs was weird so when we showed up we were only allowed an hour, which was fine. What they didn’t mention is that the pools are a 15 minute walk uphill from the main entrance- always up! We changed quickly and found the hottest pool of 99 degrees. The water was a weird murky tan color and smelled slightly like sulfur but the hot water felt nice after all the walking around we had down that day.

Perhaps my brain is conditioned from a lifetime of swimming laps but after that time in the water I got hungry again so once we had showered we set out for more food and I covered Carl’s eyes when they showed the price. I ordered Trout tartar over avocado and it was sooo good. Worth the money.

Tuesday, February 22 (2/22/22!)

Carl and I woke up at 5:20am and tried to quietly pack our bags so as not to wake Karen. As we tiptoed into the hall she yelled out “have a nice hike guys!” at full volume. All the travel advice blogs say to get to the bus line 2 hours before your timed entrance into the park because of lines but this is not the case now. We were able to get on the bus immediately and then it seemed they were stalling to see whether more people would get on. After a short jostling ride to the top we were some of the first people in line. Despite the many guides yelling to us, offering their services, we did not need a guide and got in just fine. We explored circuit 4 of the city which then led us to the entrance of Waynapicchu, or Young Mountain, in the Quechua language. From the record logs at the entrance we noticed two people had entered up the trail before us but we soon passed them and so were the first to the top that day. The trail was like a giant staircase. Most of the steps were well spaced but some were so skinny that you had to trust the ball of your foot and hold onto the steel cable running along the sides.

The stone steps were slick from the fog. We passed by some old structures and argued over whether Bill the hermit lived on this mountain (obviously not because where would a hermit get the money to pay the workers to build such a house) or a family of astronomers (most likely answer because they’d want to be as close to the stars as possible).

We made it in about 45 minutes and could see nothing but white from the top. A staff worker made it up shortly after and we asked him which direction we should look down to see the old city walls. He pointed to an expanse of white that the rocks on top seemed to be pointed toward and gave us a look like “duh”. So we sat on these rocks and stared at the white, hoping the clouds would clear so we could get a glimpse.

Slowly, the fog shifted and burned away and we began to recognize the land markers we had seen the day before. The fog seemed to move from left to right and we waited for the moment the old city would finally be exposed. It seemed like the fog liked to cover the city. Even as everything else seemed to be clear, a patch remained over the focal point of the city. While we sat and waited for the perfect shot the couple we had passed came up and so did an older French man. We offered for him to sit on our rock. The six of us sat there in silence, awed by the mountains.

Then Carl stood up and asked the couple to take a picture of us. He whispered to them in Spanish “please take video because I’m going to ask her to marry me” and they said “we prefer to speak English actually” but they did agree to video. Then Carl awkwardly asked the old French man to move off the rock. Again he asked in Spanish and again the man said “I’d prefer to speak in English” but he seemed to get it and moved. Then Carl asked for my palm nut ring we had gotten in Colombia and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Even though I knew it was coming I got really shy and he said he didn’t know why he was so nervous. I said yes, of course, and we invited the old French man back to our rock. The clouds seemed to fully open up then and we got so many great pictures of the city. A good omen indeed.

Walking back down the weather was hot and we could see the old city from new angles. Everyone we crossed asked how far until the end and whether it was hard and whether it was scary. We assured them it was worth it and advised to look up until you get to the top.

We opted to walk down the mountain rather than take the bus. We saved $24 but my knees were killing me by the end. Walking back into town we spotted a butterfly museum and popped in to check it out. The actual greenhouse wasn’t that impressive but we did enjoy the room with eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalises of many different species. The monarch had silvery chrysalises that blew my mind.

Back in town we met up with Karen at a cafe before grabbing our bags from the hostel and going to the train departure station. We were nearly first in line to board this time. The late afternoon light was perfect as we rode the train back to Ollantaytambo. We were so lucky to have almost no rain the whole time we were at Machu Picchu – during the rainy season!

From there we got in a van along with a group of about 12 Russian tourists. When we finally got to Cusco, the van dropped off the 12 in the downtown area. Then it was time to drop me, Carl, and Karen off at our hostel. We had given the company our hostel address before hand so I was so confused when it seemed we were driving in the exact opposite direction. I asked Karen and Carl, “should we tell them they are going the wrong way?” Karen said “no, they know what they are doing”. I saw Karen had a different location pinned on her map and asked her about it. She said there were two Chusay Rooftop hostels in Cusco and we were going to the other one. This didn’t add up because I knew Karen had stayed at the one I had the address for before we went to MP. I announced I was going to say something to the driver and Karen stopped me and handed me a card. She had painted (!) it while we were on the train and it said ‘happy engagement! I’ve booked you a nice hotel for tonight to celebrate!’ Shortly after we pulled up to the Paradis hotel. It was such a surprise. Karen said she wanted to make it more of a surprise but we were too nosy.

The hotel reserved us an hour of sauna time so we quickly got changed and went to the basement sauna. There was a huge pool with a hot tub and they had tables and chairs on fake grass like a cafe. We opted for the hot tub first and the bartender brought us complimentary drinks! They turned on ‘chill’ music which sounded like what they play in spas mixed with classical covers of pop songs. There were colorful LED lights shining on different areas – like a wooden balcony of fake plants- and my favorite part was a huge screen where they had projected an image of a moving waterfall. We moved into the sauna. I had never been into the sauna and it was a little intense for me – especially being at high elevation and probably dehydrated from the day already. After all this we decided it would be a good idea to eat dinner even though it was almost 10 and we weren’t that hungry. We shared a steak with potatoes and said ‘happy steakiversary’ one day early.