Machu Pichu Baby!

Hello everyone.

Sam, Luke, Jess and Jo decided to go to MP (Machu Pichu) one day earlier than I and Sean. Which is no biggie really, because as luck would have it, I ran into Carielle again. This was amazing as I simply adore my abuela (grandma). This resulted in a day of drinking and going out dancing with Claire, Sean and Carielle. All good, all good.

The next day Sean and I embarked for MP with a new group, Paul, Jasper, Marcello and more people I can't really remember.





Day 1 - The guide was actually late to pick us up, 30 minutes to be exact. This means I could have had 30 more minutes of sleep! Alas, things did not become better. After being picked up, there were still further delays as we waited at a checkpoint to load the bikes and get into a new van, one that can accomodate more people. I also had stomach issues, which prevented me from eating anything. The delay also meant we didn't get to spend time in the first town, Ollytambo (possible incorrect spelling here). The bus ride to the top of the bike route took around 3 hours I reckon. Now, I love to ride bikes, but the fun here was taken out completely because after doning the helmet and pads, we had to ride in formation. Yep. Formation. Slow.

Reaching the bottom of the mountain, I had to ride through dirt and rock paths, which is due to the construction taking place along the path. Reaching the finish line, we all boarded the bus to get stuck in traffic for many hours. Fantastic fun that was. Reaching the hostel in the second town, Santa something, we recieved lunch, dinner, and no shower. This really does get better doesn't it. No it doesn't. I was attacked by a severe headache because of the cold high altitude wind.

Day 2 - Day 2 was a typical hike through the jungle. First we took a pickup truck to the beginning of the path, then we started climbing. Highlights were, eating the local delicacy, cuy. Which is guinea pig.

I was also painted on my face using a paint berry plant that the Incans used to use. After ascending the mountain, going through treacherous paths where my fear of falling made my progress stupidly slow, we then had to cross rivers using a rope and lift system. I did the pulling while Sean just sat back. After doing this a few more times, I had to trek through river rocks and jump from one to another whilst hugging the wall as to not fall into the river. It was dangerous, but it was extremely exhillarating. At the end, we were rewarded with the natural hot springs. Unfortuantly, I cut my foot deeply here as I fell into the pool. Totally sucks. Sean and I then got a bus to the hostel with the guide, ate dinner and went to sleep.

Day 3 - Today was a hard day for trekking. The cut I recieved was deeper than I first thought, so it hurts like hell when trying to walk. Luckily, the path wasn´t too difficult, and with the help of pain killers, I was able to power through the pain. Sean, thankfully, decided to walk with me, so I wasn´t without company. He must have noticed I wasn´t walking properly when I was 10 minutes behind him. My stomach still hasn´t played down yet, but I am able to eat more now. Eventually, we arrived to the train tracks, which would lead us directly to Agus Calientes, the last stop town to Machu Pichu. We had a lunch of soup (I been eating alot of soup on this trip), rice with chicken, and ice cream for dessert. It may sound nice, but all the food I have had so far sucked. After a few hours, we arrive in Agus Calientes, where I visted the local marketplace, which was unfortuantly full of touristic crap. But the dinner here was very good however. Chicken cream soup for starters, and beef fillet with rice and chips for the main. I also got to shower, which was great as I only bathe in the hot spring so far.

Day 4 - Had to wake up at 3 30 am. Had crappy breakfast. Then started a major hike up the mountain, racing against everyone else to the top so we can get tickets to Hyana Pichu, another mountain next to Machu Pichu. It was very hard too, as it was just insanely steep stairs. We managed to reach the top in 40 minutes, where we then waited in a queue.

Machu Pichu is a very beautiful place, which makes it more of a shame that the Incans got totally smashed by the Spanish. The structures are amazingly pieced together with blocks of rock. Stairs are dotted all around MP, connecting the different parts of the city together, seemingly creating a maze.

After the guided tour, Sean and I climbed Hyana Pichu. Going up was the easy part. Going down was just hell for me. My fear forced me to take it extremely slow, but luckily Sean helped me down. But by the time I got down, I was exhausted. The hyper ventilation and lack of water slowed my body. My foot injury still hasn´t gotten better either.

So after a rest, Sean and I climbed to the Sun gate. What a waste of time that was. It was exhausting and there was hardly anything to see. But we took a picture nonetheless. By now, we both were tired, so we called it a day and went back to Agus Calientes on the highly priced bus, decided to screw the MP mountain and not climb to its peak. Returning to AC, we went to the hot springs to wash our exhausted bodies, then we took a train to Ollytambo, then a bus to Cusco and back to Loki. I had to say good bye to Marcello unfortuantly, but it was just nice to have a decent bed after being awake for 20 hours. But I ran into Luke, Sam, Jess and Jo in the bar. So naturally, I drank, danced on the bar and slept 2 hours later. Who needs sleep when you have friends and booze?