Week 41: Puno, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Machu Pichu; Peru
Monday, October 24th: 

We woke up on the reed island and ate breakfast. We enjoyed the tranquility as we barely saw another person. Until nine o clock when hundreds of tourists began showing up in the boats. I sat on the edge of the island feeling the rocking while I tried to draw the scene with colored pencils. We met a nice Mexican couple. We headed back to the mainland at around noon. We ate some nice and extremely cheap food at the bus station and bought a bus to Cusco in the afternoon. It was two hours delayed from the start but eventually we got on the old, crowded bus with no bathroom and prepared for the eight hour bus ride. We made several seemingly long and unnecessary stops but soon the bus was cruising as the dark set in. The bus swerved a couple of times in a way that made people scream and think we were about to tip over. I put on my seatbelt and tightened it up. Everyone on the bus freaked out and starting yelling and banging on things until the bus driver pulled over. Once they were assured he wasn’t drunk we continued on. The swerving happened again and chaos broke loose. Some very angry Italians led the rebellion, while old men cried and women yelled shrilly with frustration. There were chants of “stop the bus” and most people yelled out the varying speed limits they thought safest. The bus stopped again for quite some time as the passengers argued for a new bus. In the end a passenger rode in the front and the bus did not go above 60 km per hour, which greatly added to the time of the trip. We survived and arrived by 1 am. We went to a hostel I’ve read about and found the upstairs bar in full party mode, and a couple of empty beds. We were asleep by two, thankful to be alive and in a stationary bed. 

10/25:

We woke up and took the best, most needed showers in a long time. Sarahi was ready to head to Machu Pichu but I was worn out and wanted to check out Cusco first. It’s a beautiful city with a lot to offer. First we checked out a couple of the nearby and beautiful plazas. We wandered around the touristy area and then headed down the food street. I tried the fried pork ribs, which are just as delicious and fattening as they sound, and Sarahi had the menu of the day with mystery meat stew (turns out it was cow intestines – chewy and weird but didn’t taste badly). We returned to the hostel to relax a little. Then we went to one of the fifteen markets in Cusco. Here you can buy any kind of fruit, veggie, meat, or any other food produced in Peru. They also have souvenirs, restaurants with meals for less than $2, and lots of other things for sale. We loved it and bought tons of fruit, dried fruit, nuts, juice, and fried peppers stuffed with ground beef and veggies. We relaxed at the hostel some more, and then decided to get a massage. They’re very cheap in Cusco – from $6 for an hour. After that we went to the chocolate museum where we had lots of nice free samples and only spent $2 on a chocolate bar at the end. We went to a nice Asian fusion restaurant for dinner but decided the prices were too high. So we went to a cheap hamburger restaurant instead. We packed our bags for the next day and left some stuff at the hostel. 

10/26:

Today we started out Machu Pichu adventure! I made some friends after an early breakfast the next morning so we got a slightly late start. We went to the wrong bus station but eventually our bus, which was also late, left the station. It was a 6-8 hour bus ride to a small town called Santa Maria. In our case it took 8 and was a rough bus ride. Once we arrived there we took a collectivo (shared taxi) to the next town, Santa Theresa. From here it was another hour to the hydroelectric station. From the hydroelectric station you can walk along the train tracks until you reach Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Pichu Pueblo. The alternative method of transportation is a train, which is arguably the most expensive in the world at around $100 one way, or take a multi day trek which costs hundreds of dollars. Our method cost $35 soles ($12) and was much more satisfying. We started the 2-3 hour walk down the tracks and realized it would be dark long before we arrived. We stopped to enjoy an incredible jumping school of fish in the creek. We continued slowly through the dark and stopped for pizza in Aguas Calientes. We backtracked thirty minutes to a campsite at the base of the trail to Machu Pichu. We quickly pitched our tent and went to sleep. 

10/27:

We woke up at 4:30 the next morning and only snoozed for a few minutes. We got packed in the dark and headed towards Machu Pichu. We found a line of fifty people at the first checkpoint and worried we had gotten up too early. The line moved quickly and we were soon hiking up very steep stone steps with hundreds of other early risers hoping to beat the crowds. We passed a lot of people in the nonstop uphill hour hike but saw a few tour busses beating us up the hill. We waited a few minutes in line and then entered quickly, having bought our Machu Pichu tickets the prior day. We didn’t know much about Machu Pichu so we walked up some stairs and then started wandering toward the parts that looked cool. I think everyone else went up above for the iconic picture with no one around, but we found ourselves completely alone for maybe twenty minutes. We had no idea at the time but I ate a snack and Sarahi put on some make up while we sat alone in the sacred temple, probably the most famous site at Machu Pichu. It was amazing. It was a very foggy day which added to the incredible views. As clouds would roll away, while new sections of Machu Pichu would be revealed. We took some pictures of the amazing views we had. We walked around the various sections of Machu Pichu and stopped for a snack. We hiked all the way back to the entrance and exited the park to find at least 100 people in line for the bathroom. This was frustrating as we paid $50 a person to enter Machu Pichu. We had a snack at the snack shop and then re entered Machu Pichu. We hiked up to the upper level where we entered the Machu Pichu Mountain, which costs a bit extra. The hike to the top provides a birds eye view of Machu Pichu, but it is a brutal hike to the top. It’s a straight uphill hike for two hours. The entire trail is made of Incan stone steps, but that doesn’t make it any easier. We had to stop several times but we eventually made it up the mountain despite the rain and fog. Sadly, when we reached the top, we could see nothing except clouds a few feet away. We ate almost all the fruit we were carrying and then headed down the mountain. It was tough on the way down as well. We reached the entrance and continued walking all the way back to our campsite. We were in pain and very tired when we arrived. We changed clothes and packed our tent before walking back to Aguas Calientes. We ran into our Portuguese friends who we had met a few days earlier at the lake. We stopped at a restaurant in town and ate alpaca steak. It was pretty good but maybe just beef. We asked about train prices but found it would be very expensive. We were worn out and it started raining so we decided to stay in Aguas Calientes for one night. We found a nice room with private bathroom and hot shower. We cleaned up and rested until we went out for Chinese food dinner. It rained all afternoon and all night so we were really glad we didn’t camp or hike back in the rain. We slept super well and woke up early the next day to hike back. 

10/28: We ate fruit and bread for breakfast and then began our walk back along the train tracks. We met a nice Colombian guy who was 19 and traveling around for a year eating at soup kitchens and doing soccer tricks for money. We said goodbye and got on a bus back to Cusco. We changed busses in Santa Maria, bought some snacks, and then drove the five hours back to Cusco. We returned to our hostel and got cleaned up. We drank a beer and ate good hostel food. We were very sore and went to bed quickly. 

10/29:

We slept in and had a lazy morning the next day. We ate breakfast in the hostel and then went to the mercado for lunch. It was less than two dollars for soup and a plate of rice, avocado, egg, and salsa. That afternoon we tried to visit the papa museum but it’s been closed for awhile. In the same building was a massage place that offered us a good deal. We had an amazing massage and then returned to our hostel. We looked for Halloween costumes and wandered the city a bit more. We relaxed all afternoon. Sarahi told the guys at our hostel that it was my birthday and they made me take four shots of tequila. It was awful. Then we went to dinner at the number one rated restaurant in Cusco called Organika. I had alpaca steak and Sarahi had beef steak. We also had smoked trout salad and trout ceviche. It was a great dinner and not too pricey. We returned to our hostel where I took a little nap. Somehow I woke up and rejoined the party. We played beer pong and later went to a club. We made it back to the hostel well after sunrise. It was a great birthday! 

10/30:

As we went to bed after sunrise, we both slept in late, until noon at least. Sarahi wasn’t feeling well so I went to bring back some food. After eating and showering we relaxed for awhile. We tried to go for Korean food but the restaurant was closed so we had Chinese instead. We took naps in the afternoon. We didn’t feel like leaving the hostel so we ate some pretty good food from the kitchen. We were worn out from the previous night so we headed to bed early. 

The highlight of the week was Machu Pichu. It’s so much bigger and more incredible than I imagined. It may be the most amazing thing I’ve seen. Cusco is also a really nice city with beautiful buildings and ancient Incan walls. The area around the city had beautiful mountains with many Incan ruins.  This is a place everyone should visit!