Yes, that’s right, we have invented a new term for getting sloshed, and here is the story behind it.
Machu Picchu is named as one of the “7 Wonders of the World”, we don’t necessarily agree with this term as we have found many more amazing sites than those on the list. Nevertheless, we knew it was an incredible place to visit and could not miss the opportunity to see this ancient Inca village set in the lush Andean mountains.
One important bit of information any visitor needs to know when deciding to visit Machu Picchu is that it is not an easy place to get to. You need to decide upon one of the following options;
1. Follow the Inca Trail - This is a popular 3 day trek taking you along the old Inca road. As it is extremely popular and the number of people doing the route at any one time is limited, it needs to be booked in advance and can cost hundreds of dollars.
2. Follow an “alternative” Inca trail - There are in fact many different Inca roads leading to Machu Picchu so for those who don’t mind not doing the famous route there are more strenuous and adventurous options available ranging from 3 to 5 day excursions.
3. Get a train - There are no roads leading to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu, however there are trains which can get you there in comfort and even luxury. However, with a return ticket costing anywhere from US$100-300pp not including the entrance ticket, this is by far the most expensive option.
4. Bus and walk - Many tour operators in Cusco offer to bus you to the end of the road near the hydro- electric plant from there it is a 3 hour walk along the railway tracks to Aguas Calientes. A two day tour including bus, one night accommodation, meals and entrance to Machu Picchu costs US$80-$100. You can choose to do this yourself using local busses and collectivos which could work out cheaper. This is by far the most economical way to get there.
Despite these many options we had a few problems. Firstly, we arrived in Cusco in February when the Inca Trail is closed. We had also failed to book in advance so this would not be option for us anyway. Secondly, we had arrived in the rainy season and it bucketed it down every day we were in Cusco. Because of this many tour operators weren’t offering the alternative walks and the prospect of spending three days trekking in the rain and mud didn’t seem like an appealing option.
This left us with either the expensive train or bus option. Trying to look after our pennies we decided to go for option 4 and booked this through a reputable agency for $87.
On the day of our departure we arrived at our pick up point at 7.30am only to find the lady who we had booked the tour through frantically running around. Something was clearly going wrong. We managed to decipher from her that, due to the torrential rains, there had been a mud slide on the road, busses were stuck and there was no way of getting us there by car today or potentially for the next few days. We were devastated but, as we have learnt to accept during this trip, there is nothing you can do about the weather.
After discussing the options it became apparent that the only way we would be able to be certain of getting to Machu Picchu was to take the train the next day. We worked out a deal and ended up having to pay an additional US$115. That would be a total of US$289 to get us there! I was less than impressed but knew it would cost a hell of a lot more to return to Peru at some point in the future so we reluctantly forked out the cash.
The next problem was getting the train tickets as with everyone now wanting to get the train we had to rush to the ticket office to make sure we could get the cheaper seats. The other premium services would have cost us hundreds of dollars more. Anxiously we booked our train leaving Ollantaytambo at 6.10am and returning from Aguas Calientes at 9.50pm.
The next day the bus came to pick us up from our hotel at the ungodly hour of 3am. Excited to be finally getting there we jumped on the bus and tried, but mainly failed, to get some sleep as the bus jolted its way over bumps and around corners. Soon enough it was 6am and we had 10 minutes to jump on the train. Trying hard to stay dry as the rain came pouring down.
The next mode of transport was more pleasant. On the 2 hour train journey we were provided with coffee and biscuits. The least they could do given the extortionate prices they charge! Anyway, we arrived in Aguas Calientes at around 8am and were met by a guide who ushered us onto another bus which took us on a 20min journey uphill. The rain had stopped and the clouds were parting. We couldn’t wait to get inside. However, our guide had other ideas. He had us wait for over an hour as he herded people together. After waiting another 10 minutes for him to make order out of the chaos we decided to split from the group and explore on our own. Machu Picchu is famous for being mysterious as there is a lot still unknown so we figured the scatty guide wouldn’t be able to tell us anything that we hadn’t already read in our guide books.
Finally inside we were able to see the in real life the site so famous to anyone with an interest in history and travel. For me, as I have seen the image a thousand times, it felt familiar, like I had been there before. It is nothing short of spectacular.
We were disappointed to find out we had to have purchased another ticket to climb the peaks Huayna Wayna or Machu Pichu Mountain. So we made do with a less strenuous walk to the Sun Gate, which also provided spectacular views as the path clung to the mountainside.
Without doing either of the larger hikes the site was easily explored in a few hours and we were exhausted from our early start. We decided to go back to Aguas Calientes but arrived there at 2pm and our train wasn’t until 9.50, with many hours to kill we looked for something to do in town and were immediately lured into a bar with their 4 for 1 drinks offer. Many, many pisco sours later and in quite a drunken state we ended up franticly running for the train. We arrived back in Cusco exhausted at 3am the next day. A full 24 hours after we set off.
We were well and truly Machu Picchu Pissed!
