Machu Picchu being a high tourist area, one would think it is fairly easy to get to. That is in fact, wrong. It took about 10 hours just to get Aguas Calientes, the town just below the ancient city in the Andes. After getting out of the hospital, Ben and I booked our two-day trip to Machu Picchu with one of the many touring agencies found in Cusco. I wasn’t going to let some little parasite hold me back from seeing one of the most beautiful attractions in Peru.
At 7:30 in the morning, we waited for our tour bus. I had seen these large vans carrying tourists drive through the narrow cobblestone streets of Cusco and was excited to sit in one. They looked so luxurious, spacious, and comfortable that I didn’t think twice about the promised five and a half hour ride to Hydroelectrica. Looks can be deceiving, though. We stepped onto the bus and as I sat down, I knew this bus ride was going to an adventure in itself. Now, remember how I said that the driving in Peru is nothing like America? Imagine taking a large 15-person van through narrow streets and up and down mountains with a horn honking every so often.
The first couple of hours we made it out of the city of Cusco and into the countryside of Peru and through the mountains. Passing by run down homes and small shacks with tin roofs, I felt like I got to see the true side of how people live in the Andes. It was sad to see hard working people with little to show for it. We made a stop at a touristy rest stop specifically for people journeying to Machu Picchu. It was absolutely beautiful with mountains on either side of it and vibrant flowers. Ben and I also met an adorable puppy we dubbed Señior Puppers, who hung out with us most of the time there.
Up until this point, the bus ride was relaxing and mesmerizing as we passed by neighborhoods and snow-capped mountains. The rest of the trip, which ended up being seven hours long, was not so smooth. We had to drive up one mountain, making it into the clouds. The roads going up these mountains are winding and narrow. Our driver was extremely aggressive, passing by every car in front of us. Sitting by the window was absolutely terrifying as I looked down to see how high up we were. If you are prone to car sickness, I advise against taking a bus to Machu Picchu. After about two hours of this, we made it into a small town situated in the mountains, I thought it would be smooth riding from there, maybe on a highway. I was wrong.
I established an even greater fear of heights during this bus ride. By the second half of our trip, I genuinely thought I was going to have a panic attack. Going up yet another mountain, we drove along an unpaved road that only had enough room for one car, but still acted as a two-way street. With no guard rails and the van shaking with every rock it hit, I kept picturing all of us rolling down the mountain into the river below. If you ask Ben how I was acting, he may describe me as a lunatic. “I can’t do this,” was the only phrase coming out of my mouth for the last hour.
Finally making it to our destination, we grabbed some lunch and chatted with two Germans and some guys from California and bonded over the crazy bus ride. After that, it was time for our seven-mile trek along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. We later found out that there are no roads that lead into Aguas Calientes, only train tracks. It was refreshing to walk instead of sitting on a bus. We were able to really experience the rain forest and check out the plants and admire the mountains surrounding us. It was also some great quality time together.
It was relaxing and exciting until the sun started to set and we had no idea how much longer we had until we arrived. With no street lights to guide our way, we ended up pulling out our phones and luckily Ben brought his flashlight (which, for the record I thought was silly until that moment) and walked through tunnels and along the tracks until finally, we heard the sound of buses and saw the lights of the town. It was one of the best feelings, like the light at the end of a tunnel.
Aguas Calientes seemed to be strictly for tourists. Hostels, hotels, and restaurants congested the small town. Prices were much more expensive than in Cusco and Lima too. There were no cars in the town, the only way to get somewhere was to walk. It was cute and bustling with tourists excited to get to Machu Picchu. We ended up turning in early after hearing that we had to be at the bus stop by 4:30 AM to get to Machu Picchu.
So, we got to the bus and waited in line for an hour before boarding. We had the option to hike up the mountain, but after the trek the day before, my feet were begging me not to. This ride up the mountain was much less scary than the ride to Hydroelectrica. There were hundreds of people waiting to enter the stone ruins of a city, some coming from the bus, others dripping in sweat from hiking.
As I passed through ticketing and caught a glimpse, I couldn’t believe we had finally made it. In that moment, all of the fear and pain was worth the sight before me. The sun was just starting to rise and the clouds were just starting to lift from the ground. We waited for our tour group to form and made our way through the ruins, learning about the uses of the city, the discovery, and what each ruin was used for.
For those of you who do not know, Machu Picchu was not discovered until 1911 when an American professor Hiram Bingham asked some locals in a nearby town about Incan ruins and an eleven-year-old boy brought him to the abandoned city. It is believed that the city was built in the 1400’s and abandoned it during the Spanish Conquest. Archeologists believe that the city was used as a secret university to teach future kings and leaders of the Incan empire.
As we walked through the ruins, our guide pointed out what would have been the classrooms, the dormitories, farming plots, the Sun Temple, and bathrooms. I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have lived in this city and climb up the steps every day to get to class and learn about astrology, leadership, geometry, and more. If you ever have the chance to go to Machu Picchu, please do. It’s breathtaking.
Unfortunately, this is the same day Ben informed me he wanted to go back to Cusco to see a doctor because he had not been feeling well the last couple of days. After the tour we made our way back to Aguas Calientes and booked a train ticket to Cusco. (We decided on the bus that we would not be taking the bus back based on the ride there.) Long story short, we made our way back to Cusco via train and went straight to the hospital I was in and stayed there for the next two nights.
Peru really kicked our butts. We spent a quarter of our trip in the hospital and decided that it was time to come home and cut our trip short. We changed our flight reservation and were discharged. With just enough time to grab one more Peruvian meal (I had an alpaca burger) and do some souvenir shopping, our trip ended. It was bittersweet, that’s for sure. We weren’t able to do half of the things we wanted to, but that’s okay because we will be back again some day. I promise.
From Peru With Love 