Machu Picchu: Fulfilling a Childhood Dream

Everyone knows Peru = Machu Picchu. For my 3.5 week trip to Peru, I wanted to save MP for my big finale. In truth, I had no idea what I would find in Peru, and I am so happy with the adventures that I managed to have. I was a bit nervous before going to MP. After all, it is such a HUGE tourist place and I worried that I would be let down.

No one else in the hostel was going to Aguas Calientes (the town underneath MP) or MP when I was, so I did the journey alone. I opted out of doing any of the 3 day treks into MP. Of course, I heard they were amazing and well worth it, but I had already done a trek this trip, and I didn't want to be sore beyond reason when I returned to Bogota! Therefore, I took the scenic train ride into Aguas Calientes.

The town itself was small and saturated with tourists. In fact, I found it pretty overwhelming, especially when I couldn't find a hostel! I ended up at a kind of sketchy looking hostel and just decided to make the best of it. Even though the town was full, I felt a bit isolated. I wandered alone and came across many families and groups of people traveling together. Though it wasn't my normal path, I opted to spend some time alone and catch up on the blog. I had an expensive dinner and watched a performance in the town square before heading to bed at 830pm. I had to wake up at 4am, so I didn't want to go out and meet anyone.


Waking up was rough, but I was really excited. I had decided to take the bus up to the entrance of MP. It was a pricey bus ride for 20 minutes, and many backpackers choose to hike to the entrance instead, but I had also heard how some of them were so tired by the time they arrived at MP that they couldn't do all the walking they wanted to. So...I dished out the cash. Even though I was outside by 4:30, there was already at least 40 people waiting in the bus line!  As I waited, I ended up talking to two Brazilian guys next to me, Bruno and Fernando, who were very nice. We were amazed at the sheer number of people who were coming out of every building possible to join the line or start the hike up. We arrived at the park entrance at 7am and we parted ways when we entered the park because we were both signed up to different tour groups.

I was really glad I woke up so early to arrive at MP by 7am. There were only a few tour groups and it almost felt like MP was private (to a certain extent). My tour was really interesting and I learned some really cool stuff about the site, such as that it was considered more of a retreat for the social elite, and that it was use for scientific research. We examined the stones and how some were perfectly placed to reflect celestial patterns.

The tour was about an hour, and then I wandered off by myself again. As I started walking to the famous photo spot, I ran into Bruno and Fernando again! We were happy to take a dozen photos for the other and had some nice chats. I had bought a ticket to climb MP mountain, which is behind the ruins. The guys, however, had to start back down hill. I was bummed, but I told them which hostel I was staying at in Cusco and made plans to meet up when I returned. Such is the backpacking life :)

I started the hike up MP mountain. It was tough because of the altitude, but manageable. I was glad I brought water and some snacks. About an hour later, I reached the top! There were 30 people or so also at the top, enjoying the views, taking photos, and generally catching their breath! I made sure to dangle my feet over the ledge while I enjoyed a sandwich and a birds-eye view (literally) of MP.

I made it!

I descended and decided to take one last meander through the ruins, as most of the tourists had left. It felt more peaceful and quiet and personal. I sat on some stones and tried to take it all in. Right then, a llama started up the steps beside me and I thought, This is IT! So yes, I did take a selfie with a llama haha.

I decided to walk down the route instead of paying for the expensive bike. It was fine, but exhausting. I finally made it back down to Aguas Calientes and returned to my hostel only to discover that my bag had been stolen in the meantime. Long story short, the man who lead me to believe he worked there did not, took my bag anyway, and then denied every seeing or speaking to me. Lovely. It was a pretty devastating end to such a great day, but there wasn't much I could do. After a few hours at the police station, I went to my new hostel and passed out. I caught the train and bus back to Cusco the next morning.

While Aguas Calientes will forever leave a bad taste in my mouth, I am so happy to have seen MP, and not only that, but to have really felt the magic it contains. I was more than satisfied with my visit, and even though there were too many tourists, I was still able to carve out some solitude and mystery for myself. Here's a final video of the area so you can see how vast it is!

    

 The good news is that once I made it back to Cusco, my dear new friend Julia was still at the hostel and wonder of wonders...so were Bruno and Fernando! The group of revelers quickly became 10 and though I was still upset about my bag (and my Macbook), I decided to let it go and just have fun with good people.