MACHU PICCHU
YEAH - We have got to that part of my trip that all have been waiting for! OH YEAH! I visited MP - you know 1 of the 7 wonders of the world? That big city on top of the mountain? THE NUMBER 1 THING TO SEE IN PERU!?
YEAH THAT ONE!
Yeah - no biggy - I went.
AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE
But lets start at the beginning because as I told my parents numerous times, you don't get to see the main attraction on the first day.
So I flew out to Cusco last Tuesday (without problems - woohoo) and spent the night at Loki hostel at a Halloween party (dressed up as myself because who has space for a halloween costume? -NOT ME). On the following day we went to the Salineras de Maras which are shallow pools filled with salt water which when the water evaporates leaves crystallised salt and is an ancient practice. We travelled there and back on Quad bikes so it was fun AND took little effort on my half.
We went to a meeting about the tour and were told to be ready in the reception at 6:30am Inca Time (in comparison to Peruvian time where the actual time usually means half an hour later) to start the tour.
On the first day, we went mountain biking which was a lot like Death Road in Bolivia except
-It wasn't on Friday 13th - so no superstition
-It was normal road - so I went faster
-There were cars = Peruvian drivers = my life is at risk
So I was kitted up with full body padding, gloves and helmet and sent on my way down the hill. When we got to the bottom, we were dropped off at the lunch spot and while others went rafting, a friend and I just relaxed on the hammocks with fellow tourees, chatting in different languages, drinking tea and taking naps. As the sun came down we drove for an hour along a particularly unsafe looking road which was just about big enough for our van - one side was rocks and the other was a cliffside drop to certain death. Unfortunately my seat was on that side. So after driving for an hour in the pitch black, we arrived at our hostel for the night and made our way to our rooms. There was 5 of us girls in one room and we were just getting ready for dinner when suddenly Bethie lets out a massive scream and sprints to the other side of the room. All looking puzzled we look to where she has just undone the curtains to see THIS MASSIVE SPIDER CRAWL BACK BEHIND A FLAP OF THE CURTAIN. I kid you not it was the largest spider I have ever seen. Even the guide took one look at it and decided to grab a stick. After all that palaver, we all find ourselves checking the floor for more unwanted guests before going for dinner. We headed to the thermal baths after dinner before heading back for a good nights rest before our lie in (6:30am) the following morning.
So this is now Friday and we start off by going zip lining which I obviously loved. We then set off on a 3 hour walk on the Inca Trail alongside where the train goes up to Machu Picchu (the train that costs $800 so is only for the rich older generation) Up until this point we had been very lucky with the weather. I had bought a purple poncho for 3 soles with the optimism I would not have to use it. It wasn't until I came back to Lima that I realised my mum had actually put in my first aid box a poncho which probably would have kept me A LOT DRIER than the thin piece of material that I ended up requiring to shield me from the rain that came our way half way into our walk. So we reached Aguas Calientes soggy but happy on Friday night where we tucked into a lovely dinner (ceviche and beef steak for me) before heading to bed for our 3:40am wakeup the following morning.
I had decided I wanted to walk up to Machu Picchu the following morning but when I woke up that morning all I REALLY wanted to do was get the bus. But no matter. I walked with 3 other friends to the starting point of the descent and climbed for about an hour (with occasional breaks) to the site of Machu Picchu! I reached the top melting like an ice cream but with a grin on my face, feeling very proud of myself for doing it. We then took a 2-hour tour around the site which is HUGE (and has lots of steps which were, to my dismay, almost all upwards) before our guide left us and we were allowed to explore ourselves. We had a photoshoot with MP and took it in turns posing in front of the mountain (between all the other tourists who wanted to do the exactly same thing) and then Bethie and I walked up to the Inca bridge and just laid around enjoying the pretty awesome view. It was incredible and looks exactly like the photos! I wanted to buy a magnet from the Machu Picchu town but these vendors are used to having tourists and I WAS NOT going to be mugged off by paying more (money = still an issue) so sorry all, you will have to deal with the same magnet - but from Lima where I can barter them down to a cheaper price!
We got back to Cusco at 10pm in the pouring rain and all fell into bed for a good nights sleep. I made my way back to Lima the following day for my well-earned bath and then went out again with my family for coffee and pancakes. I got a lie- in the following morning (7:45am! A
ren't I a lucky girl?) and went back to school as normal. So after a wild week of trekking, zip lining, cycling, partying, scratching (because of the ton of bites I got on my arms and ankles) screaming (because of the tarantula - we were in the jungle after all) and feeling incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu, I am back to being an English assistant but with just another adventure under my belt to brag about when I get home.
Y'all best be ready for that.
Until next time, Ciao!
YEAH THAT ONE!Yeah - no biggy - I went.
AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE
But lets start at the beginning because as I told my parents numerous times, you don't get to see the main attraction on the first day.
So I flew out to Cusco last Tuesday (without problems - woohoo) and spent the night at Loki hostel at a Halloween party (dressed up as myself because who has space for a halloween costume? -NOT ME). On the following day we went to the Salineras de Maras which are shallow pools filled with salt water which when the water evaporates leaves crystallised salt and is an ancient practice. We travelled there and back on Quad bikes so it was fun AND took little effort on my half.We went to a meeting about the tour and were told to be ready in the reception at 6:30am Inca Time (in comparison to Peruvian time where the actual time usually means half an hour later) to start the tour.
On the first day, we went mountain biking which was a lot like Death Road in Bolivia except
-It wasn't on Friday 13th - so no superstition
-It was normal road - so I went faster
-There were cars = Peruvian drivers = my life is at risk
So I was kitted up with full body padding, gloves and helmet and sent on my way down the hill. When we got to the bottom, we were dropped off at the lunch spot and while others went rafting, a friend and I just relaxed on the hammocks with fellow tourees, chatting in different languages, drinking tea and taking naps. As the sun came down we drove for an hour along a particularly unsafe looking road which was just about big enough for our van - one side was rocks and the other was a cliffside drop to certain death. Unfortunately my seat was on that side. So after driving for an hour in the pitch black, we arrived at our hostel for the night and made our way to our rooms. There was 5 of us girls in one room and we were just getting ready for dinner when suddenly Bethie lets out a massive scream and sprints to the other side of the room. All looking puzzled we look to where she has just undone the curtains to see THIS MASSIVE SPIDER CRAWL BACK BEHIND A FLAP OF THE CURTAIN. I kid you not it was the largest spider I have ever seen. Even the guide took one look at it and decided to grab a stick. After all that palaver, we all find ourselves checking the floor for more unwanted guests before going for dinner. We headed to the thermal baths after dinner before heading back for a good nights rest before our lie in (6:30am) the following morning. 
So this is now Friday and we start off by going zip lining which I obviously loved. We then set off on a 3 hour walk on the Inca Trail alongside where the train goes up to Machu Picchu (the train that costs $800 so is only for the rich older generation) Up until this point we had been very lucky with the weather. I had bought a purple poncho for 3 soles with the optimism I would not have to use it. It wasn't until I came back to Lima that I realised my mum had actually put in my first aid box a poncho which probably would have kept me A LOT DRIER than the thin piece of material that I ended up requiring to shield me from the rain that came our way half way into our walk. So we reached Aguas Calientes soggy but happy on Friday night where we tucked into a lovely dinner (ceviche and beef steak for me) before heading to bed for our 3:40am wakeup the following morning.
I had decided I wanted to walk up to Machu Picchu the following morning but when I woke up that morning all I REALLY wanted to do was get the bus. But no matter. I walked with 3 other friends to the starting point of the descent and climbed for about an hour (with occasional breaks) to the site of Machu Picchu! I reached the top melting like an ice cream but with a grin on my face, feeling very proud of myself for doing it. We then took a 2-hour tour around the site which is HUGE (and has lots of steps which were, to my dismay, almost all upwards) before our guide left us and we were allowed to explore ourselves. We had a photoshoot with MP and took it in turns posing in front of the mountain (between all the other tourists who wanted to do the exactly same thing) and then Bethie and I walked up to the Inca bridge and just laid around enjoying the pretty awesome view. It was incredible and looks exactly like the photos! I wanted to buy a magnet from the Machu Picchu town but these vendors are used to having tourists and I WAS NOT going to be mugged off by paying more (money = still an issue) so sorry all, you will have to deal with the same magnet - but from Lima where I can barter them down to a cheaper price!We got back to Cusco at 10pm in the pouring rain and all fell into bed for a good nights sleep. I made my way back to Lima the following day for my well-earned bath and then went out again with my family for coffee and pancakes. I got a lie- in the following morning (7:45am! A
ren't I a lucky girl?) and went back to school as normal. So after a wild week of trekking, zip lining, cycling, partying, scratching (because of the ton of bites I got on my arms and ankles) screaming (because of the tarantula - we were in the jungle after all) and feeling incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu, I am back to being an English assistant but with just another adventure under my belt to brag about when I get home.
Y'all best be ready for that.
Comments
Post a Comment