19 de Octubre (Machu Picchu Parte 1)

Friday morning, Liz and I woke up so that we’d be ready by 7:15 when Raul picked us up in his taxi. He arrived en punto and we set out for the airport. On our way, we picked up Junior who was eagerly anticipating his first flight! After we got to the airport, we ate breakfast at McDonald’s which was actually a real treat. Once we paid our airport tax and went through security (*side note—we didn’t have to take off our shoes!), we got ready to board the plane. Things went off smoothly and we landed in Cuzco as scheduled.
*on the airplane

Our original plans included arriving in Cuzco, getting our tickets for Machu Picchu and then staying in a hostal there. We were going to take the train to Aguas Calientes on Saturday and see Machu Picchu and then return that same day. But. . .

Once we got there, we set out to the train station in an effort to book tickets to Aguas Calientes which is where you get on the bus to go to Machu Picchu. Unfortunately they didn’t have any tickets ida y vuelta (round trip) for Saturday. Our only option was to leave that night from Cuzco at 8:15 and not return until Sunday morning. So, we called the airlines, changed our flights and booked the trip! It was amazing that the train tickets cost $30 less than we expected. We were starving by this point, so we stopped at a nice restaurant in the plaza and got some almuerzo y mate de coca! This is a drink that they make in the higher altitude areas from coca leaves. Yes, those are the leaves that they make cocaine from. Interesting. The mate was pretty good, but I did put a little bit of sugar in mine. :)

*drinking that mate

Then, we went to find our tickets to Machu Picchu and an internet cabina so we could book a new hostal. Originally we were supposed to stay in Cuzco, but that was no longer an option. Things were going great until we realized that we needed to take a bus to get to the train station. No wonder the tickets were cheaper; they didn’t go the whole way! We weren’t aware that this would be a two hour long bus ride, so we high-tailed it to the train station and managed to catch one that left Cuzco at 4:40. This only cost us s/.5 each, so we were really glad! The bus ride was actually one of the most beautiful trips I’ve been on. The countryside was absolutely gorgeous and an awesome reminder of why I’m in Peru—to serve this wonderful God who created so much beauty for us to enjoy. After arriving in Ollantaytambo, we ate supper at a little restaurant that we prayed wouldn’t make us sick. I got the lomo saltado and felt much better with a full tummy. Then, we got on the train and took a dark bus ride to Aguas Calientes. Arriving there, we walked up a road. When I say we walked up, I mean UP. I, apparently, need to do some cardio. My nearly sea-level upbringing was really taking a toll on my stamina. :) Anyway, we made it to the hostal and checked into our rooms.

*bus!

*and the train. whew.

When I went to take a shower that night, I was surprised that no water came out of the hot water knob! So, I got Junior and he went and talked to the owner who fixed the problema. Our hostal was really nice. We had two beds with seemingly clean sheets and towels, HOT water and a Peruvian breakfast!

All in all, we took a taxi to the airport, a plane to Cuzco, a Tiko to the bus station, a bus to the train station and walked to our hostal. All we needed was a good boat ride and we would’ve been complete. :)

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

Katrina