Friday, July 23, 2010
Machu Picchu or Bust
Yesterday morning Jeff and I woke at the crack of dawn (he slept on my floor) and made our way to school to meet our driver who was taking us to the bus station to take the train that goes to Machu Picchu. Thankfully the coffee at school was already brewing and we hopped into our little taxi well caffeinated and super excited.
Unfortunately for Jose, our taxi driver, he looked at our tickets after pulling into the bus station (a small parking lot with three buses) and realized that he actually had to drive us to Ollantaytambo, the main train station that goes directly to Aguas Calientes, the town beneath Machu Picchu. You used to be ableto take the train directly from Cusco, but can't for some reason anymore. Ollantaytambo is about 2 hours from Cusco. He wasn't pleased, so we shared some of our breakfast with him (pan, queso and leftover chicken from last night's dinner) and that brightened his mood.
We got to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley with about 1/2 hour to spare, found more coffee, stocked up on cookies (and a hat for me) and got on the train. We were ticketed for the backpacker train going up (the cheaper one) and the Vistadome slightly more expensive) going back. After riding the backpacker train I really didn't see a need to pay more for the other one -- the seats were very comfortable and roomy. We also befriended an older couple across the way who, believe it or not, live about 1 mile from me back in DC. Por supuesto.
We had the whole day to kill in Aguas Calientes, the tourist town below Machu Picchu. It's atually a nice little place -- sure, the souvenirs are overpriced and most of the food is pretty crappy, but Jeff and I found a decent spot for dinner after a disgusting lunch of "quesadillas" and Coke Zero. We also found the only bakery and mercado in town and picked up some bread, cheese, tomatoes and fruit for the next day. We were set!
The day moved slowly and we embraced it. Just like Cusco, offers of massage abound and after some searching (and my grilling of the proprietors), we settled on the place across from our hotel and got massages ($18 each). And, believe it or not, mine was pretty good. I had to tell my therapist to slow down 3 times (which, after talking to Jeff, I realized I was actually telling him "bastante," or "enough"), but when he finally understood my "no rapido" request it was quite enjoyable. I even went back to our room and took a nap before dinner.
Our guide, Alberto (Beto) met us promptly at 7:30 pm to discuss plans for the next day. We were to meet in the lobby at 7 to make our way to the buses that take us up to MP. I was less than chipper the next day, as I'm fighting a yucky cold and Jeff snores like a locomotive.
I tried to nap on the bus up to MP, but the stunning views prevented me from dozing off completely. The buses hug some pretty narrow cliffs as they climb to the top, and you kind of want to hold your breath every time one bus has to pass another.
25 minutes later, we arrived at the top. The Sanctuary Lodge and it's very expensive snack bar greets you as you get off the bus, but we bypassed all that and made our way through the main gate and right into Machu Picchu. It's just like all the pictures and is pretty fucking spectacular. We spent abou 3 hours there with our guide and walked through most of the site. The sun was hot and the tourists in full, obnoxious gear. It's high season here so I shouldn't have been surprised, but after our quietly magical (and painfully brutal) trek to Choquequirao in February, seeing a place so spiritual overrun with tourists lost a little of the "otherness" for me. I'm so glad I went to Choquequirao first instead of MP.
Our Vistadome train ride back to Ollantaytambo was actually really nice. They fed us a yummy snack of fruit and little empanadas and the views were spectacular. The Andes are something else -- you feel so tiny here.
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