The train station exits into a market where you can buy local goods. We had walking directions to our hostel which was super close to the train station. Not only close to the train station but close to the train tracks. The front door of the hostel was about 3 feet from the train tracks. We stayed at Ecopackers which I recommend. It was clean, safe and very reasonably priced. They also let us keep our luggage there after we checked out since we said we were going to Machu Picchu the next day.
We walked around Aguas Calientes all in about an hour. It is a very tourist town all with notion that everyone is only stopping there to go to Machu Picchu. We continued to eat light and ate a tortilla which basically is a fried egg with things in it or like a thin frittata if you want to think of it that way. We spent most of the day before Machu Picchu staying on the top of our hostel using their wifi while it rained outside and watched an awful movie in the background. It was our second awful movie of the trip by the way. But this movie was Total Recall with Colin Ferrell and Jessica Biel. Don't get me wrong I do love watching Colin Ferrell but it was very confusing and we were watching it in English. To be fair, we didn't watch it from the beginning but we did watch about 75% of it and were still lost.
The night before I was doing last minute hiking/Machu Picchu research because for those of you that don't know me, I am not a hiker. I am not one who likes to sweat. I was getting nervous the more I read. The hiking level is difficult and it was taller than the mountain that everyone climbs. But I tucked those fears away and we went to bed early. We made sure we had breakfast, had time to buy lunch to take on our hike and then to get on the bus to take us to Machu Picchu. You can hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu and save the 9 or so dollars but it does take an hour and a half or so going up and the altitude is already an issue for most people visiting the area. So Kiah and I thought bus was the best thing for us and it made more sense since we were planning on hiking anyway.
We arrived at Machu Picchu at about 6:30. We thought we would have a guide to climb up the mountain but as we learned from the guides outside they would take us on a 2 hour tour of the ruins and then we would be off to go on the hike by ourselves. The cost for a guide was 120.00 soles. If we had more people in our group, then we could have split up the cost but because it was just 2 of us, it would have been 60 soles each. Pass. We can do this tour thing on our own. But if you do want to do the tour, find more people to join your group to share the cost.
Because we were so high up, the clouds were surrounding us and the mountains so it was difficult to get decent shots of the area. The plan was to walk around the ruins a little bit to wait for it to clear up and start to hike up so by the time we reached the top it would be clear enough to take photos. As we walked around the area, we did learn a little about the ruins as we eavesdropped to what the other tour guides had to say. We did walk away learning more than we came in with so it all worked out. The weather was beautiful and it cleared up at about 8 and we were very fortunate that it was a beautiful day.
We climbed Mount Machu Picchu. I'd like to be able to point to a post card or picture of it online to say "I climbed that" but there are no pictures of it. All the pictures of the whole area of Machu Picchu are from that particular mountain. Online people warned that the stairs could be a bit dangerous but it was safer than Huanya Picchu (that's the taller mountain in the pictures of Machu Picchu). The stairs are not that dangerous unless it's raining I suppose. During some portions of the trail, the stairs are short and steep but they are still wide horizontally. As mentioned earlier, I am not a hiker. I was super slow at climbing it and stopped probably about every 15-20 steps if even that to catch my breath. If someone was behind me, I used that as an excuse to wait and catch my breath more. As Kiah and I started and were walking up I told her "I'm sure I will thank you later....but not now." As you are hiking up there is no sign that says so and so many meters left or you are almost there or anything. So each person passing us on their way back down kept saying "30 minutes". Hey people, it can't always be 30 minutes from every spot. I told Kiah that I think it's a lie that is passed down from hiker to hiker to make everyone feel better. As I was getting frustrated with myself and my legs because they were cramping up, I told Kiah that she could keep going and I would make it up there when I did.
I am currently reading "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" and the author describes Cusco as a place being known for spirituality, shamans and healing. Walking around Cusco you were offered a lot of massages and you'd see signs for readings and other things. But Cusco is also the start of the Machu Picchu journey. I didn't understand that thinking or feel it until on one of my many, many breaks I took some time to enjoy the view and quiet and take some time with my thoughts. And truth be told, I didn't have any thoughts. My head was clear and enjoying everything and taking it in. At that moment, I understood the spirituality of it.
As Kiah was walking and people caught up to her, she would ask about me and they kept telling her that I was on my way up. Kiah made a lot of friends at the top as she was waiting for me. Kiah thought I made a friend because she described me as the girl in the black tank top. There was another girl in a black tank top that had actually met a friend and they continued to the top together. But when the other girl in black made it to the top, Kiah started to worry. Finally...and I don't know how long it took or how long Kiah was waiting but I finally made it. Whew. I got a round of applause from all of Kiah's new friends because I had finally made it. I drank so much water and just sat there happy to be at the top. As we were sitting down, this guy Gus made it to the top and said "We made it all the way to the top to look at a stick......oh but WHAT a stick!" Probably the funniest comment I heard about making it to the top. The stick is there to be like "don't pass this point." We took our customary jumping, posing and thoughtful photos before heading back down.
Kiah and I walked down at a decent pace together as it was SO MUCH EASIER going down than coming up. Going down for me probably took about half to a third of the time. As we were going down, Kiah and I were talking about Black perceptions of hiking. (For those reading this and don't know me or Kiah, Kiah is Black and I am White). We noticed that there weren't many Black people in Peru, let alone at Machu Picchu and no one on the hike other than Kiah that is Black. We discussed different theories but didn't come up with anything substantial. The best thing we came up with was that we see a lot of Black people at social occasions getting all dressed up, pulling out their hats, getting the nails done and just looking good and presenting themselves like many of them had to do during the 50s and 60s and with hiking, it's not about getting dressed up, it's about getting dirty. I think it's a cultural convention passed down within the Black community that they always have to be presentable to be able to "fit in better". As much as we discussed, nothing was concluded and don't think anything can be concluded.
We finally got back down to the bottom of Machu Picchu and as Kiah went to take a few more shots I sat waiting near the exit. We took the bus back down and ate real food. Finally I could have some Lomo Saltado. Yum! We then grabbed our stuff and took the train back to Cusco. We had another driver meet us to take us from the train station to the bus station. We took the Cruz Del Sur line overnight to Puno. Our bus left at 10p.m. and got into Puno at 4:30a.m. Damn, the Cruz Del Sur line is the best bus line I have ever been on. It's a double decker bus where the chairs lean back far and they have leg rests that fold into place that make you feel like you are in a recliner. They also give you a blanket and food if your bus ride is more than 4 hours. Very clean and very reasonable. I would highly recommend Cruz Del Sur, I just don't know if being stuck on a bus after hiking Machu Picchu is the best idea since I couldn't really stretch out and my legs kept cramping but it was or sure a great way to travel.
Machu Picchu was awesome but a whole 24 hours later my legs are still feeling it and even stepping down a step is painful. But I do have the pictures that will out live the pain (I hope). Thank you Kiah.
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