Peru – Day 3
(June 11)
Day 3 of our Itinerary:
Traveling by train to Aguas Calientes to relax and see the Village and its thermal baths.
Aguas Calientes
Train ride in the morning departing from Poroy station which was about 20 – 30 minutes away. We had a driver set up by Ricardo (our guide) pick us up from our hotel. It wasn’t bad at all, just had to make sure we left early enough to get our train in Poroy. PeruRail runs the trains and we took their cheapest train “The Expedition” which was nice and was very comfortable. It was definitely nicer than some of the trains I’ve been on. We got complimentary drinks and a snack for our three hour ride to Aguas Calientes. Adventure continues.
We Made It
Peru – Day 4
(June 12)
Day 4 of our Itinerary:
Quick bus trip up Machu Picchu.
Tour guide walk around Machu PIcchu city.
Climbing Huayna Picchu.
Bus back down to Aguas Calientes. Quickly explore Aguas Calientes and catch train back to Poroy station. Cab back to Cusco.
Machu Picchu
Around 4:30am we headed out of our hotel and headed to the bus stop which was about a 5 – 7 minute walk towards the main intersection of town. We weren’t the only ones already up. A long line had already formed. It wasn’t too long before the line moved and people were getting on huge tour buses to go up the steep winding hill up to the base of Machu Picchu. It was still dark and the clouds/fog were gently hugging the peaks. It was awesome.
We met another guide and started our tour. He would only be with us for the first part of it where we walk around Machu Picchu the city. We were on our own for the second half of climbing Huayna Picchu/Wayna Picchu the mountain peak (8920 ft above sea level).
Seeing Machu Picchu and the mountains surrounding it was breathtaking. It was magnificent and unbelievable to see. The fact that the Incan people built this so high up was also mind blowing to imagine.
Huayna Picchu / Wayna Picchu
Climbing up Huayna Picchu was a difficult task for me. Every few steps up the mountain, I had to stop to catch my breath. I wasn’t use to it and the high altitude didn’t help either. We met a friendly traveler, Êadoin, from Ireland and she accompanied us along the trek. Once we got up there, it was a sight to behold. The lush green mountain top with clouds rolling in and out. We sat down by a ledge and hung our feet down to relax and view Machu Picchu below just like the ancestral Incans. What a sight.
Also amazing up top were a few temples built this high up. I couldn’t imagine lugging heavy stones up steep steps that seem to go on for miles. The climb was worth every breath and I’m glad we did it.
The Descent Down
It was definitely easier then going up. It was still an awesome view along the way. We met climbers going up and stopping. We encouraged a few who seemed discourage that there was more and still were not at the top. We also joked to some who were really close to the top that only about “an hour’s more climb before the top” and they gave us the “Geeze, really?” look. But we smiled and said “no, they were close”. The relief on their face was priceless.
Thank You Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu
Before boarding the bus to go back to Aguas Calientes, we got our passports stamped that we were there at Machu Picchu. We had about an hour and half to kill before getting the train back to Poroy. So we decided to walk around the streets of Aguas Calientes. We decided to get a massage and we headed to about two places before realizing they couldn’t do three of us at the same time. When we reached the third place on one of the main streets, we were taken to the side back door which actually connected to the restaurant next to it. So we got a massage in the back of a restaurant, a little odd but we took it since they could take the three of us. We got our massage although we cut it short by about 15 minutes before running back to our hotel to get our luggage. I’m sure the massage therapists were a little confused since we didn’t speak the language and they barely understood our English. It’s not like we didn’t pay, like a dine and dash. We had to catch our train. Definitely a story worth telling. We boarded our train back to Poroy with a lively group of singing non-speaking vacationers. It was evening and dark out when we arrived at Poroy. We shortly waited for our cab and then headed back to Cusco.