Cusco - Machu Picchu
Well headed to Loki in Cusco to meet up with Rob (from Bolivia) and Vinny (Chile - Bolivia) they showed us some of the best places in town to eat as well as filling us in on some of the crazy nights out we´d missed. Unfortunately they were leaving Cusco the following day so only had a few quiet drinks to easy us into the hectic nightlife in Cusco.
After some dinner and saying goodbye to Rob and Vinny we went for a few drinks with our Cork roommates (4guys & 1girl) and also a girl from Navan. A few drinks lead to a few more which in turn lead to 9 of us trying to squeeze into the tiniest taxi in the world (seriously sober i couldn´t figure out were we´d all fit!!! We only managed to get the door closed because the security guard at Loki (who was in fits of laughter at us) pushed Garrett in with one hand while closing the door with the other. We then rolled down the hill (thank god we didn´t have to go up any i think the car would´´ve passed out..) to the main square were we headed to a nightclub. Having been out of the going out scene for a while we only stayed till four before going home - a great night though.
After a few days enjoying Cusco we decided it was time to go see what we were there to see the all famous Machu Picchu (Inca ruins discovered in the mountains surrounded by jungle). As its such a famous sight the entrance tickets are a little expensive but the real killer is the train from Cusco to Agnes Calientes (the town at the bottom of the mountain). The backpacker train is still expensive unless you take the night train which is still 50dollars per person (wouldn´t have minded that as much but that money goes straight to chile as the owner of the train is a business man from Chile). So we decided to go the back way to Macchu Picchu by taking a bus for 8hrs to Santa Maria (got delayed as well due to a flat tire) where we waited to get a connecting bus to Santa Theresa which took 3hrs with 27passengers in a hi-ace van (this guy couldve thought Micky Clarke a thing or two).
We got dropped off at the Hydroplant outside the town at 6 in the morning and started our 3hr walk from there to Agnes Calientes along the railway track. Needless to say hadn´t gotten much sleep on the buses so by the time we got to town i was exhausted so after some grub and sorting out tickets for the following day we took it easy.
It was up at five to catch the first bus to the ruins (I talked Garrett out of walking up to the ruins and was i glad i stuck to my guns - 1000meters of a climb it would´ve taken me all day to get up there). The other advantage to the bus was we were one of the first through the gates so got to see Machu Picchu with only a few people there which was great - the guy playing traditional pipe music at the top of one of the temples definitely added to the eerie atmosphere as the clouds rolled by. It was an amazing site definitely worth the visit and we got a fantastic view from Waynu Pichu the mountain behind the ruins (there are also ruins on the top of this mountain) it took about 30mins or so to climb. From the top of Waynu Pichu we took an alternative return route to see a cave but this trek took 2hrs and i was exhausted after it - the Incas are definitely on my hit list along with the Chinese (I don´t know which one of them invented steps first so they´re both on it!!!)
After getting a quick bite to eat we headed back to have a better look at some of the temples as well as do some of the alternative treks - to see an Inca bridge and the sun gate. We also made some friends with the llamas they keep on site to keep the grass from becoming over grown. We didn´t leave till 5 and then we still had to walk down the mountain back to Agnes Calientes - talk about being tired.
The next day it was up early again and a quick 3hr walk (not my muscles were all seized from the day before) back to Santa Theresa. From the hydro station we got a lift into town and a minibus straight away to Santa Maria. In Santa Maria the bus due at 1 didn´t arrive till half 3 and to top things off 2hrs further on we got stopped for an hour - the road was closed for road works….
We eventually got back to Cusco extremely tired and hungry but it was another adventure to add to our tales.
S&G