viernes, 25 de junio a lunes, 28 de junio
destino - Machu Picchu
Día Uno: Cusco la ciudad
We arrived in Cusco, Perú around midday on viernes and explored Cusco in the afternoon. Located in the plaza de armas was the remarkable Cathedral! (Read about it here). We also visited Sacsayhuaman - pronounced similar to sexy woman jaja- Q'enqo and Tamboymachay.
Día Dos: Derailed Train & Machu Picchu
Due to the mudslides earlier in the year, the Cusco train station was inoperable, so we had to travel an hour and a half to the next train station by bus. Everything was going according to plan, until we started to hear some odd noises and saw the attendants panicking... something had to be wrong, and something surely was. So you hear stories about how trains sometimes go off of their tracks... well, have you ever been in that train? I have.
The cabin car in front of ours decided to not follow the rules of the track and derailed. It wasn't too serious, but it was serious enough to strand us for three hours - precious Machu Picchu time! By the time we got off of our train, we were beyond furious. Machu Picchu was only open for an hour more, 5pm, and our return train was at 9pm! The bus ride up the side of the mountain was our elixir... ¡la naturaleza era magnifíco!
Now it was time for our abridged tour, which turned out to be completely satisfying. Machu Picchu wasn't too crowded nor hot - it ended up being the perfect time of time to visit. I simply cannot explain how incredible Machu Picchu is..... The Incan culture and natural beauty are beyond words, and forever will be (my explanation of why the Incans never developed a written language). Machu Picchu Photos: Facebook & Picasa
DEATH BY TRANSIT
Departed hotel at 7am. Arrived at Machu Picchu at 4:30pm.
Departed Machu Picchu at 6:30pm. Arrived back at the hotel 6am.
Día Tres: Sacred Valley
Our travel to Ollantaytabmo was bittersweet due to the fact that we had passed through this city twice on día dos....
Nevertheless, Pisac and Ollantaytambo eran chéveres... even though we only had 2 hours of sleep. Photos: Facebook & Picasa
Día Cuatro: Peruvi-don't Airlines
One check in attendant doesn't seem to be sufficient for an airline that runs hourly flights from Cusco to Lima, right? Sure wasn't. Technical problems? I say poor management.
So, our flight was supposed to depart at 11:10am, however, upon our arrival in the terminal, we couldn't find any Peruvian Airlines representatives... We asked security and the other airlines, but they didn't know anything about our flight, which by this time was already supposed to have departed. After almost causing a scene by accidentally opening the emergency exit by security, the security said they would find a representative to assist us. The solution: uncertainty. The representative didn't have any information other than that the plane might arrive at 1:30. Actual departure time - 2pm.
Would I do the trip under the same circumstances again?
Definitely.
No wonder it's one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
Total transit time - 26 + hours
Rating - 4.5 llamas (.5 llama deducted for train and flight debacles)
