I spent a couple of days in Cusco, not doing much. I tried to get on am excursion that included some mountain bike riding. To my frustration, there were not enough takers so the operator cancelled the excursions. Anyway, it was good to a have a pit of break from constant travelling. I spent a bit of time in the Norton Pub which overlooks the main square. This is a bit of a happening place. The owner is a British Motorcycle enthusiast, hence the name of the pub. There is a lot of memorabilia on the walls, including old posters, of Nortons, Triumphs, Matchlesses etc.
On one afternoon the place was packed with soccer fans watching a European Champions’ Cup match between Barcelona and Juventus. Even I impressed with the skill of the players, especially the bloke called Messi.
Mach Picchu
It would have been really good to walk the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu. Unfortunately it is so popular you have to book months in advance. I had to do with a 2 day trip by bus and train.
The first stage was a mini bus to a town called Ollantaytambo from there is about a 2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes which is the town at the foot of Machu Picchu.
As I waited for my train, a really fancy train out into the station. It looked like what I expect the Orient Express carriages to look like – with plush seats and silver service dining cars.
After that train left, my train arrived. Even through it wasn’t as fancy as the other one, it was pretty flash.
Chat with Californian couple
The train was full. As it rattled off, the couple sitting opposite introduced themselves. They were from California and were serious travellers. It was very interesting to chat them. It became pretty obvious that they were your classic ‘Californian Liberals’ – pro universal health care, renewable energy and very embarrassed that George Bush had been President.
The trains passed through some very spectacular countryside.
After arriving in Aguas Calientes I found my hostel, which is located by the river. The sound of the water rushing by was amazing – so close and so loud.
Aguas is the classis tourist town. It seem that every shop is either a restaurant, tourist gift shop or tour operator. I had a bit of a wander around before have a meal and an early night.
Early wake up
I woke up very early to catch one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu in the morning. As it turned out there were hundreds of other people with the same plan. The queue to get a bus was very long. Notwithstanding the numbers, the queue moved fairly quickly and it wasn’t long before I was on a bus and heading up the very steep and winding road up to Machu Picchu.
Very Enthusiastic Guide
After getting through the entrance gate, I was put into a group of English speakers and we were introduced to our guide. As we walked up the path a tall girl asked me if I was Dutch. I told her that I wasn’t. She said she “thought I was an actor she had seen at Schiphol Airport”. He seemed very disappointed that I was retired Australian.
I must say Machu Picchu is one of those places that is more spectacular than the photos suggest. It is truly remarkable. The guide was very enthusiastic and had a lot to say about the history of the place and the Inca people that lived there. We were taken to various points of the site the features were explained.
Long walk to the Sun Gate
It the end of the tour, I walked to the sun gate which is about 2 kilometre away. If you take the Inca trail, this is place where you get your first sight of Machu Picchu.
As I approached the Sun Gate, a huge blob of cloud suddenly appeared. I have a great photo of Peruvian cloud behind which is a great view of Machu Picchu.
I head back down the track. After about 300 metres, the cloud lifted and I got a slightly different photo.
Walk for the park entrance to the town
When I got back to park entrance I decided to take the path that leads down to Aguas Calientes. The walk is not long, but it is very steep. Check out the Garmin link and the videos on Flickr.
Lunch in the square
I had a lunch in one of the very touristy restaurants I the town square. I had become accustomed to the Peruvian practice of automatically adding a 10 or 15% ‘service fee’ to restaurants bills. This seems fair enough to me.
As I sat eating my meal, I witnessed that bizarre sight of an American couple complaining that the service charged was added to bill. I challenged them to name a restaurant in their country where you could eat without being forced to pay a ‘tip’.
Train back
As it turned out that my train back to Ollantaytambo was one of the last to leave. It was dark when it arrived. There was mad rush to get on to the mini buses to Cusco. The bus that I got aboard ended up with only me a young couple. After a long wait the driver announced that he wasn’t going.
The young bloke was furious and started yelling at the driver in Spanish. The driver left the bus and the girl told me in broken English that he was going to get a taxis for us. As we waited she told me that they were from Columbia.
The taxis arrived and we climbed aboard. There was another animated conversation. The Columbia bloke clearly didn’t agree with the fare the taxis driver was proposing. Finally a fare was agreed – SOL 20 per person.
It took nearly two hours to get to Cusco. As far as I was concerned that was a very cheap fare.
Based on this experience, I would be very wary of upsetting a Columbian.
Flickr Links
Photos
https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/8y41tv
Videos
Garmin Link
billrider2013 