“I learned my strengths and my weaknesses. I experienced the exhilaration of the ups and the despairs of the lows and most of the feelings in between… I learned courage and I learned it myself” – Ann Stirk
Luckily they had another flight for us a few hours later. While waiting in the terminal, to add to the drama, the police came and cleared out everyone while a drug dog made a search. He seemed to find something and 10 minutes later we were able to retake our seats.
After an hour and a half flight, we landed in Cusco, which rests in the Andean Mountains. At an elevation of 11,000 feet, a basket of coca leaves was available for passengers to take a leaf and suck on it to help reduce altitude sickness. Coca leaves are the raw material for Cocaine. However, when used this way, it acts as a mild stimulant to reduce symptoms like headaches, dizziness, nausea and shortness of breath.
We quickly left the airport and met up with Samson, my friend that I met in Quito two years ago. I was excited and nervous to see him again, but we picked up right where we left off last time. While we were only in Cusco for a brief moment, it was a relief to see the bright sun shining and the views from our airbnb for when we returned from Machu Picchu. Our travel day continued because the three of us headed to the town where we would catch the train to Aguas Calientes. Since the sun sets early here in the winter, our 2.5 hour drive was dark and relatively uneventful but the bright stars were noticeable, since the sky was clear and that made me smile.
The day had finally come that I had been looking forward to for a long time. It was time to step foot at Machu Picchu and take in all of the history that once was. We caught the 1.5 hour train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes ($118US RT), dropped our things off at the hostel ($10), caught the bus up to Machu Picchu ($24 RT), and finally entered the grand Machu Picchu ($63). As you can see, it was pretty pricey for this opportunity (there are much cheaper and much more expensive ways) but it was undoubtedly worth it. I was in awe of what lay before my eyes and we couldn’t have asked for better weather to take it all in. A trip to MP isn’t compete without a hike. We chose to hike Waynapicchu Mountain. With an elevation of 9,000ft, we encountered extremely steep steps that usually allowed for the possibility of falling off. It took us quite a bit of time to reach the peak, as we had to stop to catch our breath and recoveer our heart rates, only to repeat again after 10 more steps. The summit provided for once in a lifetime views of the lost city of the Incans.
Between the elevation change, a tremendously bumpy bus ride, dehydration, or possible food poisoning, the last 12 hours have been rough on my stomach. I’m thankful that I had no problems on the hike. A solid dosing of water, Gatorade, ginger ale and crackers have helped me rebound today. I was still able to enjoy a game of chess with Samson and watch Peru beat Bolivia in the COPA Americana tournament last night. The spirit of the area while the game was on was heart-warming and unifying. Everyone was watching the game, even if it meant peering in the windows of restaurants from the outside because they couldn’t afford to dine there. Because of the long day and two of the three of us feeling icky, we went to bed at 9:03pm. I only specify that because we faught staying awake until 9pm, even though we did wake up at 4:30am and hiked a mountain.
The train ride back to Ollantaytambo and cab ride back to Cusco, through the Sacred Valley, was breathless. A majority of the trip followed the rushing Urubamba River. It made me wish I was whitewater rafting because of the terrific rapids. Alongside the river, snow capped mountains loomed and farming terraces were being tended to.
Through my travels, I’ve found that the journey to get to the main event, is almost as memorable and allows you to see more of the land that you are trying to understand.
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