world sketches

By: pedro

Oct 01 2010

Tags: cusco, cuzco, huayna picchu, inca, machu picchu, peru, south america, sudamerica, travel

Category: photography

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Note: this trip took place around February/March 2009. Although I believe the info is useful, you should be aware that things (even if prices) might have changed.

(Continuing from Pt 1) “We asked the combi driver to leave us by the train tracks so we could start walking towards Aguas Calientes… we just weren’t expecting good old Mother Nature to come and greet us again.” (end of Part 1).

So… five travelers, two flashlights, the train tracks which would lead us to Aguas Calientes and an apparently calm night. It looked like it was going to be a relaxing walk (despite long) to town. However, as soon as we started walking the rail tracks, and as the scarce street lights gave way to general darkness, the rain came. And not just any rain. One of those sudden, big, good ol’ neverending bits of it.

So we kept following the tracks, and because of the intense rain sometimes it was almost impossible to look at the ground 3, 4 metres in front of us. There are several bridges there, and you’ve got to be a bit careful not to make a mistake. It’s not that dangerous if you can guide yourself by the sound of the river below. As soon as you hear water running louder and louder, that means you’ll probably bump into one of these bridges. Problem was, the rain was rather noisy as well… but everything went fine.

At some point we got off the tracks to try a shortcut the polish had been told about. We got completely soaked and muddy, lost and wandering in the dark. We eventually found some sort of camping site and woke up these guys inside a huge military tent to ask where the heck we were, but didn’t get much out of the sleepy startled bunch. We had to get back to the tracks and keep going from there to Aguas Calientes. Oh, right: there is a shortcut indeed, and we must’ve passed the right intersection in the dark several times probably; but it was so dark and raining so much, that we would just spend the night going around in circles (we had been for one hour at that point), so following the tracks seemed like the best option.

Nearly three hours later (note: in good weather conditions you should do all this pretty quick, max. a couple of hours) we arrived in Aguas Calientes. We entered the first hostel we found  - one of the – if not the – first on the left, when you’re coming from Santa Teresa through the tracks. We woke them up in the middle of the night and fortunately they had rooms for us. We were completely drenched and those were the only clothes we had (usually you leave your backpack in Cuzco at your hostel, if you’re going back there, that is)… which means we would have to wash them and wait for them to get dry before doing anything else. Each wearing just a hostel towel, the argentine and me had a small discussion with the manager so that he’d weigh our clothes only AFTER laundry. They charge you by the kilogram, you see, and my outfit was hitting nearly 4 kgs (most of it water…!). Slick fellas, you see? Oh, 3 of us shared a room and the other 2 got another one, and I paid 15 soles per night, which was probably one of the cheapest fees around Aguas Calientes. So there’s your price reference.

Anyway, we spent one day sleeping as much as we wanted. Just took the day off, period. We took care of groceries, cooked and ate well, and went for a walk and to take care of the entrances to Machu Picchu. When I went there, and without any student discounts or whatever, I paid 130 soles.

So after a day of resting we were going to the Inca city the following dawn. The first bus leaves Aguas Calientes at 6 a.m. and it costs 7 dollars. But for any budget traveler this isn’t an option…! Our plan was to wake up at 4 a.m. in order to hike the mountain all the way up and try to arrive at the gates before that first bus.

To be continued.

—

Resuming:

1) Get the bus from Cusco to Santa María (max. 10-15 soles).

2) Once there, get a ‘combi’ (small bus) to Santa Teresa (a.k.a. “hidroeléctrica“, 7 soles, maybe less), which will take 2 hours (by night, anyway).

3) In Santa Teresa the combi can leave you in town or drive you to the “vía” (rail tracks); you should specify that to the driver.

4) The tracks cross the town of Aguas Calientes, so as long as you follow them you’re on the right path. Bring flashlight and (also depending on the time of year) better buy one of those cheap plastic raincoats you can find almost everywhere.

5) The first hostel on the left as soon as you enter Aguas Calientes charged us 15 soles for a 3-bed room, that’s probably as cheap as you’ll find. Plus, you exit the building, cross the road, and you keep going down and then go right following the river. That shortcut will take you to the other shortcut… to the Inca city.

6) Go to the center of Aguas Calientes and get to the Tourist Office to buy your entrance ticket to Machu Picchu. As far as I know, 130 soles.