on tuesday we finally got to go to machu picchu. there are 2 ways of getting there: you can hike the inka trail for 3-4 days, or you can take the train up from cusco. due to time restraints we took option b. our original plan was to go up on monday, spend the night in the nearby town, aguas calientes, and go back up tuesday morning and finish seing the thing. since the roads were closed monday, we only had the option of doing the whole thing in one day (this is also known as `God has other plans for you´). so it goes a little something like this: 4-5 hour train ride to aguas calientes. get put into a group. (ours was White Pedro). separate by english or spanish. get corralled onto a bus with the other 200 people there. take the crazy bus 30 mins up to the top along roads the drop right off the edge of the mountain. get out of bus. find your White Pedro group. try and keep from kicking the crazy serbian man in the shins because he is super annoying and acts like he knows everything. enter into monument. climb all the way up to the entrance gate. step through and look down upon the ancient inca machu picchu.
all in all it was cool. i learned alot. we got to walk through the whole thing. the guide was very informative. with the exception of crazy serbian man, White Pedro got along well. it was really beautiful. and WAY SMALLER than i had expected it to be. we got through the whole thing in 2 hours. therefor, i am glad we didnt end up spending the night and going through it for a second day. the pictures are gorgeous....i cant wait to post them. and sister mouse made a really good point.... she said she was glad we didnt do the hike, because if she had hike for 4 days and this was what waited for us at the top, she probably would have been disappointed. i agreed with her. i think for the inka trail hike, the joy would definitly be in the journey, not the destination.
you dont come to peru and not go to machu picchu. but looking back, its by far not the coolest thing we´ve done. however, i am so thankful we got to go...i was a little worried the other day that we had gotten so close and we wouldnt be able to go.
this morning (wed. march 4th), we left cusco, a breezy 50 degrees...hopped on another plane..and 30 minutes later stepped off it in puerto maldonado in 90+ degree heat. what the heck. we are staying the night at this cute little cabana inn in town and tomorrow we head into the jungle for three days to stay at and ecolodge and research center. so you wont be hearing from us for a few days but stay tuned.... good things are to come...i´m sure of it!
xoxo,
The Jungle Mice
p.s. in honor of my friend, scott, i would just like to point out that today is my favorite day of the year.
March 4th.
It´s a date.
It´s a command.
It´s generally just good advice.
Come in like a lion...go out any way you want.
March forth, my friends, March 4th.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Ahhh, the March 4th statement- I was trying to remember it!
Good to know about the hike, I'll try to enjoy the journey as I'm trying to drag myself up mountains on the way there! I can't wait to see the pictures.
When Robin and I went to Cozumel we went to see some ruins...and you know, ruins, plural...we somehow thought these were going to be...like...large. Turned out to be one tiny church. Like...a cubby hole church.
Of course machu picchu sounds better than the cubby-ruin, but then again we only road an hour through the jungle and you would have gone four days.
I'm so tickled you still remember the entire quote (or at least remember where it was written down). March 4th indeed.
AND you're actually living the quote, which is way cooler than doing small repairs on a house while waiting to sign some paperwork. When this is done, I want in on the next trip!
When will my dear wife and her friend be home monday?
Haha you are funny...now I realize where I come up with some many great stories for my blog, oh yea my sister just happens to be nothing short of awesome! Maybe one of these days we can actually bring our travels together! Hmm sounds good to me!
Post a Comment