Machu Picchu – Hike of a Lifetime

I woke up around 2am to brush my teeth and make sure my backpack was filled with snacks and plenty of money for Machu Picchu. My tour guide was outside, right on time, and I ran into Natalie and Rachel coming in around 2:30am. We drove to the Plaza de Armas, where I would meet the bus, and surprisingly enough the guide driving had plenty to say/plenty of convo to make so early in the morning. I had just woken up from my mini nap but my Spanish was actually on point and the conversation flowed smoothly. It was freezing out so I was happy that we waited in the car for the bus to arrive.

When the bus arrived I got in and realized my group of tourists were all Spanish speakers. A bit nervous, I kept quiet until I drifted into sleep and awoke at the Ollanta train station around 4am. Unfortunately, my train ticket was for 5:40am so I was forced to wait outside in the freezing cold with several other unlucky ducks. I noticed two solo riders who had already found each other and too groggy and cold, I decided to stay isolated for awhile longer or at least until the sun came up.

When we were finally let in to wait at the train station lobby, I striked up some conversation with the two loners. I found that Gonzalo was from Lima and Kelli was from Brazil and they both were doing the hike alone, too. I found that Gonzalo’s accent or rather his speed of speaking was hard to keep up with but Kelli I understood perfectly fine. We talked for a little while about American culture, what we expected out of this hike, how nervous we were to be traveling alone. Then our train came and we split onto our separate platforms.

I fell asleep immediately after I got into my seat. I awoke several times to take pictures of the cool scenery and jungle-like atmosphere. Up until that point my entire trip had basically consisted of ruins and ancient buildings but the jungles of Peru were just as gorgeous and they made me super excited for the actual hike up to Machu Picchu.

I finally woke up once we hit the last stop. The previous stops had been for the people hiking the Inca Trail, either for 1 or 4 days. I thought it would be pretty cool to do the 4 day hike up to Machu Picchu but of course I had no time nor enough money at that moment to do so. I got out of the train and found my tour group, The Kosmos. Our tour guide led us to his restaurant and explained, in full detail, that our tours would start at 11:30am and since it was only 8am, we had plenty of time to go ahead and explore. We were in the village at this point and to get to the ruins you have to either hike up an hour and a half or take a bus for 25 minutes. 

I took the bus and met 2 girls from Poland on the way up. I also met up with Kelli who ended up being grouped with us. The four of us took the bus up, soaking ourselves in sun block and taking plenty of pictures of the beautiful mountains and jungles around us. 

When we got to Machu Picchu it was absolutely amazing. I am not one to be mesmerized by commercial hype such as celebrities or cool, expensive places but at that point I knew exactly why Machu Picchu was one of the world wonders. The intricate design and persistence of the buildings over the years was jaw dropping. The Incans were very advanced people and to have built such an elaborate city on the mountain is evidence enough that their society was both resourceful and eloquent. 

To me, Machu Picchu was one big playground where I wanted to take plenty of pictures to show my family and my group who was going next week. I stuck with Kelli, Dominica, and I’m not sure of the other girl’s name since I was a lone hiker and I figured we could all help each other out by taking pictures. We ran up and down the steps of the city, taking plenty of photos, and stopping occasionally to just relax since the environment was so peaceful. 

It seemed as though everyone that day who had come to visit was on the same boat as us, in awe and just wanting to quietly take it all in. There were plenty of great places to sit and soak in the sun, the fact that we were in Machu Picchu, or the fact that I was alone and made international friends on the hike of a lifetime. Around 10 we decided to make our way back to the entrance, making sure we had plenty of time to conquer those dreadful stairs. 

At the entrance we decided to wash our hands before grabbing lunch. Like all hot tourist spots, the bathrooms at Machu Picchu’s entrance charged 1 sol (or $.33) to use the bathroom. It wasn’t totally a rip off because they did provide some toilet paper at the gate, haha. When we were all washed up we had a pretty decent lunch although for the price of 35-50 soles, it better have been. I ordered a chicken wrap, a small drink, and a small ice cream combo for 35 soles which put a pretty dent in my wallet. We all ate quickly because each our tour guides had showed up about 15 minutes early and told us to hurry.

*to be continued...