the town of Cuzco, a city located at high altitude

My flight plan was as follows: Buenos Aires-Santiago-Lima-Cuzco. The first day that I arrived in Cuzco, I was kinda scammed by the airport travel agent because she told me that there was a festival today and all the hostels were fully booked, so the best she got for me was a double bed room for 60soles ($30). then she still dared to charge me commission of extra 12 soles! Next she helped me to flag a taxi, I thought she was being nice but actually she was going somewhere else and just using me to get her free ride. What a bitch. I paid her in usd because I don’t have any local currency. I tried to withdraw money at Lima airport but failed. Sitting in the taxi alone, I was afraid that the driver would bring me to somewhere deserted and rob me, but luckily, he sent me to my hostel without any incident.

After checking in, I went around all the ATMs in Cuzco to try to withdraw cash with my card. Unfortunately, none worked and I later found out that it is DBS’ (my Singapore bank) fault. They deemed Peru to be a dangerous country and wouldn’t allow me to withdraw cash. Seriously wtf?! Who are you to determine if a country is dangerous or not? In my opinion, Bolivia is more dangerous but I managed to withdraw cash there.

up close with a llama

Cuzco is a UNESCO city and is the ancient capital of Peru. I like the buildings which are mostly made of bricks and stones. There is a large plaza – Plaza de Armas near the hostel where I was staying. The roads were closed off because there is a festival to mark the start of the winter solstice, so there were parades going on in the square. The festival was not limited to Peru itself, other countries such as Chile and Argentina were also invited to take part in the parade where they would sing and dance in their floats and costumes. it reminds me of Chingay because of the many organizations involved, from local to regional and even international.

beautiful weather, beautiful ancient city of Machu Picchu

I had a bit of headache in the afternoon due to altitude sickness as Cuzco is located at a high altitude. Surprisingly, I did not have any problems in Bolivia where La Paz is at an even higher altitude. I took a short nap and then went to change my remaining bolivianos and usd. it was quite little but should be able to last me till I reach Aguas Caliente. I had dinner at a streetside stall to save money, it was tasty rice with some egg. Many locals were eating at this stall, so I decided to follow suit.

The next day, I set off at 7am in the morning. While most people joined package tours (150-200usd) or take the touristy train (80usd one way), I chose to go on my own in the cheapest available manner. First I took a local bus from Cuzco to Santa Maria which was a 6h journey, then Santa Maria to Hidro Electrica via carpool and finally Hidro Electrica to Aguas Caliente which was a 20km walk along the train tracks. Aguas Caliente is the town nearest to Machu Picchu. Its name means ‘hot water’ in Spanish because of the presence of hot springs there. The walk along the train tracks was tiring because of the uneven groud or maybe I did not have good walking shoes, but I did it in 2h instead of the usual 2.5h. I found a hostel with double bed for 30 soles and had dinner for 7 soles, very economical indeed.

you can see the valley here and how they are building dams to collect hydroelectric power

However, I did not have enough soles to purchase my entrance ticket to Machu Picchu because they didn’t accept payment by credit card. And f*** DBS doesn’t allow me to withdraw money from the ATMs in Peru. So anyway, I was really desperate to buy my Machu Picchu ticket cos I came all the way here. Last solution, I went to restaurants to offer to pay people’s meals with my credit card and they would pay me in cash. It was not an easy task because some tables paid with credit card too or others just rejected me, thinking I was a scam. I really want to thank Megan and Jess from the USA, they allowed me to pay using my card, offered me some food and even gave me some extra soles (~$30). Fellow travelers helping travelers indeed, I am so grateful for their help which allowed me to buy the entrance ticket to Machu Picchu for the next day. (:

On my third day in Peru, I woke up at 5am because I wanted to catch the sunrise at Machu Picchu. The entrance opens at 6am, but when I reached the entrance after a one hour hike up the mountain, there was already a long queue and I only managed to enter at 7am. Alternatively, you can choose to pay 18usd one way for the tourist bus to take you from Aguas Caliente to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

introducing Machu Picchu

For many visitors to Peru and even South America itself, a visit to the ‘lost’ Inca city of Machu Picchu is the defining moment of their trip. Undeniably Machu Picchu is the most spectacular archeological site on the continent, it tantalises with its mysterious past and is world-famous for its stunning location and craftsmanship. I was so overjoyed to see Machu Picchu with my own eyes because it is indeed as pretty as those in postcards and some tourists were even moved to tears. Considering that the journey to Machu Picchu was not the conventional one and it came with setbacks such as almost not being able to purchase the entrance ticket, I was really grateful to be here to marvel at such a sight. The weather was really good today, it was quite hot and actually I don’t even need the sweater. I explored the ruins of this ancient city, climbing up and down many stones steps.

going down to the ancient ruins

In Machu Picchu, there is the Temple of the Sun, the Royal Tomb, ceremonial baths, the Sacred Plaza, the Ttemple of Three Windows and a sundial. It is like a huge lost city in the middle of nowhere. Considering that Machu Picchu was built around the 15th century, it is an incredible engineering feat how the Incans managed to build such a magnificent city using little technology.

I decided to stay another night in Aguas Caliente because the cost of accommodation is cheaper than in Cuzco. I also like the smaller town which seems safer and easier to navigate around. Finding local food in Aguas Calientes was also not too difficult. Most tourists only seemed to hang out along the touristy street of Aguas Calientes filled with bars and restaurants, but I ventured further out to see how local kids played basketball or where they got their food from the roadside stalls.

so amazing how everything was constructed with stone using little technology

On my fourth day, I headed back to Cuzco using the same method, walking along the train tracks, carpool to Santa Maria and taking a bus back to Cuzco. However, this time it was not so smooth because for the carpool, I had to wait for 3 other people until the driver was willing to leave. At Santa Maria, my bus ticket was for 1:30pm but the bus arrived an hour late. Hence by the time I got back to Cuzco, it was already dark. There was supposed to be another festival – Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) but there was no more sunlight when I reached, so I missed the celebrations. I found a hostel for 27 soles and had a good shower with hot water. Do bear in mind that Cuzco is at a higher altitude, hence it is much colder than Machu Picchu.

walking along the railway tracks

Tuesday was my last day in Peru. I had half a day to spare before going to the airport. I made use of my ‘new camera’ to take pictures of the city. I also went shopping at the local market where things are cheaper. two people warned me to be careful there because there have been incidences of tourists being pickpocketed. I was very careful and carried my bag in front. For my final meal in Peru, I had adobo, a soupy dish with pork, onions and it was spicy, reminding me of home I then took the local bus to the airport. it was very crowded like the minibus I took in La Paz where my camera was stolen, so this time I was super alert and aware of my surroundings. It was really squeezy because I was carrying 2 bags, but this is the cheapest way to the airport (0.7 soles) instead of taking a taxi. It was also an experience to travel together with the locals. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare for my flight back to Buenos Aires. It was indeed a wonderful trip going solo to Machu Picchu, not forgetting the kind people whom I met along the way who helped me out.