Machu Picchu. Worth every minute.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Kristin and I had the pleasure of going to Machu Picchu, Peru. Trust me, it was a pleasure. Plenty of people in the church and community in Paraguay let us know that it was quite the opportunity (Kristin- Ramon's face). We left Wednesday evening, the night before Thanksgiving. We crossed the border over to Brazil and took a flight at 9:15 p.m. out of Brazil's airport where we flew 4 hours across the continent to Lima, Peru. We landed in Lima at about 11 p.m. Lima time and found a place in the airport to snuggle up for a long winter's nap. After we found a quiet area in a corner of the airport, I laid my head down on the dirty airport floor, and right before i started to doze off, Kristin said to me, "Well, Happy Thanksgiving Katie!" 

"Happy Thanksgiving Kristin!" I said back with a laugh. What a great start to a memorable Thanksgiving- sleeping on an airport floor. :)

At 7 a.m., we caught our flight from Lima to Cuzco. We got off the plane and found a taxi which would take us to the bus station. Before we even got off at the "bus station" (didn't seem like a legit bus station to me), men were sticking their heads in my window asking me if I wanted a ride with them to the train station where we would then catch a train to the city of Machu Picchu. No thank you creepy men, I do not plan on riding in a car with just you. 

We soon found a man who was saying that he had 2 spots in a van available for Kristin and I to get a ride to the train station. The ride was going to be 10 Seols, which is about $4. Now, $4 for a 2 hour ride? I'll take it! (Welcome to South American prices).

Kristin and I got to the van and saw that there was one spot in the very back by the window and by another man, then another spot in the middle of the van in between two other men. Kristin jumped to the back seat and snagged the spot in the back while I sat squished in between a British guy and a Peruvian guy. As we twisted and turned up and down the hills of Peru, I would often turn around to see how Kristin was doing, and one time when I turned around, I saw that the man who was sitting by Kristin was taking a nice little snooze, of course with the help of her shoulder. So yes, the man (who ended up being from Mexico) must have felt comfortable to rest his head on Kristin's shoulder while he napped a bit. The expressions of confusion and "I am about to bust out laughing right now" on Kristin's face, were priceless.

We finally arrived at the train station where we then had to spend 7 lovely hours waiting for our train. It was ok by then, because Kristin and I had become professional travelers and waiters. The view there wasn't too bad either. 

We could also shop a bit while waiting. Woot woot.

Mountains. Yes.

No thanks on the hike through the mountains...

Quite the names. A bit embarrassing to pronounce.

After the 2 hour train ride, we finally arrived at the city where we would be staying for the night. Not on purpose or to be funny, Kristin and I found this great deal online for a hostel. We even had a coupon for it! The only unfortunate part of this hostel was its name. It was called the "Supertramp Hostel." Yes. So there we were, walking around the train station asking the workers if they could point us in the direction of the Supertramp Hostel. I swear, each worker gave me this look like "You have got to be kidding me...." and for a split second, I thought Kristin and I had been tricked and we signed up for either 1. A fake hostel that only existed to screw people up and make a funny joke or 2. We signed up for hostel that's primary service was not for sleeping (if you know what I mean). Finally, we found this cute young girl with a sign that said "Supertramp Hostel," so Kristin and I followed her. Though it was a bit on the interesting side, we were happy at the Supertramp Hostel. ;)

After going to bed at about 11 that night, we were up at 4:40 the next morning to get a bright and early start for Machu Picchu. We walked over to get our bus tickets to take us to the top of the mountain, and I soon realized that we would be riding in style to Machu Picchu.

Once at the top, we went to get in line to get into the park, and we were told that our tickets were not valid and that we would not be able to enter the park. My heart about jumped outside of my chest. "No way did I travel 30 hours to get here, sleep about 5 hours and then get up here to realize that I cannot get into the park." After some confusion and high stress on my part, we found this sweet little female Peruvian tour guide who offered to help us. She went back down the mountain, got us tickets (that were valid) and we entered with her. She said she would let us know how we were going to pay her later. Kristin and I didn't care, we were going to see Machu Picchu for sure this time. We entered, walked about 5 strenuous minutes up this hill, turned the corner and got the best view we would get for the whole day.

My favorite.

Classic.

I think I was more amazed by the mountains than I was by the actual ruins.

Kristin and our tour guide, Ruth, had a special bond. Perhaps Kristin loved her because she could speak English?

Excited!

Cool shadows on the mountains.

Huayna Picchu mountain in the background.

There were about 1,000 people in and out of there that day. But it was the low season. Usually there are about 3,000 in and out every day. I couldn't imagine that many people!

Terraces for all their agriculture. They were very smart and efficient.

When tourists started coming in, they put in the grass. But when the Incans lived there, there was dirt.

I love her. Another great romantic, "we're a couple" picture.

This was terrifying. There were no rails, so accidentally falling backwards down that mountain was not an option.

One of the huts. Kristin and Ruth chatting up a storm.

A stream which you could even hear from the top of the mountain. This was a huge source of their food (fish).

Reflections.

They have llamas roaming around now to make it seem a bit more realistic and liveable. But they also serve to "cut the grass" according to Ruth.

Magnificent.

Lots to look at.

Attempting my signature move....but noticing that there are a lot of people around....

So I just took a break for a regular picture :)

Then I tried again, but struggled as there was a bit of a decline on the hill...

Still struggling....ugh whatever.

Perhaps I will start a trend here in Peru?

This one was essential.

Ok this one is my favorite. This picture reflects how good of a time we had. Our smiles say it all!

Awesome.

 

After our tour, I asked Ruth how she wanted us to pay her...she said that if it was ok with us, she would like to meet us in a few hours down in the city at the train station. We told her that was fine and that we would see her then. As she walked away, I looked at Kristin and said, "Does she realize that we could totally rip her off if we wanted?!" We couldn't believe that she just put her entire days' salary trust in the hands of two young American girls. Kristin and I did indeed show up at the train station on time, and we even waited for her for about 15 minutes. As we sat there, we just laughed at the fact that we were waiting for a woman to show up to then give her our money. She finally showed up and we gave her everything we owed, including a great tip. I guess putting trust in strangers doesn't always mean they will rip you off. After all, it was her who got us into Machu Picchu that day! Thanks Ruth!

Yes, it exists!

 So we took the train back to the train station, hopped in another crammed van and rode back to Cuzco where we would be staying for two nights.This place had a more appropriate name and we really enjoyed the views it offered.

View from the breakfast room.

Peruvian pride? We also saw this from outside our room.

Another view from outside our room.

Inca Cola. Tastes like a bubblegum drink. Only made in Peru.

On Sunday, it was already time to make our way back to Paraguay. It was a short trip, where the first 55 out of 60 hours were spent awake, but looking back, without a doubt, all the traveling and stress and lack of sleep was completely worth it. And I would do it all over again.