Sider

søndag 4. april 2010

Mi Sueño: Machu Picchu, por fin!

It is 15.11 in the afternoon and i am sitting at an internet cafe in the pueblo twenty minuetes outside of the great Machu Picchu! I had a long day yesterday getting here... I guess I should start at the beginning, with some short info!

I was in Lima from sunday night to wednesday night. I slept at the student residence where Linn Victoria and Barbro lives. They had school when I was there, so I joined them in class on monday. tuesday I went to the rich city part of Miraflores, where i encountered a nice norwegian named David. We hung out all day and met up with the girl at night to go out for a bite. We drunk some red wine, but didnt end up being too late...wednesday we went shopping. at night m, BB and LV, went to the bus station and drove for 10 hours to Ayacucho to celebrate "semana santa" there. we met up with a local friend of LV and hung out with him. after two days I had to leave.
the bus ride from Ayacucho to Cusco it something i will never forget. it was 20 hours. without a bathroom on the bus. the road did not have pavement. the roads were way too narrow and the mountain sides where steeper than the tallest mountain in norway. at one time, the driver almost crashed into an oncoming car. the second driver yelled at him and was mad. so instead of talking about it, they immediately took it "outside" and a following twenty minutes fist-fight was on. my goodness. i had my sleeping bag, so i chose to curl up in the back of the bus to get a little sleep as the bus was standing still... later, near Cuzco, i had to pee SO bad. finally i decided to go to the front and ask if we could stop on the top of the mountain. they agreed to stop. almost all the passangers got up and went outside...so it wasnt only i how heard the nature calling desperately...

i arrives cuzco 3 pm. i jumped in the first taxi i found. he was very helpful. i had to get to aguascalientes at night time, which is near Machu Picchu. i wanted to get there the day before so i could get up in the early morning to go there. it turnes out this was harder than expected. i had to drive in a taxi 1 and a half our from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo, where I had to buy a train ticket. there i waited in line for an eternaty, only to know i had to pay 430 SOLES, which is over 800 kroners, for this reservation. this was bc ppl book in advance for months, and i had not. oh well, i thought to myself that this is a once in a lifetime experience, "koste hva det koste vil". in Ollantaytambo i had to take a mini bus to Piscales (o algo asi), where the train was departing. my train was the last one for the night. because of what i payed, i found myself in the VIP cupé, which was nice. i asked a peruvian woman in the same wagon what she payed, and she said 100 SOLES. what the fuck. so i had to pay 4xas much as them? oh well, c'est la vie. the train to aguascalientes was an hour and a half. at arrival i was offered a hostel for the night by an old lady for 30 SOLES (60 kr) con agua caliente. i was a little sceptic, but it turned out my worries were unnecessary. it was a nice place and i had a lovely hot shower.

i put my alarm at 4.30 to get up to buy my Entrada and bus ticket up to Machu Picchu. i was in MP at around 6 am. i payed a pivate guide to give me an 2 hour round. after that i hiked the big mountain which u can see in all the pics of the site. it was a HARD hike which took a little under 1 hour. very steep and slippery stones and caves.but it was DEFINATELY worth it, because the view was amazing.

i spent the rest of the day relaxing at the site. and went downtown at around 2 o clock. suficiente tiempo.

now my departure with train is at 7.50. i hope to make it to Czco before 9 so that i can jump on a bus to Puno and Lago Titicaca....so that i can be there in the morning. unfortunately i forgot my sleeping bag at the previous busride...and they say busrides at night can get v/cold. i guess i would just have to wear the llama poncho i bought in ayacucho! :)

wish me luck!

Ingen kommentarer: