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Day
13 (September 6, 2025) Machu Picchu
Before
We have train tickets to Machu Picchu for 9:15 AM, so we'll have an
early breakfast and head to the station, where we need to be half an
hour early. Arrival is scheduled for a few minutes before 11:00 AM. We
have tickets for the classic circuit for 12:00 PM, so we should have
enough of time to get there.
The
train back to Ollantaytambo is at 6:20 PM, which gives us time for
lunch and to explore the shops after visiting Machu Picchu.
Since we'll arrive around 8:00 PM, we won't have time to do anything in
Ollantaytambo and will probably rest until the next day.
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After
At 7:00 AM I am in front of the pharmacy waiting for them to open
for
the same medication we bought yesterday for Eva, but for me. I return
to the hotel to have breakfast because they don't open and, upon finishing my light
breakfast, I return to the pharmacy which, this time, is indeed open.
There is
no time for much more: we have to be at the station at 8:45 AM
and so we do. Shortly after, they guide us to the waiting room to
distribute us into groups according to the train cars and place us on the platform so
that everyone has their train car nearby.
The train arrives and we take our seats. The train has large
windows, even on the ceiling, in order to enjoy the landscape to
the fullest.
The
journey should last an hour and a half but, near the end, we
grind to a halt next to a dam on the river that has been by our side
during the trip. When they announce to us that the stop is due to the
derailment of a train and all the convoys coming behind
have to wait for the track to be cleared, we already fear a long
wait.
In the
end it is a bit over an hour and when we arrive at the town it has been a while
since the hour reserved for our entrance has passed. Since we are all
affected by the delay, they have already reassured us saying that
we will be able to enter the archaeological site anyway.
Upon getting off we go
straight to the bus station, where we see long lines. An
employee asks us about our entry time and when we say
12:00, he tells me to go quickly to buy the tickets since we can
board the 13:00 line, which is the one currently moving at the
moment. I pay 124 soles for the two round-trip tickets and
we board the last 13:00 bus.
This
bus journey is an attraction in itself since the bus goes up
the mountain along a narrow road that winds with 180-degree
turns. Every so often it crosses paths with a bus coming from the opposite direction and, when
it's the cliff's turn outside your window, as it gains altitude,
it gives a terrible vertigo that, when it has to make room for a bus in the opposite direction, we prefer not to look.
Once at the top, we reach the
entrance after a short set of stairs. They validate our entry tickets and tell us
that we have to follow circuit 2, which is ours, identified
by the blue signs.
The
first thing we find specific of group 2 is some stairs to go up. It is during this
climb where you get the typical view of Machu Picchu, although the peak
behind the Inca city is covered by clouds.
As we go up, the views improve and, at times, the peak
can be seen briefly among the clouds.
Once the climb is completed, which is where people crowd together to capture the
most desired view, comes a descent down to the city. This classic
circuit loops around the city on one side up to the peak and returns along the
other side.
Along the way we have views of the buildings and of the
huge and numerous terraces created.
The city is beautiful and it is very well preserved since most of the buildings are only missing the roof.
When we finish the visit we get onto the first available bus to make the
descent and end up in the town. We go to the square to choose a restaurant.
In the
end we choose one on an adjacent street: El museo de la papa (The Potato Museum).
We order ají de gallina for me and a burger for Eva. Everything is delicious.
In a corner of the restaurant they have a small potato museum where
most of the types shown we had never seen before.
We say goodbye to Victor, the owner of the restaurant with whom we have
joked a lot, and we head to the train station to make sure we
are on time. We find a place packed with people, and the thing is
all the trains are accumulating delays because there has been another
derailment. I can't believe it.
Ours ends up
leaving with a delay of a little over 4 hours and, therefore, as soon as
we arrive at the hotel, it is already tomorrow, so we go to sleep. |
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