Feliz Navidad from Cusco and Machu Picchu
I’ve got to be honest with you, traveling is not always the easiest thing, especially during the holidays. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate the amazing opportunities life has afforded me, but there are some realities that hit hard only once you face them. With this is mind, get comfy boys and girls, and let me recount the tale of Peruvian Christmas 2013.
Once upon a time there were two girls traveling together through South America with no real plans. These two girls met in a Hare Krishna permaculture community in Peru, and began their journey together without really giving it a thought. Both of them ended up in places they hadn’t expected to go solely because the other one was going there, or fate had intervened. These two girls were from very different parts of the world and different walks of life, but that didn’t seem to phase them, just as it doesn’t with most travellers. One of them was from New Zealand (let’s call her Sophie) and the other was from Canada (let’s call her Tali).
One day a few weeks in to their journey together, they found themselves in the darling city of Cusco enjoying what it had to offer, but battling with all their might against the high altitude at which Cusco is situated. They fought through nausea, lack of appetite, and a definite lack of oxygen as they explored the city and learned about its history. The girls bravely fought off all those selling useless trinkets to foreigners, and consistently declined the many offers of massages and meals. Despite the constant need to be ingesting coca leaves in one form or another to keep the altitude sickness at bay, the girls greatly enjoyed Cusco, and didn’t miss the fact that alongside the reindeer, there were also Christmas llamas and donkeys.
After some research, the two travellers came upon a blog with instructions on how to cheaply (or as cheap as possible) reach and see the fabled Machu Picchu. Our heroines thought to themselves what cooler time is there to see Machu Picchu than at Christmas. So with that thought in mind, the girls headed off to see if they could affordably reach the Picch.
Step one was in the preparation. This is not the girls’ strongest suit, and as such they did not discover the easy 35 soles bus that goes directly from Cusco to Hydro Electrico, cutting off many hours and costing the same as the more difficult way that our favourite girls chose to try. Though they may not be great at being prepared with information, Sophie and Tali are really quite good at making sure they have enough snacks and food. So off to the market our trusty ladies went, and a risotto was made that would continue to feed them for the next several days.
Step two was the actualization of the travel day to Machu Picchu. It is quite safe to say that the girls don’t always love their travel days. In fact, they have grown to loathe them, though they can definitely appreciate the stories that come out of them. And this travel day was no exception. After sleeping through the 4:15 am alarm (there’s a surprise), the girls rushed about, busying themselves to quickly get ready and head to the bus that would take them to the collectivo that would take them to the other collectivo that would take them to the train tracks that would take them to the town that would take them to Machu Picchu. Everything seemed to be going fine despite the frantic start to the day, and the girls managed to find themselves on an 8 hour bus. In true Peruvian styles, the girls discovered that the seats to which they had been assigned had also been promised to two other groups. The only thing to do in this situation is to refuse to remove your bum from the seat and continuously hand over your ticket. In such a situation, it is important to remember to always get your ticket back. It is like your piece of floating debris and you are Rose after the Titanic sunk. And so the girls kept their seats, guarding it fiercely for each other when the need to pee in a field with everyone else from the bus was overwhelming.
Hungry and tired, and having fought courageously all morning, the girls arrived in the town of Santa Maria, where they promptly sat on a curb, replenished their snack supply, and awaited a collectivo. When the long anticipated van did finally make an appearance, the girls hopped in and to their delight met a fabulous German traveler named Sebastian with his thick German accent, over the top reactions, and a camera uniquely destroyed but still functioning, as only a traveler can accomplish. In they piled, several to a seat, while the driver blasted a glorious mix of Spanish music at a volume that could only be equated to the decibel level of a 1980s glam rock band concert. The long and winding road was of course photographically documented, despite the lack of elbow room or actual seats.
Transport number three came in the form of a second collectivo in Santa Teresa. This change of vehicles came as a surprise to the girls and their new friend, but what’s travel without the occasional mysterious change of transport. So into the next too small van the three friends piled, and off they went… In a circle through the town. Apparently this is what the collectivos do, discovered the girls. Because two to a seat isn’t enough, the drivers announce their departure through the town and more people join. And the driver can simultaneously run some personal errands, like dropping off his empty beer bottles. Clearly this was going to be interesting.
After driving along some roads which the Western world might deem ‘unsafe’, the girls and their new friend finally make it to hydro Electrico, where they are meant to begin the walk along the train tracks. They manage to gracefully exit the clown car, get their bags from the roof, and then pay the driver. The three compadres manage to find the train tracks, as well as a sign prohibiting walking along the tracks due to danger. But the girls just laugh in the face of danger and so they begin their walk (after a snack, of course). Not even ten minutes in to the walk the girls, who are notoriously bad at losing even the most obvious of paths) manage to find a dead end. Good thing their new German friend doesn’t seem to have their special skill set. And so off they walk, stopping frequently for photos, as they are want to do.
The walk itself is actually quite lovely. Not too taxing, surrounded by lush green jungle, the sight of mountains they assume are Machu Picchu in the distance, and their new friend making slightly alarming murder jokes. Or comments. Though the girls prefer to think of them as jokes. At one point a train goes by as they watch longingly, thinking of all the fancy things they could do if they had lots of money. Instead they settle for an abandoned train car that someone was silly enough to leave unlocked. They finally make it to the very dark tunnels through which they must bravely venture before they can make it to the town of Aguascalientes, a town where everything is ten times the price it should be, because they can. As luck would have it, the rain held out until the three new friends stepped into the city. The girls left their German friend, hoping that they would see him on the Picch in the morning. They bought their entrance tickets, as well as a fancy bus ticket up to Machu Picchu, because let’s be honest, there’s no way the girls were gonna walk up all those stairs. The girls found themselves a super cheap hostel that would hear up their risotto for them, and so they acquiesced and stayed there for the night. As a fun bonus, the room even had a tv, so for the first time in months, the girls watched actual TV (Grey’s Anatomy), and then went to bed at a reasonable hour.
Step three was to actually go to Machu Picchu. At some unreasonably early hour the girls awoke and left the hostel to get on their bus. Unfortunately so did everyone else. Years of riding the subway and GO bus in Canada taught Tali well though. She managed to get on and off the bus with an air about her that said “I have elbows and I’ve properly learnt how to wield them in a crowd.” The bus itself was probably the most comfortable and fancy that the girls had ever been on, or ever would go on, and so they savoured it immensely. They reached the gates to Machu Picchu at one minute to six and joined the reasonable sized line, passport and ticket at the ready. The clock struck 6 am, and in went the masses. We walked in, followed the path and saw…. Clouds. It was so cloudy you could barely even see your own hand. Turns out there are on seasons and off seasons for a reason.
The girls had heard that the first few hundred people at the gate to Wyana Picchu can get tickets to climb it and get an amazing view. So that’s where they went, and they quickly learnt that you had to purchase that ticket in advance. As they walked away, they realized it was probably for the best that they didn’t have those tickets, as everyone says that is a very difficult walk, and the girls aren’t the best at walking. “Plus,” they told themselves, “it’s so cloudy you can’t see anything.” So off the girls went, exploring Machu Picchu with no guide, and only a slight sense of where the ground ended and the sky began. The girls decided that if they lost each other, they would bird call to one another, and if that didn’t work, they would meet at the front gate on the hour. Turns out that walking around Machu Picchu making birds noises doesn’t do much but cause people to stare. It was at the front gate that the wonderous reunion of the girls and Sebastian occurred. The universe is a fun and mysterious entity.
The girls decided that the weather couldn’t stay cloudy forever, and so they took shelter in a roofed building until the clouds finally parted and they could actually see Machu Picchu and it’s surroundings. Out came the Santa hats the girls had brought, and they were a sensation. Many, many photo shoots occurred with those Santa hats. Well done girls, spreading Christmas joy on December 24. The girls even managed to find an alpaca (or a llama, it’s hard to know which is which) and tried to hug it.
After a few more hours with the now cloudless Machu Picchu, the girls began the descent. Though the stairs are not impossible, they are also not easy. And they are made more difficult by he sheer number of stray dogs running underfoot. A few breaks and some interesting steps later, the girls arrived back in Aguascalientes in the rain. Drenched and tired, our heroines decided to stay another night and head back extra early so they could return to Cusco in time for Christmas dinner of Indian buffet at 3600m altitude. They spent Christmas Eve feasting of reheated risotto (for those of you keeping track, that meal 6 of risotto) and a can of tuna with some crackers, and enjoying the entertainment of The Big Bang Theory marathon on the only English channel.
Step four: getting back to Cusco. Clearly the girls love travel days. What they didn’t know before was just how much they would enjoy traveling on Christmas Day. If they thought getting to Machu Picchu was frustrating, they were in for a treat. Their day started extra early so they could be walking the train tracks at 7 am. That meant they got to hydroelectrico at 10 am, where they discovered a distinct lack of collectivos. And so they lay on the concrete ground and waited. And waited. And waited. And eventually a collectivo showed up and charged double what they should, just because they were in the Christmas spirit.
So off to Santa Teresa they went, where they once again waited and waited for collectivos that weren’t going. On the verge of giving up, the girls walked away to go have lunch. Turns out that a lot of restaurants don’t actually serve the food they advertise, or any food at all. Once they managed to find a restaurant with food, they sat down for what turned out to be the worst Christmas lunch ever. The good news is that upon their return to the collectivo stand, there was a collectivo ready to depart. So in the girls got and away they went for Santa Maria, picking up new passengers along the way and putting the old ladies in the trunk of the van.
Santa Maria was a welcome sight, until the girls found out that once again they would not be getting in a vehicle any time soon. In fact, every person they asked had a different answer as to when a bus or collectivo may or may not come. When a van returning empty from the Inka Jungle Trek stopped to pick people up, the girls were shameless in their ability to make sure they had some sort of seat in this transport. They refused to be left behind on Christmas Day.
The girls finally made it back to Cusco and went immediately to sleep. They decided it would be best to postpone their Indian Christmas buffet until the morrow, when they were less cranky and more up to celebrating.
Step five: fake Christmas lunch. Off to the buffet the girls went happily. Turns out the Indian buffet was probably not the best idea for two reasons. The first being that it was actually terrible Indian food, and the second being that at altitude the girls get full really quickly, which is not that helpful when at a buffet.
Apart from a very memorable and interesting Christmas, Cusco was a beautiful city that didn’t feel like a city. Coupled with a whole lot of coca to deal with the altitude sickness, it was quite a lovely place to spend a few days recovering from a series of interesting bus trips.
