Cusco - Machu Picchu

When you arrive to Cusco everything changes... but I did not expect that it would change so much..

this was Cat when waking up...

From the jungle to the ´sierra´ of Cusco. This time, to avoid 22 hours of bus we took a plane, it was not planned but we are a bit tight on time. Cusco is amazing, we really liked the city. You can really feel the importance of the city since it was discovered and destroyed by the spaniards. Shame on us!!!

Cusco is a city were you could stay a few weeks easily. It is friendly and easy going. We were lucky and we did not find too many tourists and the weather was quite good.

After a few days around the city, we took a day to visit the ruins close to Cusco. The closest to the city is the nicest ones, Sacsayhuamán and Qénqo. The day after we started our way to Machu Picchu, not the Inca trail, but the Inca train, what is f*** expensive.

All around Machu Picchu is business, but once you are there, you do not care anymore about the cost of it. The site itself is amazing but the location is breathtaking. After a guided tour we climbed the Wayna Picchu (the little montain behind the site in the typical picture) what was amazing. The way up is hard and beautiful at the same time. You go through a path between a jungle like forest, then the inca steps (I guess that the Incas had very strong legs), then through a series of very leaning terraces on the site of the montain, and finally through a small tunnel in the montain to reach the top. Over there and thinking about the mystic stories that the guide told us, you star feeling the magic of the place and you feel like praying to the sun, the moon, the condor, the puma and even the snakes, as these three animals were present all the time in the Inca´s lifes.

Stone with more than 22 borders well ensambled



top of Wayna Picchu



the way up



on the way up (or down)

It is really a pitty that this civilization is completelly gone, it was not that far away. We could have gone the day after to spend another full day but because of time and money, we prefered to keep going.

If anyone plans to do it and you do not want to do the inca trail, there is another possibility to avoid taking the train. You can reach Aguas Calientes (or Machu Picchu pueblo as it is called now) by taking a few ´collectivos´ until you reach Hidroelectrica (I think) and then walk for a few hours till Aguas Calientes. It will take the whole day but it can be very nice meeting the local people during the van trips and then walk through the valley till Aguas Calientes. The day after you can climb to Machu Picchu walking instead of taking the bus, what must be really hard and the bus only costs 15 dolards.

Slowly my muscles are working better!!! Was it brussels or the pills that I am taking?

WE ARE IN BRASIL!!!!!!!