Cusco: The Gateway to Machu Picchu

After a 15-hour bus ride on something John Madden would be jealous of, Heidi and I arrived in Cusco. I managed to get a little shut-eye on the journey, while she was terribly ill and competing for the bathroom the entire time. The road was extremely windy, and climbed thousands of feet, leaving her suffering from both altitude and motion sickness. I really felt bad for her, as we weren´t able to sit next to each other and the scenery really was quite stunning. We were even served dinner and breakfast on board and the food was quite tasty, equivalent to something you might find on an international flight.

While Heidi spent the first day in bed I went out and explored the city a bit. I wasn´t 100%, suffering from a little light-headedness, but all in all I adjusted quite well, and have no right complaining, given what Heidi went through. It´s day 3 in Cusco and I think she has finally adjusted, with the assstance of come coca tea and leaves to suck on. We are nearly two miles above sea level and altitude sickness is not uncommon. I guess I was just lucky...

Cusco was the Inca capital and has been inhabited for more than 800 years. It is a beautiful city near the Andes. Many of its inhabitants still wear traditional dress, and some even speak only Quechua, refusing to assimilate to the Spanish language which was forced upon the indigenous peoples by the Conquistadors centuries ago. Today it is mainly visited by travelers as a gateway to Machu Picchu. Most people tend to fly into the cty, rather than go through an experience similar to Heidi´s on our bus. (That beiong said, many people still need to adjust to the altitude upon arrival.)

Yesterday we walked around a bit, checking out the main square and purchasing train tickets from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. (Machu Picchu is accessible only by rail, and served only by Peru Rail, so the monopoly allows the company to jack fools on prices. Since Ollantaytambo is the closest town to the sacred city serviced by bus, we are traveling there before hopping on the train. This will save us in excess of $100!) The square is the most impressive we´ve visited thus far, despite being constantly hounded by people peddling all kinds of souvenirs and offering to shine our hiking boots. A bunch of folks mill about in traditional clothing too, often with cute animals, offering pictures with tourists. Heidi was dying for one, so I asked how much and they said whatever we feel is fair, so I took the picture. Of course, after the photo, they asked for 10 soles, the equivalent of more than $4! I gave them 4 soles and still felt ripped off...but it is a cute picture.

Did I mention dinner was only 3.5 soles? Less than the picture and just over $1. What a steal. We have been eating at restaurants frequented by locals and the prices are about one-tenth of what they would be in the tourist eateries! Good stuff.

It´s important to mention that we have plenty of down time too. Washing clothes (by hand), blogging, playing cards and watching TV are common past times used to fill up times, often after dark when travel on foot isn´t advised. Last night Heidi even acted as my hair stylist, which may afford my readers a few laughs.

Tomorrow we head to Ollantaytambo by bus, spend a night there and then take the train into Aguas Calientes, the town just outside of Machu Picchu. We will spend the night there and get up before sunrise, in hopes of catching the sun as is crests the sacred site. I´m really psyched about it, as I have heard numerous times that Machu Picchu is one of those places that pictures just don´t do it justice.