By far one of the most Visited places by foreigners and locals in the south american Continent, catering for hundreds of bright eyed tourists each day is the one and only Matchu Pitchu.
Although a place one can`t keep to themself the company of manny others doesn`t detract any of its grandur or astonishing precense. The arcitectur is incredible let alone not to mention the surounding jungle and mountains that is the `navel` of the Inca empire. Words don`t give justice to the place, rather something one must experience for themself.
Just as special was the road to pitchu and who I enjoed it with. As planed I made tracks to Cusco with my brisvegas housemate Didier. A true pleasure to be travelling with a good fiend from home after 7months solo....well neve alone or lonely.
We were getting wrestless, three days in Cusco and we were ready to make it to the big apple. To our good lick we met a bubbly, spunky argintiniana; Julieta.
The way to Matchu Pitchu is highly regulated. If you haven`t booked yourself a treak or guide be prepared to fork out $113 US for the train to the nearest Pueblo Aguas Caliente. Then add $40 us for the entrance ticket only valid for one entrance. The greatest money scam, even more disturbing considering the money doesn`t go to Peru. The systems have been sold off to Chile....what shit!
After a good chat with Julieta we decided to atempt the back door aproach to Pitchu and make our own gringo trail. With a day of plans, ticket bookings and Cusco farwells we had it sorted. An 8hour buss ride to Quillabamba, an amazonian port city nestleled in the foothills of the Andes.
BEAUTIFULL! Warm, Green and a friendly Public to boot. Quite a change from othewr parts in the region. As the weather was nice and being the only gringoes in the whole city we stayed one extra lazy night to laze in the sun & sand of the rio Madre de Dios.
Pleasure aside we continued on to Santa Teresa for one of the more strenuous parts of the trip. A bus to teat all South American resistance. In a van 32 people, a box of ducks and one traumatised pig ridding the roof racks hbuged and swayed for three hours, sliding over sheer cliffs. At one stage Babe was dangling off the side without a cry or squeel. Oh shit! That e`ll do pig, that e`ll do.
One more colectivo to the hydro center and we had made it to the home strait. A 2 hour walk along the train tracks.
This was the highlight for us all as we were treated to views of Waina Pitchu and other ruins along the way. Everything was green, bursting with life and water ways. Mountains hung over head scraping the clouds.
What a pleasure to experience something so sweet and exclusive with such good people. With the next day to kill we braced ourselves for the Inca heart. We woke at 4am, hoofed it up the hill to be the third person at the gate. Took in the sunrise and spent the whole day amongst the rocks of history.
So why read this, go do it yourself!
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