Because not too much happened during day 3 of our trek, I decided to combine the last 2 days into one blog post.
Day 3
Day 3 of our trek to Machu Picchu consisted of zip lining (which seems more interesting when watching it from a video compared to actually doing it) and hiking...along train tracks. The scenery was great, but I have to admit seeing the mountain we were to climb the next day to the city of Machu Picchu was a little intimidating. Even still: drinks were had, billiards were played, and night exploration around Aguascalientes was done. :) The next day we were to wake up at 4am to begin our climb up the 1600 steps to the city of Machu Picchu (fun fact: "Machu Picchu" is actually the name of the mountain next to the abandoned city and not the city itself. No one knows the name of the actual city).
Day 4
Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. Yay! You made it the top of the stairs! Now wait in a long line and climb a few more, you guessed it, STAIRS!
It took us a full hour to climb the many stairs to the top of the mountain. If you were wondering, yes there is bus that can take you to the top of the mountain, but guess who opted out to save money and to "feel accomplished" - this girl! While I am a glad that I decided to hike up those many stairs to the mountain top, I wish I had factored in the many stairs within the abandoned city that I would have to climb as well. To top that off, I didn't even consider that I would have to make my way down those same stairs that I had climbed at 5am. While the trek up had my heart pounding out of my chest, the trek down really took a toll on my knees. The monotony of my legs making the same motion over and over was hypnotizing and what I would consider cruel and unusual punishment. In the end, we made it down the stairs...only to be greeted by the 20 minute walk to Aguascalientes.
While on this trek, I don't remember who it was, but someone summed up the whole trip quite nicely: "the most fun I never want to do again."
Lessons learned and experiences gained:
1. You think stairs suck? Try climbing 1600 stairs at 5am in the morning in utter darkness. And then making another 30 minute climb to the Sun Gate. At least I can say I did it, I guess.
2. Conde Travel booked our train tickets for Cusco. Our train left Aguascalientes at 9:50pm (why so late Conde?!). We were finished with Machu Picchu around 1-2pm. Although there was so much to see, we were up at 4am and were very tired and straining to waste time until our train departure. The trek down the stairs took about 30-40 minutes. Also, being Peru and all, the trip wouldn't be complete without someone being late right? The train left the station at about 11pm.
3. Bathrooms are interesting here. It seems to be a reoccurring theme that whenever there's a bathroom, there's an open window or the wall doesn't go to the ceiling. In addition, many of the bathrooms are near living areas where people are usually situated. This means, while you're going to the bathroom, everyone can hear, and smell, everything that you're doing. I guess it's the cheap way to bathroom ventilation and would be considered a "First world problem" on my part. I'm surprised that this was never an issue in Morocco.
4. Always carry a book. I brought a s@#* ton of books with me during this trip. I, however, did not bring any books with me on the trek to Machu Picchu. That was a very bad call. Waiting for 6-7 hours for a train with very spotty wifi wasn't fun.
Review of Conde Travel
In conclusion, the trip with Conde Travel was alright. Not the best and not the worst I've experienced. I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to others just because I think that certain aspects of the trip could have been better organized; for instance, the guide showing up late on the first day; the girls having to share beds at the hostel; the tour guides lack of English communication skills. I would definitely recommend checking the reviews of other travel agencies before settling with this one. I have to admit though, the guides were personable and fun - especially Everforever (that's what he told us to call him). Many of my complaints have nothing to do with the guides, who had our best interest at heart, and more to do with the organization of the agency as a whole.
PICTURES
The Sun Gate.
Taking a little snooze at the Sun Gate.
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