Cusco and Stunning Machu Piccu

More and more often, I’m getting feedback from friends like: “We are reading every blog post and enjoy it a lot to see what’s happening out there to you and we love to inspire ourselves by that. Your powerfull Instagram pictures just motivate us early morning.” A big thank you to all of you for staying with me and my travel friends on this journey and for following this blog! You are amazing!

 

Let’s get to the next story: There are almost endless opportunities provided to get from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, which is the starting town to go to Machu Piccu. Usually one starts from Aguas Calientes early morning. Furthermore, it is a nightmare to figure out what way to take best to Aguas Calientes, this village at the bottom of Matchu Piccu. Especially if you have some time constraints and just had a night with low sleeping quality on the bus. I decided not to go for the cheapest option as this takes a full day of travelling. Instead, I took some time to get a SIM card from the provider Movistar to get online (see below for the story). And I prevered to have a fresh juice at a café. After that, I got on a collective taxi for a 90 minute ride to Ollantaytambo for less than $5. From there I took the Inka Rail to Aguas Calientes which took another 90 minutes, …however it costs over $60 one-way. But a nice and lovely trip.

Ollantaytambo:

Ruinas Ollantaytambo:

On the way to the train station:

Impressed by their organistion skills 😉

It was great to see that Britt and Remy made it the cheap and long way from Cusco to to Aguas Calientes the same day. So we could meet that night for a beer making even more new friends. 🙂

The next morning, I hiked up to Machu Piccu early. I was not the first person waiting in line to get on the area, but the first person up inside the historical area to take these stunning viewfinder pictures. No other people on site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking the Inka Bridge Trail – can you spot the trail?

 

Meeting friends later…

…and exploring further, this mystic place:

 

 

On the way back I experienced some nice views in the taxi as well as hail:

 

 

And, we saw this crazy hotel through the roof window of the cab – can you spot it? 🙂

After returning to Cusco, I introduced myself to some chilli-milli behaviour, did some sightseeing and had some beer with my buddies Britt and Remy. Finally, I headed further to Arequipa with Peru Hop at night:

Thanks Britt and Remy to make the time so valuable and so much fun! #thecrewfromsucre rocks! 🙂

 

Side Story: Getting online mobile in Peru.

It is crazy. In general, as a tourist, one goes to a mobile provider to ask for a special tourist card. I went to Movistar, since their network uses the frequencies my Netgear LTE to WiFi router can do.

Enjoy the process:

  1. Waiting in line at the shop to get a ticket for being served
  2. After your number shows up you talk to the service person and ask for a SIM/Chip
  3. They are taking copies of your Passport
  4. Your duty: Signing and providing your finger print on a document declaring you will not sell the SIM Card
  5. Your duty: Signing that your personal details are correct
  6. Going to the next desk with your order documents to pay for the SIM Card, standing in line
  7. Going to the next desk with your payment and order documents to receive the SIM Card, Standing in line
  8. Going to the next desk to put money on your SIM Card, Standing in line
  9. My personal experience continued… Going to a café to put the SIM card inside the router to identify,… it is not working… the confirmation texts contradict themselves. I had to leave for Machu Piccu. Leaving the city without being online. I feel naked 😉
  10. Two days later, going back to Movistar to stay in line again to get a customer serving ticket
  11. Waiting to be served – at least they had seats to sit down now.
  12. Explaining to the technical guy (in Spanish) what’s wrong.
  13. He does some research until he finds out after 20 minutes to tell me in Spanish: “They have technical issues, it will work tomorrow.”
  14. Checking it the next day: Who would have thought, it is not working. Haha. Unfortunately it’s a Sunday, no shops open.
  15. Changing cities and going to the biggest Movistar shop in Arequipa Monday morning. First, asking for someone speaking English. The nice lady could help me, finally. You might imagine, I smiled a lot and wore my beautiful boina. 🙂

 

 

The amazing green nature exerience will continue. Read next about the hike trough the Colca Canyon.

About the guy.

2 thoughts on “Cusco and Stunning Machu Piccu

  1. Hi, I’m now in Peru and want to read some of your experiences. Movistar geht auch anders. Gehe mit einem local dorthin. Sie gibt ihren Fingerabdruck für mich. Karte wird eingelegt fertig. Die warteten nur auf mich im Shop in cayma.????
    aber Was für ein Erlebnis allein Bus fahren in Arequipa. Diese Farben, die Gerüche. Und Colca Canyon ist jetzt leider alles ein wenig einfarbig, nicht so grün wie bei dir. Wann warst du dort?

    1. Peru ist einfach wunderbar. Lasst euch ergänzend leckeres Cevice nicht entgehen! Am besten nahe am Meer.

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