Johanna in Peru: Machu Picchu: The lost city of the Incas

To spend some time in Cusco means you have to visit Machu Picchu. Every second question the Peruvians ask to the tourists is, “Have you been to Machu Picchu, yet?” or “When do you want to go there?”. It seems to be very rude, better to say impossible not to visit it. You easily find out that they are very proud to possess one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Beside this you quickly recognize that the way to get there costs a little fortune for a student’s wallet. So I decided to take an alternative route which led from Cusco to Santa Maria, from Santa Maria to Santa Theresa, from Santa Theresa to Hydrolectica and finally by foot along the beautiful railway from Hydrolectica to Aguas Calientes. It took me about 12h to get there but it was a nice adventure.

The following night was also very short: At 4am I woke up because my alarm rang and heavy raindrops pattered against the window - a friendly welcoming to get out of the warm bed into the dark, wet morning. Three hours and a couple of breathtaking steps later, without any energy resources left, I found myself uphill on Wayna Picchu above the clouds.  The mystic atmosphere of that early, foggy morning treated everybody to enjoy the silence. Later the weather cleared up and it was possible to have an incredible view of the Lost City of the Incas. In the train back I ate a choclo which was the best lunch I could imagine for that moment. After that I fell asleep immediately.