Drago D30+31 Machu Piccu and goodbyes

A knock at 06:30 was my deadline; did I feel well enough to go to Macchu Piccu, or did I take the taxi booked back to Cusco later in the morning. Things seemed to have settled, so even though I felt weak as a kitten I opted to get on the train, and the taxi was canceled.

The scenery from the train was enough to distract me as we passed into a tropical area and the snowy mountains lay high above (the train had windows in its roof!). We passed the start of the classical inca trek (good luck with the steps) and pulled into Agua Caliantes about two hours later. Here we jumped into a bus which ferried us high up into the hills. Pulling round a corner we had our first sight of Macchu Piccu!

After a small queue we were in and we climbed to the top for the picture postcard view. I started to feel weak but pushed it out of my mind as I took in the incredible sight. A whole incan city preserved, it streched out away from me towards the next mountain. Among the terraces you could already see the llamas posing for pictures!

Pierro started his tour and my symptoms got worse. I excused myself as the rest continued on. Wandering through the city towards the exit I tried to take it all in before I left it behind. They charge 1 sol per entry to the toilet in Macchu Picchu by the way. No return rates. They made some money from me that day.

Taking pity on me after the tour, Pierro took me back down to Agua Calientes where his favourite haunt had sofa like chairs that I could lie down on, and a toilet within distance. A few naps later (and more than a few beers for Pierro) the rest arrived back and we headed back towards Cusco. I've never been so happy to be in bed.

Next morning I felt better and it was time to say goodbye to Lou, Olly and Karen as they all had flights to catch. We walked around the catherdral (full of incan gold) and an Incan museum. Checking into a hostel by ourselves for the first time in a month felt odd. Luckily it was a lively place with good cheap food so we grabbed something to eat before meeting David for a last drink. Just before we headed out I spotted a familiar face. Iwan was a Cardiff medic in the same year as me travelling with his boyfriend! Small world!

Meeting David in the main square we hiked up to Cusco view point a lovely bar that overlooks the whole of Cusco and enjoyed a few mojitos and pisco sours. It was a sad goodbye as we had our final hugs. Dragoman had been a lot of fun with some amazing people!Read more