Sacret Valley and End

The day trip to Lake Humantay is basically the same as the Rainbow Mountains tour. It starts at around 5 a.m., there are small groups of tourists everywhere in the city and the minivan caravan sets off again. Breakfast and lunch as on the other tour. The guide speaks even less English this time, but he tries hard. Another hike to the destination and back, again lots of people and the lazy ones take horses. The lake is beautiful and lies at 4200 meters. The green color is caused by copper and it is fed by glacier streams. Everyone wants the best picture for Instagram, well I try to get good pictures too. The hike was strenuous. On the bus I read "The Little Prince", short but interesting.

So today we're heading towards Machu Picchu, as always in Peru before sunrise. Foreigners pay a lot here. The Peruvians have recognised the value and are taking advantage of it. I think I'm well prepared. The minivan takes 7 hours to get to Hidroelectra, a hydroelectric power station. The road ends there, more like a gravel track cut into the mountain. Lots of switchbacks, but the driver is experienced. Apparently there is no road to Aguas Calientes (hot water), a small tourist town at the foot of Machu Picchu. I wonder how the buses and trucks got there. Whatever. So it's a 3-hour walk along the Urubamba River and a railway line. There are quite a lot of people on the way. Aguas Calientes is a very expensive place with the highest tourist density. Before I get to the hostel, I buy a bus ticket for the next morning to Machu Picchu. It costs 44 soles, otherwise a trip like that wouldn't cost 5 soles. As the name suggests, there are hot springs here. You can relax wonderfully there for four times the price of the locals. And I found a reasonably cheap restaurant.

Saturday, the big day has arrived, the main goal of the trip is near. Jackpot, I spent most of the night on the toilet. Luckily not as bad as in India. So I set off with a headache, overtired and weak. Luckily I had booked the bus for the trip up, which left at 6 a.m. I am one of around 6,000 daily tourists. Because I am so lucky, it was raining of course and it was very foggy. I had taken care of a ticket late and only got the small circular route in Machu Picchu; without the famous mountain peak. Better that way in my condition. There are lots of guides in front of the entrance; I didn't go because they probably talk a lot of nonsense and make things up. I had downloaded a few podcasts about Machu Picchu. It's an interesting city, but much smaller than you think, only up to 750 people could live there. There are many altars and it was an important spiritual center. It's not surprising that the Spanish never found it. So remote and in the fog. You can't see it from below. My verdict is not so positive, perhaps because I had such an early ticket (entrance between 6 and 7), the weather was bad and I wasn't feeling well. Machu Picchu definitely has very good marketing. The organization is rather mediocre, there are no toilets in the complex (and I really needed them) and no explanatory signs. Angkot Wat was more impressive. I took the hiking trail down the mountain, countless steps. Then I continued on foot to Hidroelectra. Even here in the cloud forest there are dirty flea traps. The bus left much too late and took another 7 hours. We were back at around 10 a.m. I was exhausted and hadn't eaten anything. The train takes 4 hours and costs 60 dollars instead of 10 by bus.

My stomach feels better, but my digestion is still giving me problems all day. In the morning I was at the Mercado San Pedro, investing a few soles in souvenirs. Sometimes I bargain very well; I pushed one trader down from 80 to 25 soles. He really wanted to sell. And sometimes the traders are much better than me. For lunch I went to my local bar and had a bite to eat. Then I went back and had a rest, stopping off at a chocolate shop on the way and trying one of the massages. In the evening I met up with Dan from the Philippines (who is traveling the world for a year) and Mario, a computer scientist from Cusco. First we went to a bar and then to a pub. We got on really well. At the end Mario invited us on a day trip to his little house by the river. It's a shame, I'm flying back. If only I had met them both earlier.

It is Monday (I think day 38), the last day in Cusco, about time. There is not much left to do. I hiked up a mountain again, to the white Christ statue. Another very beautiful view of Cusco. Next to it were a few Inca ruins, like everywhere else here. The Incas ruled a huge empire with 10 million inhabitants and without writing, without wheels and without cement. One last bus to the airport, I will not miss that either. My flight was delayed by 2 hours. Peru from above was interesting, mountains, glaciers, lakes and everything covered in clouds. Lima glows from afar. Back in the second largest desert city in the world (after Cairo). And immediately I don't feel like dealing with the weather. My hotel is right by the airport.

Tomorrow and Wednesday the only thing left on the agenda is the long journey home by plane and train. Nothing exciting and I'm ending my blog from Peru. It's great that I can go on such trips and I realize that these are privileges that few people on earth have. Conclusion about Peru, I would recommend it. Great landscapes, 3 climate zones, lots of history and good food. The people are mostly very friendly and not pushy. Away from the tourist places and city centers the dogs are annoying. Sometimes you even feel sorry for them. And the smog is a problem. If you know a little Spanish, it's much easier in Peru. English is not very common. Yes, you are also confronted with poverty, I didn't find it that bad. Overall I felt very safe in Peru. But I'm not the most inexperienced traveler. So then, adios Peru, adios amigos.