Machu Picchu! (The economical way...)

Most travelers heading into Peru hope to visit the sacred sight of Machu Picchu...

We, of course, wanted to as well.  The only problem we faced, as we closed in on Peru, and Cusco, was that we thought we were going to have to pay an arm and a leg to get there, and get in...

This is how we did it, and recommend doing it, especially if you'd like to save some dough.

From Cusco to Machu Picchu the cheap way!

-Once in Cusco, find the Machu Picchu ticket office, which is about a 10 minute walk from Plaza de Armas.  It's on a side street that's a little bit hard to find, but after asking a few people, we located it...

-You'll need your passport at the ticket window, and if you have it, a valid student ID, which needs to show the current DATE!  (We tried with our older ones, and they didn't accept), but if you have a current student ID, you'll get your entrance for HALF PRICE!  They do accept credit cards as well.  The regular adult admission tickets cost 128 Soles/person.  We purchased ours 2 days ahead of time, which you'll more than likely need...

-The next step, is to get to Santa Maria, which is a small town about 4 1/2 hours from Cusco.  We took a collective from Cusco, which cost 30 Soles/person.

-Once in Santa Maria, right where you get dropped off, you walk across the road, and find a taxi, or collectivo to Santa Teresa, where you'll spend the night...It costs 10 Soles/person for the 1/2 hour ride down a dirt road to Santa Teresa from Santa Maria...

-Spend the night in Santa Teresa.  It's a nice little town, fairly quiet, and not too touristy compared to others like Ollantaytambo, etc...We found a hostel for 40 Soles/night, that was fairly nice.

-Wake up at a decent hour, and find a taxi or collectivo to Hidroelectrica, a tiny little town on the river, where you'll start your hike.  Our taxi was 5 Soles each.  About a 15-20 min ride...

-Where the taxi drops you off, you'll enter your passport info into a book at a ranger station.  You then start your hike following the railroad tracks towards Aguas Calientes.  It's a beautiful walk, as you are following the tracks through the jungle, and along the Urubamba river the whole time.  Takes about 2 hours to Aguas Calientes.

-Aguas Calientes is also called Machu Picchu Pueblo, and is at the base of the walk up to the ruins.  It is very touristy.  We spent about an hour walking around, until we found a hostel for 50 Soles for the night.  You'll want to rest up, and get a good night's sleep before the early morning hike.

-We woke up at 4am, and grabbed a cup of coffee, before started our hike.  It was pouring rain, and this is very possible here, being in the jungle.  Bring a flashlight (headlamp), and a poncho, as it was very wet.

-Can take anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours, depending on your fitness level.  Took us 45 mins, which was good timing for us.  Once at the top, you'll show your passport (don't forget it), and your entrance ticket.  Then, you're on your own to explore!!!

-The way out is the reverse, and you can spend another night in Santa Teresa, and bathe in their hotsprings, or take a direct collectivo back to Cusco.  That's what we did, and ended up back in Cusco at 8:30 PM.

This trip saves you quite a bit of money, doing it on your own.  It was also an amazing experience, while we did see people with guide groups doing a very slow walk around the ruins...We brought a book on Machu Picchu, and guided ourselves.  Up to you!

Machu Picchu is one of the most amazing places I've ever been.  We lucked out with amazing weather up top, and the luck of the draw with hardly any tourists there that morning.  A great experience, and a great way to wrap up our Peruvian trip.  Back in Cusco, we're gearing up for our next stint...Bolivia!!!

Cusco

We arrived in Cusco bright and early on our overnight journey from Nazca, and planned to meet back up with our friends Mark and Carlie, who are traveling by motorcycle.  They told us of the hostel they were staying at, for fairly cheap.  $40 Soles/night, for a private room, shared bath.

We spent 2 nights at "Estrellita" hostel, not far from the Plaza de Armas, or center of town.  It was a cool place, good vibe, had a kitchen, and allows bicyclists and motorcycles to park inside, which is why they were there, obviously.

That night happened to be the AFL grand finale game (Australian Football League Championship), which I, of course know nothing about...Well, Mark, being an Aussie, was obviously looking to watch the game, and I accompanied him.  We walked about 7 blocks from Estrellita, to another hostel that he had pre-sought out for the game festivities...I was imagining maybe 5, 6 Aussies there to watch it...Wow, was I wrong.  We walk into the place, and the bar inside is jam packed with about 65 Australians, waiting anxiously to watch the match.

We shared a table with, of course, an Australian couple, also there for the game, and waited for it to air.  It was to be aired on a projector screen, from a pre-paid website, and for some reason, the internet began to slow...The reactions were priceless, as you can imagine, and it turned out to be a good game.  The game streamed on through the night, and I enjoyed myself, despite being delirious from the night bus from Nazca.  Moral: I had no idea that many Australians could possibly be in Cusco on a given night!

Mark, Carlie, Danica and I at 'Estrellita'

Cusco is a beautiful city.  While coming in from atop the mountain, you get an overview of it all, and it fits perfectly into the valley below.  The buildings are colonial looking, and the streets are mostly cobblestone.

By this point, we were very excited to do the whole Machu Picchu trek, and after hearing tons of peoples experiences along the road, it was our time to do it.

We set out to pre-purchase our entrance tickets in Cusco, and wanted to do it all the "cheap way," as opposed to the hundreds of dollars that could potentially be spent hiking the Inca Trail, or taking the classic train ride in...