Viva la Chile!
My Five Month Adventure Studying Abroad in Santiago, ChileArchive for Machu Picchu
Bottom 10 of Peru
10) Constant begging
9) Missing our train in Aguas Calientes because the travel agent failed to mention that our ticket was modified.
8 ) Peruvian men
7) Drinking coca tea after dinner, which causes insomnia and an increase in going to the bathroom
6) Altitude difference
5) Mint liquor
4) Mosquito bites that made my arms not only swell up, but hurt and become numb
3) Altitude sickness
2) Finding my toiletries missing from my bag because they were stolen from LAN chile
1) Tariffs ($178 to LAN chile, $6 going to Cuzco, $31 going to Santiago)
Top 20 of Peru
20) Eating corn and cheese at an Incan Trail 
19) Coca leaves
18 ) Buying fruit at the market and making a Peruvian fruit feast.. 
17) Walking up our stairs without being breathless
16) Real orange juice
15) Hearing Michael Jackson four times and Lady Gaga twice
14) Lomo saltado with alpaca meat 
13) Huacos eroticos
12) Spending our “hostel” money on drinks/dessert by the beach 
11) Peruvian massage/manicure 
10) A meal at McDonald’s: chicken mcnuggets with barbeque sauce, fries, sprite and oreo mcflurry with chocolate ice cream and hot fudge
9) Feeling confident in my Spanish
8 ) The gringo club, dancing awesome dance moves, one being the inhaler because I couldn’t breathe 
7) Shopping/walking around Cuzco 
6) Stealing rocks from the incan ruins
5) Realizing there are ruins everywhere in Cuzco, in fact there use to be tons of incan palaces surrounding Plaza de Armas before the Spanish came
4) Plaza de Armas
3) Machu Picchu 
2) First “breath” of Peru
1) Laughing about it all with Herlinda
Introduction to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Pikchu, “Old Peak”, pronounced [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpiktʃu]) is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level.[1] It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”, Machu Picchu is one of the most familiar symbols of the Inca Empire.
The Incas started building it around AD 1430 but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was largely unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.
Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September 2007, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Hiram Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the early twentieth century.
[from Wikipedia]
Itinerary for MACHU PICCHU!!!
7 de Octubre:
Leave Santiago at 8:10 pm
Arrive into Lima 10:55 pm (with an hour time difference in Peru)
8 de Octubre:
Leave Lima at 7 am
Arrive in Cusco at 8:20
DAY 1: OCT 8TH 2009 – CUSCO ARRIVAL
Upon arrival at Cusco airport you will be met and driven to Hotel, where you are advised to rest for a while to acclimatize to the altitude. Hotel overnight.
Accommodation: Orquidea Real Hostal
Day 2: OCT 9TH 2009 – CUSCO CITY TOUR (HALF DAY TOUR)
Morning at leisure by your own. Around 1:45 pm. Cusco city tour (Pick-up time is at 1:15pm- 1:30pm) This tour includes the major sites of historical interest in Cuzco, such as the famous Inca fort at Sacsayhuaman, and the temple of the Sun. Also included in this is a tourist card, giving you access to all the sites in the Cuzco area as a whole (i.e., including outside of the City itself). This tour finishes at 18:00, overnight at the hotel.
Accommodation: Orquidea Real Hostal
Day 3: OCT 10TH 2009 – CUSCO – FREE DAY
Free day, leisure time by your own. Hotel overnight
Accommodation: Orquidea Real Hostal
DAY 4: OCT 11TH 2009 – MACHU PICCHU FULL DAY
All day excursion by train to Machu Picchu. At 5:45am you will leave the hotel to the Poroy station to take the 7:42 am train. Travel is in “Backpacker” Class. At 10:51 a.m., you will arrive at the Aguas Calientes Station, from where you take a 25 minute bus ride to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Once there, you will have a guided tour, with an English speaking professional guide. The ruins are on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu in two separate areas: the agricultural and the urban. Box Lunch included.
Return to Cuzco on the afternoon train and transfer to Hotel.
Accommodation: Orquidea Real Hostal
Day 5: OCT 12TH 2009 – CUSCO – FREE DAY
Free day, leisure time by your own. Hotel overnight
Accommodation: Orquidea Real Hostal
DAY 6: OCT 13TH 2009 – TRANSFER OUT
Transfer from your hotel to the airport for the return flight.
13 de Octubre:
Leave Cusco at 12:55 pm
Arrive in Lima at 2:20 (Stay overnight)
14 de Octubre:
Leave Lima at 7:30 am
Arrive in Santiago at 12:50 pm, just in time for classes..blaah
