machu picchu, baby

Hey look, I made it to Machu Picchu!! We got up at 4am to start the trip down to Machu Picchu, and although it was kinda cloudy when we got up there, it was soooo worth it. Also I didn't collapse from altitude sickness so everything went well. The others climbed up the steps from Aguas Calientes (the nearest town) to the top, but I got a bus because I didn't want to risk heart failure. The views were absolutely breathtaking (in a good way, for once) - so much more amazing than I'd imagined. We stayed until about 2pm when we got a bus back down, and in that time I walked to the Sun Gate, which is from where you can see an intense view of the mountains. It was hard to walk up but so rewarding! When we were at the top of the Sun Gate the clouds cleared and the view was beautiful. I could see the ruins so clearly and all I managed to say for about 20 minutes was 'wow' (a change from my usual inability to shut up). OH MY GOSH it was amazing!!

It was great when we got there early because it was pretty quiet and empty but then the tourists came (obviously I'm not trying to say I'm not a tourist because I did constantly have my camera out but I mean the actual real tourists came). It was raining so everyone had brightly coloured plastic ponchos on which was hilarious to see - the mountains were covered with hundreds of pink, blue, green, yellow and red sheets walking around. Any way, apart from the abundance of Americans shouting 'oh maaaay gawwwsshh' every five minutes, Machu Picchu was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. We were all absolutely shattered by the end of the day though, and tried to sleep on the train back but once again the Americans were back in full force. Don't get me wrong, Americans are amazing, and generally lovely people (Leslie can you see I'm trying to dig myself out of a hole here?!), but this train had the entirety of America on it getting really excited about the food trolley and overpriced souvenirs. I just wanted to sleep. Some of my favourite quotes from the journey (mostly given by a very high voiced woman) were: 'I could just LIVE on a train oh may gawsh'; 'Planes just get you places'; 'HAHA OH LOOK WHISKEY, cheeeeeky'; 'Look at that cute little village awh look at the little Incans' and my personal favourite 'ohh it feels like I'm hiking through the mountains heheh it's so easy!!'. That was my favourite because I was with 3 people in my group who had actually just done a 5 day hike, and they looked like death.

Anywaaaay, I've decided to also compile a list of things that I could not have done without in Machu Picchu (and just Peru so far in general). So if you decide to do the crazy thing and live in Peru for a year, this is what I highly suggest you bring. Yes, I am an expert on Peru although I've only been here two weeks.

Things that will help you survive Peru & Machu Picchu 

By Sarah Halliday aged 20 3/4

machu picchu group!

• Fast drying towel - does what it says on the tin. Life saver really, especially if you're camping.
• Inflatable pillow - £1 from Wilkinsons (or any other good cheap shops). Cannot stress enough how great this has been. I like having two pillows anyway, so it's good for some extra leverage. Also it has been my saviour on transport like the bus and the train, because it's so easy to blow up and gives you so much more comfort when trying to sleep. Long live the inflatable pillow
• Socks - Steph, take note! Just take loads of socks. As Steph learnt, two pairs are not enough for a 5 day trek because they will get wet and you will be sad.
• Snacks - YES. Take snacks everywhere. Bananas for energy, chocolate for deliciousness, crisps for more snacks. Especially in Machu Picchu, where a packet of crisps was something around £100, stocking up on snacks was a good plan. Water too is a very good shout. 
• Camera - obviously. Peru's beautiful, come one, why wouldn't you want to take a million pictures like I have?!
• Ipod - especially if you get travel sickness like me. Music has helped me sleep and forget about the bumpy roads a lot. Also it helps drown out the terrible club music that some hostels are located next to. Those foamy earphone things also help a lot for this.
• As much medicine as you can carry - I've already had altitude sickness and a nasty cold, so paracetamol and lemsip (my hero) have been great. Also any sort of diarrhoea medicine is much needed, as well as Vaseline (my lips got burnt :( ). 
• Money - take cash with you at all times. Don't do what I did and rely on your card. Only big towns/tourist areas have ATMs and if you run low on water mid-mountain you're going to have a hard time buying water if all you have to offer is a plastic visa card. 

I'll probably add to this list as the trip goes on, so that was really just a taster of things to come (woo). 

So I'm back in Cusco now. Steph & I had a little walk around today, and bought lots of Peruvian Alpaca clothing in true tourist style, and visited the Inca Museum which was very cool if you're interested in the Incas like I am (saaad), or just history in general. Cusco is beautiful, and there's so much to do here. Nice artisan stalls and some cool markets make it a great city. Tomorrow we're visiting the Sacred Valley, which is another historic part of Cusco, so that should be a great day out! 

But for now, I need to get some dinner, so here are some more photos for you to feast your eyes on!

        Adios, Sarah x