Villavic

Well, I just arrived from Cusco. Since it was a short trip, I had to go to MP from Cusco city and returned the same day (couldn’t stay at Ollantaytambo, where the train trip is far shorter). So I took the (august 12) 6:40am train from Poroy station. My return train was scheduled at 4:30pm. Both train stations (Poroy and MP) are too small nowadays considering the lot of people that visit daily Machu Picchu. And it’s a mess, there are not enough signs nor space for queues and it’s so confusing (and I’m peruvian, I can imagine the perception of foreign and no Spanish speaking people).

I arrived at MP town (aka Aguas Calientes) at 9:50am. I have enough time for a brunch, since I got the second shift ticket (to enter the ruins at noon). Then I saw the line for the bus (that goes up the ruins) was quite long, but it moves along not so slow, or so I thought. Actually after eating a sandwich I got into the queue and… it took 70 MINUTES to get into the bus. The ride is 20 minutes to get to the ruins entrance. Crowded at always, there were several guides offering you the guided tour, what apparently was a must since the new rules. But as I read in a flyertalk post that they are not that exigent about the guide, I don’t take any. And that was right, when I entered the ruins nobody asked me where was my guide (this was my sixth visit to MP, I actually could be the guide of my own party he he). Nobody checks or ask you where your guide along the visit is. The allowed path within the ruins is more restricted than my last time. There is plenty space at the viewing points, like up there near the guardian house, but the Intihuatana place is very limited and the allowed path is very narrow considering all the people passing along.

Two hours were enough to complete the circuit (just the ruins, not including Huayna Picchu or the Inca bridge or climb the Machu Picchu mountain), so at 2:30pm I was ready to take the bus to go down to the town. Oh my God, another one hour line to take it. That was the worst part of the trip. Everything else was fine and didn't spoil the day, but the long queues were annoying. It had never been like that in my previous visits. I don’t know if it was because of the new rules, the 2 shifts, or because it was Saturday (more local visitors?) etc. Was the remedy worse than the disease?? I don’t know.

Anyway Machu Picchu was amazing as always, I was lucky it was a sunny day so I got stunning pictures. Just the access facilities were the issue.