Aguas Calientes

The whole trip to Machu Picchu didn’t start very promising and even seeing Machu Pichcu itself for the first time I was a little bit disappointed. We caught a mini bus from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo which is the halfway point for Machu Picchu and from there A TRAIN….. just a “normal train” that takes locals for 4$ and gringos for 30 times more for a 60km train journey-CRAZY!!!! Because we all have pockets loaded with money and why not to overcharge us. What a joke! It feels really discriminating having different price and maybe it would be OK if it’s a little bit more as seeing Taj Mahal in India or Angkor Wat in Cambodia also had a “tourist price” but this train is some kind of joke. And left so many people in disbelieve, even puzzling whether to go or not. Nonetheless it is Machu Pichcu and everyone even the poorest backpacker will pay this price no matter what. And so we did the same and of course I have no regrets. We stayed that night in nearby village Aguas Calientes near Machu Pichcu. Most tourists that don’t do Inca Trail come to Machu Picchu from Cuzco late in the morning, but the option of staying in Aguas Calientes and getting there on the first available bus sound better if you want to beat the crowd and have a bit of a space before others come. While in Aguas Calientes we didn't book any hostel in advance but randomly met a polish guy who told us about one place he was going to and so we ended up in this awesome and cheap place with the best views ever!