Posts Tagged With: cars

Trek to the base of Machu Picchu

Posted on April 30, 2012 by erikamae82

There isn’t a main train station at Machu Picchu itself, the closest stop is in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes. Here is where you can hop on a smaller train to connect you the rest of the way. From Cusco you have a few options to get there:

You can enjoy the fancy train that provides food, drinks, lounge chairs, pillows, blankets and a few hundred other tourist. All just for a “ticket price”, a huge commitment and your left arm.

You can take a tour bus that has a guide, a pitstop with lunch buffet, and only 100 other tourist. All for a “small fee”, a minor commitment and a sore toosh.

…and then there’s OUR choice…

We scored with a local collectivo (a 7 person mini van that seated 9 adults and all of their luggage) for only $14 USD per person.

This spacious ride lasted 4 hours with a complimentary stop at a stand on the side of the road. It had several food options like blocks of cheese, raw chicken and an assortment of candy! They also let us use the bathrooms!

After the bus ride we hopped in a cab that picked up this woman. She climbed into the back trunk area with her blanket of corn as she politely stared at the gringos (I don’t blame her).

We then got dropped off to another taxi that only had room for 2 more so I followed the woman’s idea and got cozy in the back.

Some pics from all the rides:

Finally we arrived to Aquas Calientes (the place where you can get on the small train to the city below Machu Picchu).

We each bought a banana and started our hike from here. A 3 hour walk along the tracks that hug the Urubamba River. The sun was out and shining… for the first 30 minutes.

At last! The place where we will rest before the day in the sacred city of Machu Picchu. I didn’t realize there was a tiny town that sits on a steep hill full of shops, restaurants, hotels, hostels, schools and homes. This adorable area has paths and bridges surrounding a stream that rushes through the center.

We’re all signed in and ready for tomorrow… 4am to Machu Picchu, here we come!
(I had a neat picture here with all of our names in “the book” but deleted it when I realized it also had everyone’s detailed identification info. So, lets just pretend it’s here.)
Instead, here’s a photo of our future sight!

Categories: Accommodations, Fashion from a backpack, Fitness, Uncategorized | Tags: cars, main train station, transportation, travel | 2 Comments

Last minute trip to Cordoba!

Posted on March 28, 2012 by erikamae82

We decided that all though Buenos Aires is a magnificent city, it was time to live elsewhere for a bit. Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina and is about 9 hours west. It’ll be a week here before we part ways. Denise is doing her own thing while I venture back to BA to pick up my dear friend Ian who is flying in from the states!

The bus ride had an 11:30p departure so we slept, or pretended to sleep for the entire trip. We got to pick our seats so we snagged the top deck and front row! Side note, we shared a cab with a local that told the driver in Spanish “She’s from Holland and the other is a Yankee”. Oh, makes me laugh…

We arrived in the morning to our temporary apartment that currently has two other students from our Spanish school. We lucked out and got a room on the top floor. This means a 10 story stair climb at least twice everyday? Score… A free workout! (Or you can use the elevator). Here’s the front room, our bedroom and the view from the balcony!

We took a quick walk around our neighborhood to check out the scenery.

Look what I found for only $6 usd! If I was a dog, my tail would be wagging as if you said the word “treat”.

Time for dinner! We went with brown rice, mixed veggies and mackerel. For desert, a bottle (I mean a glass) of local red wine.

After dinner it’s time to study. This is done by listening to a children’s show in Spanish while playing with a kids activity book I found for $1 usd. Here’s my view from the couch.

…and an evening shot from our balcony.

Categories: Accommodations, Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: cars, free workout, magnificent city, transportation, travel, vacation | Leave a comment

No worries Buenos Aires… I’ll be back next week!

Posted on March 27, 2012 by erikamae82

During our first 3 weeks in Buenos Aires there were several events that never made a viewing. Since this week will be spent in Cordoba, (a city in Central Argentina) I thought I’d throw a few of the photos together in a mini post. Enjoy!

March 24th was extremely special to the locals as it represtented the war on society and fighting for their freedom. There were thousands of people in the streets with flags, banners, music, microphones and each section had their own “chant” they were repeating. I hope the photos can give you even the slightest idea of the incredible sounds that were echoing the streets (including the one we lived on).

There also happen to be a metal rock band playing a show in the park… Why not?

As if a rock band, political march and demonstration didn’t provide enough mixed energy entertainment… They through in random “festival” stands with toys, candy, games and the occasional cotton candy stand. Oh Argentina, you continue to surprise me! I eventually just sat curbside to take it all in.

Ooh, over here… Throw it to me!

Here are a few photos of random shots taken along the streets.

Made it to the police station to file a report (see sad face below). Denise had her wallet removed from her purse while watching a show in the city.

Pics from the bus window.

The following are night sights including the first pic which is me and a group of Dutch friends that had never had a jello shot… Ever! I got to do the honors of making and sharing the recipe, they loved them!

As Denise and I got ready for this night out, we did the whole girl thing of “Should I wear these shoes or those… What about the earrings?”. During this exchange I said, “Funny, this is what I wore out when we were in Spain”. She then looked down at her dress and said “Haha, this is what I wore that same night in Spain!”.
Here are the two separate nights, first Spain then Argentina.