I don't remember the beginning of our journey to Machu Picchu that well... Dima and I flew to Cusco (3600 m above the sea level), and after continuous bargaining hired a cab for local sightseeing. I felt sort of alright in the beginning, but when we arrived to Pisac, the ancient Inca Fortress (about 4000m altitude), my un-acclimatized body inevitably gave up to the altitude sickness.
We planned to spend a night on the way to Machu Picchu in Ollantaytambo at 2600-2700m altitude. I am grateful that Dima booked a hotel there and not in Cusco. I remember only one thing - dragging my feet from taxi to the hotel room and crashing on my bed.
Next morning we took a train to Machu Picchu. By the way, curiously enough there are two types of trains on route: Cusco - Ollyanta - Machu Picchu: one type for locals, and one for tourists (not sure if it is true for the rest of the country though). Meaning if you are a foreigner, you won't be able to purchase a local train ticket. It's definitely something to keep in mind when planning a trip.
The train arrives to a little town located at the bottom of the canyon. One can reach the ancient ruins by a long tiring hike, or by a tourist bus. There are no taxicabs here. In fact, the number of tourists and transportation is very limited here. One more "catch" for a forgetful traveler: if you didn't order your museum tickets online beforehand, you are doomed - there is no ticket registry at the entrance! Number of visitors is limited to 2000 a day for the general area of Machu Picchu, and some corners of the ancient City of Incas are even more restricted..''
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