Day Seven - In the Jungle

// August 3rd - Aguas Calientes // Altitude 2040 m // Out of the travel journal //

I woke up with fever and nausea. I was mad. I didn't want to give up. But also I had to keep in mind that there were still another 43 days of traveling ahead of me. Since a few people got sick I knew there was a bus going to our lunch spot, which otherwise would be a 16 km hike through the jungle. It took me a lot to get over my pride, but at some point I gave in and took the bus. So did one of the Argentinians. 

So both of us got off the bus, joined the group who still were at the end of the street, and  started our still 15.2 km or so hike into the heart of the jungle. 


After two minutes later we passed the first waterfall. After five minutes we passed our group. After eight minutes we stopped in a small village to pick up way too many locals. My legs felt restless, I was squirrelly, caught up in an inner discussion, pondering, until I finally bursted out "Quiero caminar!". 

Passing waterfalls, avocado and banana trees and coffee plants. 
It was really warm, such a difference to the day before, we hiked in shirts and shorts and stopped for a break to bath our feet in an ice cold stream of water.
We continued our way over scary bridges made out of straw and dirt, we saw hummingbirds and enjoyed great views over the Lluskamayo River. 
Wether it was the medicine or the endorphins, or both, the hike wasn't bad at all. 
It was a bit hilly, "Peruvian flat", and when we reached the lunch place, Playa, at an easy altitude of 2250 m, we weren't even out of breath. 

After great ceviche we took a van to the hydroelectric station. Also an adventure. With the curtains in the back closed, the driver drove backwards, with the cliff down the jungle right next to us, to move out of the way for another car. Pretty scary. 
The rest of the kind of short drive was spent either sleeping or laughing about the continuous honking and the 90ies music.

Afterwards we hiked for about three hours for another 10 or 11 km, following the tracks of the PeruRail, on the way we also got a first glimpse at Machu Picchu, it was so far up in the mountains. 

We reached Aguas Calientes not long after the sunset. After a very rude welcome in the hostel my room / tent mate Sabine took a cold shower, since we had no hot water. In Aguas Calientes, insert silly pun here.

We told one of the employees, she turned on the water - this time it was hot. 
So she told us that we have to use the red knob. No way. Thank you lady, I've been wondering for the past 25 years why there's a blue and a red one. 

Later we went for a pretty crappy dinner before drowning the shock over Peruvian service in some cervezas in a nearby bar. After those, some impressive dance skills of the Costa Rican girls and less impressive dance moves of the poor kitten that the DJ brought with him, we went to bed way too late, which left about 3 hours of sleep. 

But who needs sleep anyways if the next adventure awaits?