Finally, I get to see Machu Picchu! But then...
Trip Start
Jan 02, 2010
1
24
36
Trip End
Ongoing
Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Peru
Monday, January 25, 2010
The first sign of the disaster to come was when we tried to get into the neighboring site of Winu Picchu (spelling?). We were told it was too dangerous (I later learned someone died there that day) and we were encouraged to quickly head back to Aguas Calientes because the river was running very high and we may not be able to cross the bridge back to town. Few of us took this warning seriously though and a small group of us casually wandered around the ruins while many others fled. Finally we left the ruins and decided to take a bus down. I wanted to walk to save the $7 bus fee but the others refused so I joined them. The bus couldn't take us back into Aguas Calientes as they usually do. In fact, they dropped us off at a bridge, nearly a mile away from town. We were rushed over the bridge by Peruvian officials and we could see the river had turned into a raging monstrosity. Most of the walk back was across train tracks and there were many unfortunate senior citizens on the bus that had to follow us through this less-than-ideal walking terrain.
When we got back to town, there was a sense of extreme panic in the air. We were informed that the train that was supposed to take us out this evening could not operate because the high waters had damaged the bridges. Buses were also unable to evacuate us because some of the roads had been destroyed. Many people were at the train station when suddenly they began flocking in masses to a nearby stadium where helicopters were supposed to evacuate us and my small group was swept up in this frantic mass exodus. People had painted a helicopter landing circle in the middle of the stadium and there were English-speaking Peruvian officials that assured us that all 2000 tourists would be evacuated by helicopter tonight. They said they already had 10 choppers that could hold 35 people each and could make a round trip to a safe nearby city called Ollantaytambo in an hour. They said we would be prioritized by age and health conditions. Many people waited at the stadium but I decided to avoid the panic and get some pizza with two of my Australian friends.
After we had a decent dinner we returned to the stadium. People were getting very angry with the officials. It was now obvious they had been lying to us. Some large groups were loudly chanting something I couldn't understand in Spanish and there was a growing sense of panic. People began worrying how long we would actually be stranded here and if we would be provided enough food and water. Hundreds of people waited for hours but I later heard that only four helicopters came all day. These choppers did't even land at the stadium, they landed at an expensive hotel and evacuated anyone who could pay them $400. I can't confirm this, but I have had heard it from multiple sources.
The anger and panic increased even more as people learned that all of the ATM's were out of money and that many hostels and restaurants were ripping off desperate ignorant tourists. Some people were forced to sleep in tents on the streets or in the immobile trains since they had no money. I was running dangerously low on cash and knew that I would have to find a way to get more tomorrow. My tour group quickly tried to get hostel rooms but most of us (including myself) were rejected from the hostel we'd stayed at last night because they said they were fully occupied. Its more likely that they were waiting for tourists that would pay way too much money.
We frantically sought after our two tour guides who had taken us through the Inca Jungle trail and Machu Picchu for any advice or help they could offer but they had quickly fled town by foot, leaving us on our own with no room (selfish cowards). Never book your trip through "INCA TIME"! I later found out that most people's guides had ditched their groups, in some cases they ditched them before they had even gotten to town! I met a couple who had to walk through the jungle in the dark by themselves after their guide had abandoned them without warning!
Luckily we found a hostel room for an only slightly inflated price of 25 soles per person (about $9). After finding shelter for the night, I decided to disregard all the panic and just prepare to spend a few extra days in this town. I was feeling pretty calm about the situation until an Argentinian girl in our group freaked me out at dinner, she frantically told us to find a store that took credit cards and to stock up on enough food and water for the next several days. We had no clue how long we would be here and many of the stores were closing very early because they feared there would be looting. She and her boyfriend began looking for guides to take us out on foot but almost all the guides had fled and the ones that remained in Aguas Calientes said it was far too dangerous because parts of the trails had collapsed.
I tried to contact the US embassy in Peru but their business hours are from 8AM - 8PM and I had tried calling too late. Although a lot of people were freaking out, I knew that as long as we raised public attention to the crisis, the Peruvian government would have to get their shit together. I would just have to try again tomorrow.
All of our clothes were wet, dirty, and smelly so our hostel room had disgusting clothes strung about all over to dry, smelling up the room. We went to sleep that night with an uneasy uncertainty of what was to come.
Comments
hi, im peruvian
quiero decirte que aunque hayas pasado algo terrible definitivamente te servirá de experiencia, estoy segura que has hecho lazos muy difíciles de romper y olvidar.... desde ahora perteneces con el corazón a ese lugar, te felicito solo a pocos nos pasa............. un abrazo y has de esta experiencia lo mejor............ para mi sería la solidaridad entre nosotros, la gente..
Actually, leaving Aguas Calientes on foot would have been a majorly dumb move. Consider yourself very lucky that you couldn't find a guide willing to take your offer. Also, I'm amazed at all the rumors that people take for granted, like the $400-fee-for-an-airlift legend. You were right in clarifying that this was an uncofirmed rumour.
very scary!!