Date of Entry: October 14th-15th 2015

Date and Location of writing:  November 5th 2015, Cafe Del Mundo, La Paz Bolivia. (To be fair I stole this idea from a friend’s blog but it’ll be cool for me to look back on)

So as you can guess from the lack of Machu Picchu entries, and the ominous warning at the end of the last blog, all did not go well for me getting to the Ancient Incan Site.  If you want to know the best tips and tricks for Machu Picchu check out this entry here.

We catch our minibus just fine and while I’m still sick I’m also hopeful, sadly it turns out I was further off from health than I could have possibly imagined.

We meet some really cool people on the bus and I would love to have hiked along the railroad tracks with them, but there’s no way I’m allowing myself to slow them down that much.  To make matters worse, something other than my health had also changed, back in July bugs were minimal, now sandflies are everywhere, unstoppable biting machines.  I’ve never seen anything like it and they only serve to aggravate me further, especially since, sick as I am, the walk ends up taking me almost 4.5 hours.  Considering in July I did it in 130 minutes without issue, that’s an unbelievable time, and it takes everything I’ve got just to finish.

That said from adversity at least I can derive some hollow sense of accomplishment.  I made it.  Sara tried to stay back with me but after the first 45 minutes I realized how absurd a sacrifice that would be and sent her to join our friends from the bus with instructions to find hospedaje veronica, where I stayed Last time with all my wonderful friends!  I can honestly say this was physically and mentally the hardest thing I’ve done since I got my blood clot more than 4 years ago, and if Sara had not been waiting in Aguas Calientes for me, I would have curled up and spent the night beside the rail road tracks sand flies and all, that’s how awful I felt.

Needless to say though curling up isn’t an option, Sara would never be able to sleep, so I chug along in the ever fading light, reaching a view of town just as the last natural light fades behind the impressive mountains.  I  stumble through the streets, stopping at the first store i can for a drink and a collapse before stumbling towards the main square and finding Sara, who by some divine providence has paid for a private room since the dorm was full. I collapse into bed, but not for long, stumbling into the bathroom and heaving my guts out, I think more for exhaustion than anything else.

I crawl back into bed my arms and legs both burning and itching all at onces, dotted in blood, and covered in bites. At this point I have to accept the harsh reality of the situation, barring a miracle recovery I’m not going up to Machu Picchu tomorrow.  There’s no way I’d do anything but hate it. Fortunately I’ve seen t before, unfortunately I’ve already paid roughly 70 soles for my ticket.  Oh well.

The next morning I’m already awake when Sara wakes up early to catch the first bus, I go with her, struggling through the 2 block walk, but my struggle pays off as it let’s her get in line for the buses, while I line up for tickets.  There I meet Fez an Australian indian guy who doesn’t have the benefit of another friend to hold his place n line, so I let him cut in with Sara and they end up spending the day together up in Machu Picchu.  I spend it in bed, and almost nowhere else, managing to get down some food.  By the evening I’m feeling a bit better, but still I buy a train ticket back to Hidro Electrica which is absurdly expensive for a 40 minute ride at 28 dollars.  Sara chooses to join me and we make it back to our minibus and back to Cusco Alive.

As much as these past few days have sucked, and as Angry as I am that I didn’t get to check out Machu Picchu a second time over, it’s a simple fact of life made even more true by travel.  Sometimes travel and sickness kicks your ass, and since I’m blessed to be travelling so long,  I have little choice but to let myself heal and make the best of it.  Hopefully one day I’ll make it back to Machu Picchu, but if not, at least I saw it once.