Ticket – Traveling Mark

Machu Picchu on a Cloudy Day

At Machu Picchu, the rainy season lasts from November to March. For this reason, in order to avoid getting soggy while exploring the Lost City of the Incas, and the cloud cover obstructing the view of the iconic “face looking into the sky” mountain (Huayna Picchu), the best time to visit Machu Picchu is from April to October. Regardless, even if you time your trip for within those months, you could still get rained on. That’s exactly what happened to me.

Photo: My Visit to Machu Picchu Took Place on September 24, Which Is Outside of Rainy Season, Yet Still It Rained

I visited Machu Picchu exactly on September 24, 2018. So even though I was well within the so called “dry season“, it rained quite a bit on that day and the clouds kept getting in the way of scoring good pictures. Either way, the entire experience of getting to Machu Picchu was disappointing enough to make it clear that there is no way in hell I would be visiting the place ever again, and after shelling out the heavy 152 Soles (about $46 US) for half the day entry to the Inca citadel, that notion was further strongly enforced.

Photo: On a Cloudy Day, Machu Picchu Looks Gloomy

So in my case, even though the weather remained nice and sunny throughout the entire unplanned “Inca Trail” hike, when I got to visit the actual Machu Picchu, the day got cloudy and during a hefty part of it, it also rained. But what do you do if you visit Machu Picchu on a cloudy day? You make the best of it nevertheless. You can’t choose or command the weather.

Photo: The Peak of Huayna Picchu Is Partially Obscured by a Cloud

Unfortunately, even though the entrance to the citadel is mighty steep, you are rather restricted in how you get to enjoy it. In my case, it was cloudy and it rained for the best part of the afternoon, but at around 4:30, or about an hour before the allocated time to see Machu Picchu for which I paid a hefty fee ran out, the rain stopped and the sky started to clear up, but when I started retracing my steps back through the citadel in order to use the remaining hour on snapping a new set of pics of this time nicely illuminated mountain peaks and ancient architecture, I got yelled at by the guards who demanded that I continue on out of the complex, barring me from utilizing the remaining hour of my visit.

Photo: Clouds Broke Up Before the End of Allocated Time to Visit Machu Picchu, But I Was Not Allowed Back to Use Up the Time I Paid For

Obviously, because while it rained, I wasn’t able to be very active with the camera, so I lost a lot of time for picture taking, and had to keep moving along because for one I was getting rained on, and secondly, the mass of people within the complex was being yelled at to keep moving forward through the alleys of the man made sections of Machu Picchu.

So to reiterate what I have been congruent about throughout moment I started writing about Machu Picchu – no matter how you look at it, if you take into the account the cost as well as the overall headache of visiting the citadel, and put it against what you get if you go through the cost and the headache of getting there, it’s simply not worth it.

There are places that are far more interesting, incomparably less expensive to visit, and which are not deliberately kept inaccessible in order to force the would be visitor to get absolutely screwed on the means to arrive, that would give the visitor more in terms of visual and spiritual experience.

Photo: As Rain at Machu Picchu Began Making Me Wet, I Had to Restrict Picture Taking

I started questioning the worth of Machu Picchu as soon as I got dropped off at the road block, and wish the whole time I had listened to my got and turned around instead of toiling my way toward the citadel. But as I kept on going, and fooling myself that perhaps in the end it turns out being worth it, each new experience proved that I was wrong and should have absolutely listened to my gut telling me to turn around as soon as we did not arrive at Hidroelectrica with the van.

Photo: Rainy Clouds Add Gloom to Experience at Machu Picchu

Even in Peru itself there are far more interesting places than Machu Picchu, and unlike Machu Picchu, they will not burn a hole in your wallet. There’s no other way to put it – Machu Picchu does not live up to the hype and with the involvement of the high cost to see it, I have no option but to recommend the readers to avoid it as not worth your time, effort and money.

Hiking to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes

Even though the super costly ticket to Machu Picchu permits the visitor to enter the Lost City of the Incas for only half a day, you lose part of the half-day to standing in line at the office selling tickets in Aguas Calientes, because even when they’re open, they refuse to sell the tickets any sooner than 2 hours before the permitted visit begins.

If you factor in the fact that you will spend at least 2 hours in line because thousands of people will show up to get the ticket, and unless you shell out an additional $12 US for the bus ride up there, you will also need another hour of ultra strenuous hike up a steep hill to reach the gate of the ancient citadel, despite shelling out $46 US for the half-day entry, you will have lost one-fourth or one-third of that limited time allowance trying to get the paperwork for the entry in order.

That was certainly the case with me, but whereas I already stood in line and shelled out 152 Soles for the entry ticket, once I had it, I hit the road to get up there. And let me tell you, ascending that hill is no walk in the park.

Photo: Metal Bridges Over the Vilcanota River After Which the Trail Up Hill to Machu Picchu Starts

It involved about 15 minutes of backtracking through Aguas Calientes back toward Hidroelectrica, until one reaches the metal bridgeS over the Vilcanota River shortly after which a sign will direct you off the windy road used by the buses and onto the trail for hikers with an apparent wish to spit out their lungs on the super steep hill.

Photo: Beginning of Hiking Trail Up to Machu Picchu Is Marked with This Sign

Let me say that again – that hike is steep. The stone steps laid on the slope to make the hike possible will force you to raise your feet up high to make each step, and it will squeeze every bit of energy out of your thigh muscles so you better have some if you decide to undertake the hike instead of taking the bus. Your heart will be pounding along the way too, as from the moment you take the first step up, all the way to the last, you will be going through some serious cardio exercise with high demand for oxygen.

And as you go up, you realize that once you go down, the strain will be moved from your heart onto your knees. Because the hill is really steep, there is a significant height difference between individual steps so going down will force you to land really hard on your feet, putting high strain on your knees right from the start. And that will last all the way down. I think in my personal case, the way down wore me out more, because my knees really took the beating there. My thighs were trembling by the time I got up, but the muscle exhaustion wore out after a while. The wear to my knees however accompanied me for months after descending Machu Picchu.

Photo: Plaques Paying Homage to Hiram Bingham - Discoverer of Machu Picchu Can Be Encountered at the Top of the Hill — Photo: Plaques Paying Homage to Hiram Bingham – Discoverer of Machu Picchu Can Be Encountered at the Top of the Hill

Also, you better wear a pair of quality hiking boots with strong soles, because going down those steep stone steps will put their durability to the test. And without strong soles on your shoes, it will be the soles of your feet that will take the beating.

As with any challenging hike, make sure you hydrate well before the start and tag along a bottle of extra water to keep yourself hydrated along the way. Some light snack could also be helpful, even though I didn’t bother with one myself.

Whereas the hiking trail follows the right side of the road made for the buses, it intersects with the road on a few occasions, so the option to avoid the steep trail and follow the switchbacks on less steep, but longer road exists. I considered that option a few times, especially while going down because the steep steps were really making it hard on my knees, but whereas it rained on the day of my visit to Machu Picchu, the frequent buses turned the road to muddy hell so continuing along the incomparably cleaner stone trail was much sounder at the time. Moreover, the Peruvian drivers are not particularly known for being respectful of pedestrians so sharing the narrow road with multiple buses squeezing in from both direction could be potentially hazardous to one’s life.

There is one intersection of the hiking trail with the bus road that will force you to walk up the road a bit anyway, and look for the spot where the trail continues. It’s somewhat marked, but not immediately obvious after initially getting on the road.

Along the upper sections of the trail you will encounter a few local women selling refreshments and whereas the majority of the people take the bus up and down the mountain, they are rather aggressive with the few who take the mountain on foot.

Photo: While Most of Trail Up Machu Picchu Mountain Offers No Views, There Are Some Interesting Moments Toward the Top

Overall, if you like to challenge yourself, I’d recommend that you take the hike. Though fact of a matter is that this hike would be done for the challenge, not for the views, as there are hardly any due to the vistas being blocked by trees, but you’ll get the views once you get up to the citadel. If however you’re not somewhat physically fit, or you have sensitive knees, you’re probably better off taking the bus. Although it will likely have been the most expensive bus ride of your life. But then again, everything about Machu Picchu is expensive and it’s purposefully maintained that way.

Buying Entrance Ticket to Machu Picchu

The Aguas Calientes office that sells entrance tickets to Machu Picchu is located at the foot of Avenida Pachacutec, next to Centro Cultural where there is the iPeru office (iPeru is a helpful government tourist information service with offices in many cities around the country). It is on the north side of Plaza de Armas.

After I arrived in Aguas Calientes, I went to buy the ticket for the afternoon (segundo turno) of the following day, but even though the office was open, the clerks told me the tickets for the afternoon can only be purchased in the morning of the same day.

That seemed a bit strange, as there are many tourists who have had their entrance tickets bought days in advance, plus because only a limited number of tourists is allowed entry each day, there often are stories of people not being able to buy tickets for the desired day, it got me a bit concerned. However whereas none of the two clerks was willing to give me any answer but to come back at 10am the following morning if I wanted to buy a ticket for that afternoon, I had no option but to let it go and intend to come back in the morning.

At that time, I was already pretty on the edge about the whole Machu Picchu, having had to endure an extensive walk through one village to another, because the locals set up roadblocks with the sole goal to make the lives of economy supporting foreigners difficult, so as the reasons to give Machu Picchu a pass kept piling up, my doubt about the worth of the place kept rising.

With each passing minute I kept wishing I had turned around the moment the van dropped me off in the middle of nowhere and said “screw it” to Machu Picchu. Sadly, the well sold idea that the Inca Citadel is worth it has been itched deeply enough into my mind to keep me on the path. In hindsight, I can securely attest that Machu Picchu is not worth it at all.

Still, whereas I already got as far as Aguas Calientes, meaning I was literally at the foot of Machu Picchu, and I already had a room in a hotel paid for, doing anything other than getting some rest after a lot of walking to wake up in the morning and buy that damned ticket as the clerks selling them instructed me to seemed like the only viable option given the circumstances. So that’s what I did.

Photo: Half Day Entry to Machu Picchu Costs 152 Soles, or $46 US

When I woke up in the following morning, I went to get breakfast and intended to combine it with a trip to the ticket office to buy my entrance to Machu Picchu for the same day’s afternoon. Even though they told me to come at 10am, I assumed it was an approximate time and whereas come 8am the office was already open, I popped in and asked for the ticket for the afternoon.

As before, I got a cold shoulder and was told to come back at 10am. None of it made sense, and to this moment it doesn’t, so the only explanation for why they do it is to literally spite the tourists some more. I mean – the office is open, they could be using the time they are there for sale of the tickets, but no – they put everyone off until 10am, so if you factor in the more than an hour long hike up the hill to get to the gate of Machu Picchu, you will barely make it there by 12pm, which is when the beginning of your overpriced visit begins.

Still, whereas the clerks were refusing to sell me the ticket before 10am, I went to grab a breakfast and returned back to hotel to wait until 10am comes. Shortly before it came, I walked back down to the office only to find a major line of people waiting there. It became clear that everyone who wanted to visit Machu Picchu in the afternoon was told to buy their ticket at 10am, so when that hour came, everyone – hundreds of them – turned up.

Photo: Line of People Waiting to Buy Afternoon Entry Ticket to Machu Picchu Went Around Corner of Centro Cultural

At this stage, the frustration with the whole Machu Picchu deal was reaching its peaks.

The Peruvian government keeps Machu Picchu purposefully isolated so that the only convenient way to get there is by way of a train, which is priced at up to $485 US each way – absolutely ridiculous and a major rip off, especially if you consider that the locals are charged an equivalent of $3 (10 Soles) for the ride. As such, in order to get to Machu Picchu, a visitor needs to permit the Peruvians to rip him the hell off, or undertake an arduous, a likewise expensive Inca Trail trek through the mountains.

If you are not willing to spend a fortune on either of the excessively expensive options, you need to go through the complicated process of combining multiple rides with a 10 km hike from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes to eventually get to the foot of the hill housing Machu Picchu, but if like me you encounter road blocks on the way, you will be forced into an arduous Inca Trail against your will anyway.

Photo: After Two Hours of Waiting in Line, I Finally Got Close Enough to See Dir Cetur Building Where Tickets to Machu Picchu Are Sold

Then if you go through it all, like the foolish me did, you get to Aguas Calientes, where you will be expected to shell out 152 Soles (about $46 US) for a half day access to Machu Picchu, which would entitle you to enter, as in my case, at 12pm and stay until 5:30pm, but whereas they won’t start selling the tickets until 10am, and refuse anyone the sale until 10am, by the time 10am comes there is a major line up, so you’ll end up shelling out the high entrance cost, but by the time you get the ticket, it will already be 12pm, but you will still have more than an hour before you get to the gate of Machu Picchu, or use an option to pay $12 US for a one way bus ride to take you up there (which itself lasts about 20 minutes).

Photo: Line Up for Buses to Take Tourists Up Hill to Machu Picchu Were Also Very Long

In other words – the Peruvians make visiting Machu Picchu a major pain in the butt, and milk you hard core along the way like you were just born yesterday, but will not sell you the ticket early enough to get to the place on time, and when you finally get there, you realize it’s really not as mindblowing as they make it out to be.

Yes, I did eventually go to Machu Picchu, but I still keep asking myself why have I not followed my inner voice and given up on this place while there was time. Instead, I spent all this time, energy and money on visiting what is a well promoted, but over-hyped and truly unworthy place. There are many much more interesting, rewarding and uplifting places one can visit around the world, and they cost a fraction of Machu Picchu, or even are free to visit.

Photo: Finally Close Enough to See the Office Where Tickets to Machu Picchu Are Sold

All things considered, given the high cost of entry and arrival, Machu Picchu does not deliver.

Cost of Transportation in Laos

One thing in Laos frequently used by travellers that’s far more expensive than anywhere else in South East Asia is transportation. You’ll be able to cover twice the distance for half the money in other SE Asian countries, including seemingly more expensive Malaysia, than in Laos. The cost of transportation was what was killing my wallet the most while I was in Laos. Songthaew (back of a truck) is a less expensive option, but it is significantly less reliable, much slower and incomparably less comfortable to a point that unless you carry a really tiny backpack and don’t mind sitting squashed with your knees tucked tightly under your chin while dozens of chickens peep hung off of the carrier bar next to your head for upwards of 8 hours, then this little saving is not that great of an option.

Photo: Buses Used in Laos Could Be Aged and of Lesser Quality, But Using Them Will Cost You More than in Other SE Asian Countries

Since Laos has been on a map of individual travellers for a few years now, decent transportation options comparable to those found in the more developed neighbours are nowadays widely available, however they are significantly more expensive than what you would pay for when covering the same distance or traveling for the same length of time in other SE Asian countries.

While cost of transportation in Laos is high as it is, unless you buy your inter city ticket directly from the provider (aka from the booth of the company running the bus), you will also end up paying the tour agency fee which will bump the already high total cost even higher up. Most travel agencies will sell the ticket with 30% – 50% markup which is brutal.

For example an air-conditioned (albeit squishy, with no leg room) overnight bus from Vientiane to Luang Prabang costs 115,000 Kip (about $14 US based on 2010 exchange rates) when purchased directly from the bus company but if you buy the same thing from a tour operator in Vientiane, you end up shelling out 150,000 Kip (about $18,50 US) or more. Though the latter will also include tuk-tuk transport from your guesthouse to the bus station, tuk-tuks can be easily individually arranged and should cost no more than 10,000 Kip. In this case the tour agency charges extra 30% on top of the ticket price.

Luang Prabang is about 390 km from Vientiane and the journey by bus takes about 8 hours to complete (includes a few stops along the way). For comparison purposes, Cambodian Siem Reap is 544 km from Sihanoukville. Overnight bus trip with lots of leg room takes about 10,5 hours to complete (with a few stops) and costs $16 (September 2009), inclusive of a tuk tuk pickup from your guesthouse to the bus station. Similarly, Thai island of Phuket is about 840 km from Bangkok. To cover the distance, the overnight bus takes 12 hours to complete with only one stop along the way, however even though it’s more than twice the distance compared to the Vientiane to Luang Prabang bus trip, the cost is only 495 Baht (roughly $15,50 US) and you get to travel in a much more comfortable, modern bus than in Laos.

The cost of transportation in Laos took me by surprise. No matter how you spin it, covering the same distance or travelling for the same amount of time will usually end up costing you much more than it would in any of the neighboring countries. And you definitely won’t be getting what you’re paying for as buses serving Laos are older, louder, dirtier, and offer less comfort and leg room.

Unity Travel Agency in West Edmonton Mall

I don’t remember what I went to West Edmonton Mall – the largest shopping mall in North America for that weekend. I was already in the process of searching for flights to Asia from Edmonton and had a pretty good idea of what I should expect to pay should I decide to take that route, instead of going to the Caribbean. When I’m at West Edmonton Mall, I like to go to the Chinese supermarket called T&T where they always have this really great fast food style hot buffet. Food is great, prices are unbeatable and I love Chinese food so I never miss the opportunity to have munchies at T&T Supermarket when I’m at the West Edmonton Mall.

Photo: Chinatown in West Edmonton Mall Where T&T Supermarket Is Located

As I was walking out with my belly full after a nice snack, I popped in the travel agency that’s got the office right outside of the entrance to T&T. The agency is called Unity Travel and is obviously focused on primarily serving the Asian clientele. There were two ladies inside, both of Asian descent and most of their signs on the shop windows were written in Chinese characters. The location itself suggested that it’s Asian people living in Edmonton that they specialize in and as such – or so I thought – they specialize in flights to and from Asia. Wow, isn’t that precisely what I’ve been focused on lately?

I walked in Unity Travel despite my overall belief that dealing with travel agents is an obsolete and pricey way of buying travel packages. If you deal with an agent face to face, their commission will have to be included somewhere in the price you end up paying. This is often not the case when purchasing on line as the process is automated and can be done even outside of store hours. But since Unity Travel is so obviously all about Asia which is where I wanted to go, I walked in believing I had nothing to lose. I just wanted to ask to get a general idea on prices I could get through, and I was in the neighborhood so why not. I didn’t think I could get anything comparable to what I saw on line, but they wouldn’t kill me for asking, would they?

Photo: Unity Travel Office in West Edmonton Mall

I talked to a fine lady whose name is Ivy and judging by the business card she handed me, she may be the owner of Unity Travel. I stuck out like a sore thumb because I’m Caucasian and I walked into a travel agency for Asian people but even though everyone stared, Ivy treated me with respect and answered all of my questions. I basically wanted to know how much a ticket from Edmonton to Bangkok would cost if I wanted to depart at the end of August, or beginning of September. I also asked Ivy to look up the same option with departure from Vancouver, as I already knew flying from Edmonton was gonna be significantly more expensive.

It was already the beginning of August when I visited Unity Travel. And I wanted to score a cheap ticket to Bangkok from Edmonton. I knew I was a dreamer, but the quote form Ivy got my instant attention. She said that if I were to fly on September 10th or later, I could get the Edmonton – Bangkok return ticket for $1,250 all in. My jaw dropped. This is about total cost I’d be looking at if I were to fly to the Dominican Republic at about the same time. With $800 being the base price but $300 in fees and taxes I’d be pretty damn close. But $800 was the cheapest ticket which departed at the end of September. End of August was in four digits. This sounded more than great to me. Afterall, Bangkok is more than three times as far as the Dominican Republic and it’s in Asia. The value for money was definitely there. That’s what I’d call a bargain plane ticket for high season. Ivy also mentioned that because we are already well into August and it’s the high season even for Asia bound flights, that if I wanted to fly before September 10th, it would be possible, but the ticket would be $200 more expensive.

The real breakthrough came when I asked Ivy – just out of curiosity – how much more I would have to pay if I were to buy a return ticket all the way to Siem Reap, Cambodia (a town right next to Angkor Archaeological Park that serves as a gateway to Angkor for all foreigners). I only asked for Edmonton to Bangkok ticket because I knew Bangkok is the nearest major international hub with lots of flights coming in every day. Because Bangkok is served by such a large number of carriers, I believed the price would be less expensive than flying to areas such as Siem Reap. My ultimate destination would still be Cambodia, but getting to Cambodia from Thailand didn’t seem like a big deal hence I asked for the ticket to Bangkok. But now that I knew how much it was to fly to Thailand, I also wanted to know how much extra it would be to go all the way to Cambodia as if it wasn’t going to be that much more, I might as well pay the extra money and be delivered all the way to my final intended destination.

Ivy said that I would be flying with Korean Air and would have to make transfer stops in Vancouver and Seoul. And because Korean Air has regular, daily flights to both Bangkok and Siem Reap from Seoul, the price would not change. So whether going all the way to Bangkok or to Siem Reap, it would still cost $1,250 total if departing on or after September 10th, or $1,450 if departing before September 10th.

Photo: West Edmonton Mall from the Inside

These quotes were staggering for me. I didn’t even want to know how much a ticket would be from Vancouver at this point as quotes from Edmonton were more than reasonable. I expected some $3,000+ figures and even more for Cambodia, yet here I was with a quote I would have to pay to go to the Dominican Republic which I originally wanted to do. I left Unity Travel agency office with Ivy’s business card and quotes written on it. I am not an impulsive buyer so I needed a little time to have this settle in my head. Plus there was still a dilemma of whether to go after September 10th and save $200 or before, but pay more. I had to give it a good think-over and was gonna get back to Ivy with what I have decided in a day or two. It is quite possible that Ivy thought I was just a passerby, just someone curious but not really serious when I walked in their office. She treated me professionally but I still had that feeling that she didn’t expect much of me. Caucasian in an Asian travel agency… what the hell was I doing there anyway?

Photo: Sign on the Corner Marking West Edmonton Mall at Night