Random mishaps when you're traveling and why they're awesome

Person from group A: Do you guys know where we’re supposed to go?

Person from group B: Um, I think she said we had to cross this bridge and then walk for 10 minutes?

Person from group A: Ok, and then that’s where we’ll find the train station?

Person from group B: Yea, I think so, and it should take us to Aguas Callientes.

(Groups A and B walk together for 10 minutes down a dirt road while vans honk at them for some unknown reason. They arrive at the area.)

Person from group A: I don’t see any train tracks.

Person from group B: Hmm. I think the guide said something about a bus??

..........

Half an hour later, Groups A and B have joined forces against the unknown journey to Machu Picchu. All of us --

a Brit, 2 Aussies, 3 Canadians, and 2 Americans -- have sat down at a restaurant near the bus station (NOT train station, apparently, because a bus will take us to the train later) and are drinking beers and Peru's famous pisco sours (photo of a pitcher of pisco sour to the right.)

Around 6pm, we get onto the buses that bring us to the train station. At this point, it's pitch black out and we're told it's a short drive to the station. On the way there, on a small dirt road, we pass dozens of stray dogs, kids on bikes, and a huge cow. Our driver doesn't even flinch as I yell, "Holy shit! There's a huge fucking cow in the middle of the road!"

We get to the train station, and the whole outdoor waiting area is dark. No lights at all. A few of the little market shop people have a candle or two but that's it. The Brit says, "This has theft written all over it." So, there we are, in the pitch black, freezing and wondering how the hell we're going to get on a train when the station has no electricity. Word reaches us that the train is a few hours late... In good news, we have an incredible view of the stars and mountains, and we're all chatting and laughing about how we have no idea what's going on.

Fast forward 2 more hours. We're finally on a train, we're all exhausted, and surrounded by these massive moths that have come in through the window, so I have the hood on my coat up in the event that one of the moths wants to land on me. The Brit and I take a look at my photos and discuss cameras a bit before we finally get to the station.

Yay! We're here! Time to go to the hostel to get (maybe) 5 hours of sleep before we have to wake up to go up to Machu Picchu! A guy that was meeting us there has a sign with our names on it and he tells me, in broken English, that I don't have a ticket to get to Machu PIcchu because he didn't have my student ID card (haha, I'm no student! Thanks, STA, for giving me one of those!) and therefore he couldn't buy my ticket. "Maybe you want to go to another Incan site?"

NO! I WANT TO GO TO MACHU PICCHU! I'VE BEEN ON 2 BUSES, A TRAIN WITH MOTHS, AND AND AND I'M FREEZING!

Except I didn't say that... I just said that, no, I wanted to please go to Machu Picchu. He agreed that he would get up at 5am to go purchase my ticket for me. Whew!

He passes us off to another guy who we guess is taking us to the hostel. It's 11:45pm at this point and we have been up since 7:30am and have been touring and climbing Incan ruins all day -- all we want is a bed and a hot shower. Luckily, the hostel is a mere 4 minute walk away. We go in, sign some paperwork, and he leads us to our rooms.

WHOA - a bathroom IN THE ROOM?!? What luxury! Marlie and I take one room, and are hit with a wave of moldy water smell. I guess that's what we should expect for a $10 a night room right next to a major river... I tell Marlie to shower first so I can blog and post some stuff online so my family knows I'm alive. She goes in and I come to realize that this gem of a hostel has no internet and there are no wireless internet networks that I can steal service from. CRAP! As I realize this, Marlie informs me that the toilet is broken.

Down the stairs I go, asking the front desk guy if we can switch rooms. I tell him the toilet is broken and we just want to go to bed, so he shows me another room - one that is half the size and the shower is IN the room. Sure, the toilet is in its own room, but no, your read it correctly, the shower is in the main room. (Why did I not photograph this??? It was both hilarious and terrifying at the same time.) Marlie and I grab our stuff, move it down, and decide that we'd rather have the shower in the bathroom than the shower in the main room room, so we move back to no working toilet room.

Shower time. Marlie goes first. After about 2 minutes, she is screaming, saying that the water is absolutely freezing. I hear curses emanating from the bathroom for 5 minutes until she emerges, looking like someone just kicked the shit out of her. Super - my turn!! I turn on the shower and yell to Marlie, "I don't think I can do it! It is too cold, but I know I smell and my hair is gross." Her response: "Just do it. Just... do it."

So with Nike's old adage in my ear, I jump in the shower with Mr. Spider who is also apparently in need of a wash, take my 3 minute shower, and jump out. I go out to the main room to get my clothes ready for the morning and realize that I didn't pack underwear or socks. *Sigh*

We get in bed, I set the alarm for 5am, and go to bed in my silk sleep sack cocoon as Marlie goes to bed on top of 4 towels because we're scared of our beds.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Yup, you guessed it, that's the sound of the guy who just bought my ticket banging on the door, telling us that yes, he got it! Too bad it's 5:30am and my alarm never went off. SHIT! COME ON! THIS HAS GOT TO BE A JOKE! Instead of bitching though, we jump up, I put on my pants with no underwear, my shoes with no socks, and we go enjoy our savory morning feast of roll with jam.

Anyway, what follows was a wonderful day at Machu Picchu, something that deserves its own blog post (sneak peak photo to the left.) Looking back at the events of the last 2 days, I can't help but sit here and laugh as I'm typing this stuff because, really, it's hilarious. And it would have totally sucked if it was me all by myself, but with the group that formed along the way, it just ends up being one of those events that makes me realize how lucky and happy I am to be on this trip.