When Mario heard about it, he didn’t think twice about going there. But there was a new problem: there were no train tickets to Aguas Calientes, so they drove the Amazon access route Santa Mara-Santa Teresa-Hidroeléctrica Machupicchu. On August 5, they left Cusco at midnight and got to Hidroeléctrica at 6:00 am the next morning. There, they got on a train that took them to Machupicchu Pueblo.
When they got to the Cultura Cusco office at 7:00 a.m., there was already a long line, but they were happy to be able to buy tickets to get in in the afternoon after registering. Others who got there a few minutes later weren’t as lucky and only got to stay in Aguas Calientes for one night. “Unfortunately, I have to stay one night, which costs more money and takes more time,” a frustrated tourist from his home country told us.
Even though this makes tourists unhappy and costs them money, people who own hotels and other businesses in Aguas Calientes are happy. They say that now that tickets are sold at the site, people are staying in hotels, which didn’t happen when tickets were sold in Cusco or on the internet.
Backs the measure. David Moreno, who is president of the Front for the Defense of the Interests of the District of Machupicchu, says that Aguas Calientes has become a “passage town.” Few tourists stayed in the hotels, so it makes sense that they didn’t need other services like restaurants, shops selling handicrafts, and so on.
The leader said that this was because of the guides, but he says that things have changed now and that at least half of the tickets are expected to be sold locally. “We had empty hotels for a long time, even during the busy season, until we realised that tourists came and went. Today, we know that the guides were taking them away, but at least they can stay one night now that the tickets are sold here “he said.
Even though there is an emergency, no work is being done. Even though economic activity is coming back to Machu Picchu, the people and the government are worried about the coming rainy season. The town’s mayor, Darwin Baca, said that the work to fix the rivers that run through the town has not moved forward. He asked why nothing has been done even though Machupicchu was declared a disaster area in March because of the rain. He said that river protection in the Vilcanota, Aguas Calientes, and Alcamayo basins has not yet started, even though one of them overflowed in January. He blames the central government for any harm that might happen.
