Machu Picchu

Just the name evokes a mythical dream of an ancient site in a far away land.  A place you have heard of but are not quite sure where it is or why it is so important.  For most travelers Machu Picchu is at least in the top 10 or 15 on the bucket list and not the easiest place to get to.  Built in the mid to late 1400's by the Inca it was most likely a royal retreat for the Inca ruler of the time, Pachacuti.  It is located between the Amazon jungle and the highland plains in Peru.  To get there is a bit reminiscent of the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles:  fly to Lima, fly to Cusco, bus to Ollantaytambo, train to Aguas Callientas, bus to the entrance of Machu Picchu.  It was all worth it the moment I set eyes on the site.

Our tour guide picked us up at 4:45 am at our hotel in Cusco.  We took a large tour bus to Ollantaytambo because we could get there quicker by bus than we could by train.  Beware that Peruvians are quite comfortable driving very fast around corners, passing on hills and their personal space comfort level is much closer than most Americans, which also translates into their personal space comfort level when it comes to other automobiles and pedestrians on the road.  If you are a nervous driver I suggest you sit in the middle of the bus on don't look out the window.  If you are easily car sick, take a Dramamine before you leave because the road from Cusco to Ollantaytambo is quite curvy up to a mountain pass and just as curvy as you go down into the Sacred Valley. 

Typical Machu Picchu Photo

After an hour and a half later we reached the quaint train station in Ollantaytambo and joined others headed to Aguas Callientas which is at the base of Machu Picchu and can only be reached by train.  The Vistadome Train is appropriately named for the windows high on the sides and roof of the train that allows you to see the soaring mountains as you traverse the valley floor next to the Urubamba River.  Every few feet were views that were so spectacular you wanted to take a photo knowing that no photo would ever come close to seeing the real thing.  In about two hours we came to the station at Aguas Calientas and got in the long line for the bus up to Machu Picchu.  The bus ride up the mountain was another hairy ride up switchback after switchback on a road with room for only one bus at a time, except we kept meeting buses coming down, face to face.  One bus would reverse into a small pull out the size of a footpath while the other bus would sneak by with only inches to spare on each side.  One inch to far either way and we were taking the mirrors off each bus or one wheel would be over the edge.  Every other switchback revealed a spectacular view down into the valley below getting smaller and smaller as we went up.  The bus let us off into a crowed of people, UGH!  At this point I was concerned this would turn into a day of some tourist filled spot with so many people that it would be over crowed and uncomfortable.  Once we are in the gate there is no place to use the bathroom so many of us thought it smart to go now.  Guess what??  It cost one sole to use the bathroom at Machu Picchu, yes this is only about 30 cents but it was funny to have to pay.  Also don't forget there is on toilet paper in each stall so bring your own or take some from the community dispenser at the entrance. 

Looking from bottom up to Guard House

I didn't realize that our group would have a tour guide so I had purchased a book, The Machu Picchu Guidebook, A Self-Guided Tour by Ruth Wright and Dr. Alfredo Valencia Zegarra, and was completely prepared to guide myself.  It would have been rude to take off from the group so I stuck with our guide using my book as much as possible.  Our guide started low on the ruins near the lower agricultural storage houses.  My very first impression of the site was exactly how steep the site is.  Think about that standard MP photo that everyone sees, like the one above.  It looks relatively flat, yes it is on top of a mountain, yes you see stairs but it does not seem to be so steep that it can't be easily walked.  Well let me tell you this is quite deceiving.  The photo is taken from the guard house looking down but when you are at the bottom looking up it is very intimidating how steep it really is.  The next photo, to the right, is from the lower section looking up to the guard house and you can get an idea of how high it is when you see how small the people in the photo are.  When you are at the bottom looking at stairs that are 18 to 24 inches each step that seem to go straight up and you are at over 8000 feet when your little lungs are used to living at sea level you might be tempted to think there is no way I can do this.  Let me tell you that you can do it!!  Our tour never made it to the main entrance and the guard house and I was determined to see both these places and to take the standard MP photo.  When the tour was over I went straight up the stairs taking them one at time not looking up and not stopping until my heart was about to pound right out of my chest.  I took a small break and started again.  I made it!!  There were a lot of people standing in line to get their photo taken at the main entrance so I just took a couple of photos and went on to continue to climb to the guard house.  The open field next to the guard house is where the typical MP photo you see in all the books is taken from.  I took a few photos and then got out my phone to take on of me with MP in the background. 

Machu Picchu Main Gate

Our group had to meet back at a restaurante in Aguas Calientas around 2 for lunch so from the guard house I had to walk down the path back to the main entrance to catch the bus back.  My legs were like spagatti and my knees were really hurting.  It began to sprinkle but it felt good so I did not bother with the rain coat I had been carrying all day in my back pack.  After lunch I walked around the market next to the train station and was limping like an old woman becuase my legs and knees hurt so bad.  It was all worth it and I would have been perfectly happy to go back and do it again the next day.  The Inca were a facinating civilization and there is so much to see at MP that you would not easily know without some research before, even a guide will not have time to point out some of the more subtle items like the torch holders, holes used to bar the door, an example of how they carved the corners so percice and many other things.  If you are going on your own, I highly reccomend the above book, it gave me a game plan to see the whole site in an organized way. 

The trip home was exactly like the trip there in reverse execpt I actually slept and we arrived back to the hotel about 9:30. 


MACHU PICCHU SUGGESTIONS AND WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:

Make sure you have water, sun screen, bug spray and a rain poncho, take snacks.  Do not go down the mountain to eat lunch in Aguas, bring a sandwich or something with you.  Find a nice spot with a spectacular view (they are all around) and enjoy lunch soaking in the scenery.  Wear shoes with good strong soles, there are a lot of rocks and I was glad to be wearing my hiking boots instead of tennis shoes but many in my group did have tennis shoes and seemed to do fine.  Bring your Advil, Tylenol or what ever you like.  If you are more than 30 your legs will be tired and achy and you don't want to let any pain get in your way of enjoying this once in a lifetime spot. 

The next time I go (I hope there is a next time becuase it is worth doing again), I will take the afternoon train to Aguas and stay there at least two nights.  I will get up early in the morning and take the first bus up the mountain so that I arrive before all the "train tourists" fill the place up.  I will either have a sandwich with me or I will pay the price to eat at the Sanctuary Lodge located at the front gate.  I think the sandwich and snacks might be the better way to go because I can find an out of the way spot to sit, eat and enjoy the atmoshpere.  I will spend as much time up at the site as possible, slowly making my way around the site with my guide book at my own pace, reading about each location and just soaking in the majesty of the ruins and the mountain top location. 

Train from Puno to Cusco, Peru

Early on Monday morning I boarded the train in Puno, Peru (near Lake Titicaca), bound for Cusco, Peru. It was a lot more elegant than I expected. Wingback chairs, a table with a nice cloth cover, a lamp on the table and a waitresses to bring food and drinks. I watched the countryside pass by while almost every child waived at the train. In one town the train tracks pass through an open market that offered anything a person could need from kitchen supplies to car parts. The train passed only inches from the booths while many vendors quickly removed their goods from the track only to return them as soon as the train passed. Some venders had smartly placed their goods between the rails low enough for the train to pass right over.

I am pretty sure I was the only American on the train. A nice couple next to me was Australian, they had been to Argentina and Brazil before coming to Peru. I also heard French, Portuguese, and Spanish being spoken on my car.

Through the bar car to the back of the train was an open car where I could stand and feel the warm air while watching the tracks as the train left them behind. It was a great place to watch people in the countryside as they went about their daily lives. Some were working in fields getting them ready to plant, others were tending sheep or cows as they grazed. The animals were tied to a stake in the ground so they could graze a circular area and I am guessing they were moved to different locations every day. Sometimes local dogs would chase and bark at the train getting scary close to the wheels. People in the cities were always waiting at crossings for the train to pass so they could go about their daily lives. In the cities most people ignored the train but many people in the country stopped and looked and often waived.

I was never board! A nice lunch was served at noon with our choice of soup, main dish and dessert. The train stopped once at a small trackside market that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There were two different bands playing Peruvian music with dancers, plus a fashion show plus tea and sandwiches were served about four. We pulled into Cusco about 6 pm just as it got dark.

It was a nice thing to do once but was expensive even for all the entertainment and good food. I think I will take the bus next time.

Lake Titicaca

Arrived Puno, Peru yesterday after a night in Lima. Puno is located in southern Peru on Lake Titicaca at 13,000 feet. That is a big jump for a girl who lives at sea level. I had a headache all day long. I spent most of my time sitting in a cafe overlooking the central square, Plaza de Armas, drinking coca tea. Yes it is made with leaves from the coca bush, the same leaves that are used to make cocaine. There is less than one percent of the ingredient used to make cocaine in each leaf so it does not make you high. In fact it takes hundreds of grams of cooked down coca leaves to make any amount of the drug. Coca leaves are very important to the Peruvian people, they do not use it as a drug, it is more of a health product. It is very affective against altitude sickness and the headache that comes with it.

I had a nice Saturday afternoon just watching the local people in the square. Later I attended mass in the large Cathedral. I am not catholic but I wanted to experience church in one if those wonderfully old, large, cold, stone churches that makes me feel reverent just walking in the door.

Today was the tour of the lake. I joined a group tour on a boat that took us to the floating islands of Uros and the larger island of Taquile. Surprisingly I was the only American. There were lots of Brits, some French, one Italian and a Polish couple.

The floating islands of Uros are literally that, islands made of reeds that float in the lake. These people live here year round in small reed homes, they fish, hunt birds and ducks, collect bird and duck eggs and even grow some small vegetables. They also trade these things with people on the mainland for other goods they need. In the attached photo you can see a small cross-section of the island they use for demonstration. Then they anchor the island to the lake bottom so it does not float away to Bolivia. They regularly refresh the top layer of reeds which eventually composts into the material you see in the photo.

Of course they sell many goods made from reed or wool, there are many sheep on the mainland. They also sell rides in the reed boats. We were told up front how much it costs but I was amused when he collected the money half way into the ride. As if to say, pay or swim back. The water us about 50 degrees so no one wanted to swim.

The island of Tequile is a large island located 2 1/2 hours boat ride from Puno and it is not even 1/4 across the lake. The people there are very traditional in dress and culture and are known around the world for their weaving and knitting. The men knit and the women weave. They have terraced the entire island for farming and raising sheep and cows. To get to the village we walked a trail that gained at lease 500 feet in less than a mile, not so easy at over 13,000 feet for a girl from sea level. We walked up one side of the island, explored the village, had lunch, and walked down over 500 steps on the other side of the island. It was work but so worth it. Most of my good photos are in my camera so I will post them later.