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.