Cusco Part 2 - Machu Picchu

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Hello again!

We just got back from the requisite trip to Machu Picchu. It's like an Inca Disneyland! We expected to see Mickey and Goofy at any time. Ok, it wasn´t that bad. We actually really enjoyed Machu Picchu. It can just be a little intimidating because you know that every tourist around Cusco is going to be going there, and that´s a lot of tourists.

Figuring out how to get to MP is the hardest part of all. There are many options, none of them convenient, and all pricey. We looked into doing the Inca Trail, but it turns out you have to book about 2 months in advance to get a spot. Since we didn´t know when we would be in Cusco until the week before we got here, that wasn´t happening. So we looked into going by train. MP is only accesible by hiking (Inca Trail) or train. This works out wonderfully for Peru because they can limit the number of people heading to the park and have a monopoly on transportation. Most people take a 4-hour 6:00 am morning train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (aka MP village), the 20 minute bus up to the site, spend maybe 5 hours at MP, take the bus back down, and then take the train back to Cusco that evening.

We didn´t like that option, so we opted to take a train that isn´t advertised on the Peru Rail website from Ollantaytambo, a town 2 hours from Cusco. It´s an official train, but just isn´t well-known and takes a bit of work to make it happen (many backpackers do this because it is the cheapest train option at US$40 roundtrip). On Tuesday, the 14th, we took regular transport to Olllantaytambo (regular transport consists of a small 25 seat bus for 2 hours and then a taxi) where we caught our 8:00 pm train to Aguas Calientes. The train ride was only 1.5 hours. Aguas Calientes is a small town a few miles from MP that exists solely to cater to tourists. The town consists of hotels, restaurants, hotels, and restaurants. It has one main street that had a fake CityWalk feel to it. But overall, it´s a fine place to stay for 2 nights. Yes, 2 nights. The big downside to taking the train we took was that the return train leaves at 5:45 am. So you have to stay in Aguas Calientes for 2 nights, but it gives 1 complete day for MP.

And Machu Picchu definitely deserves at least one full day. We woke up at 6:30 am to get a few hours head start on most of the other people who arrive around 10 am from Cusco. We took the 20 minute bus to the site (only US$6 one way, and all prices are actually in US Dollars) to start our long day. When you walk in, you see the famous shots which everyone knows of Machu Picchu (see first pictures). MP is located in a really incredible spot. The river is a thousand or so feet below the city and horseshoes around it. We were greeted by spitting llamas and got a great explanation of the site by a security guard/archeologist-historian/tour guide. We were told that going to Machu Picchu and not climbing Wayna Picchu (the dominant mountain in the background of the first 2 photos) is a sin. So, we climbed Huayna Picchu (don´t ya love Quechua alternate spellings?). It took about an hour, is steep and can make you dizzy due to the sheer drop-offs. We liked it. We took a alternative path down around the backside of the mountain that went to the Temple of the Moon to avoid the hordes of people that would be coming up after us.

By mid-day we were finally exploring the actual city of Machu Picchu for the first time. We didn´t sign up for a tour, but did conveniently ¨wander¨ within hearing distance of several tours and managed to learn a good deal about what we were looking at. The city is divided into three main sectors. The agricultural sector includes the terraces near the entrance. The royal sector is the upper (or left in classic photo) portion on one side of the central grassy area. The common/artesenal sector is the lower part on the other (right side) of the grassy area. In the royal sector one finds the Astronomical Observatory, including an Intihuatana (Inca sundial or hitching post of the sun), temples, priests living quarters, and more! The lower sector had fountains, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Earth (called the Royal Tomb by Bingham), Celestial Mirrors (for indirect observation of the sun, moon, stars), the Condor Stone (head and body carved into one stone, wings dark streaks on the wall), workshops, living quarters, and more!

Later, we did a short walk to the Inca Bridge and watched the sun set over the ruins. We left about 9 hours after arriving and needed every minute to see most of the site.

Today, we got up at 5 am, caught our train to Ollantaytambo and bus to Cusco. We are now wishing we could nap but are instead, homeless, waiting for our overnight bus to Nasca (our 8th overnighter & first Peruvian night bus). So that pretty much sums up Machu Picchu.

Hasta Luego,
Ryan & Ana

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