Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas

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Our journey into the Sacred Valley of the Incas began with a minibus ride from the centre of Cusco. The bus was parked in what looked like someone's unkempt back yard but, having travelled from dodgier places, we were not put off. The heavy packs were placed on top in the luggage rack (securely tied of course) and we chose seats in the shade. We had to sit for around half an hour waiting for enough punters to fill the seats, then we were off!

The roads leading out of the city are both steep and pot-holed in places making for a bumpy yet picturesque ride of the head of the valley. Weaving through roadworks and even bigger holes in the road we descended part of the way into the valley before one again ascending over part of the mountain range. The road on the other side zig-zagged down the side of the slope, giving views of the town of Urabamba and a slightly more fertile valley enclosed by steep mountains - great! From here, the journey was smooth, following the valley floor (and both the river and train line) until we climbed the cobbled and narrow road into Ollantaytambo - our destination.

At first we did not think we would be able to get into town as the Inca layout of the town (for which it is famed) provided some very sharp corners for navigating - very hard for cars to pass each other, never mind the coached and trucks that were trying to get through! Eventually though we did make it into the central plaza where we disembarked and had our first good look at the town. The square itself was under repairs/reconstruction, with the central raised area housing hundreds of paving slabs which were being placed (in nice patterns) to form parts of the road. Not the prettiest of sights, but the surrounding shops/cafes/houses made up for this with their faded charm.

Locating the street with our hostel on, we trod carefully on the narrow, cobbled pathway (our Keens - sandals - do not give the greatest support on such surfaces) until we found the entrance. We have noticed that many of the traditional houses in towns seem to have a door that sits flush with the street but that you step down into the living room, meaning the windows are higher and the room cooler. Consequently, this makes the houses appear small from the outside - strange!

Anyway, we were warmly welcomed and given choice of rooms as well as being lent an informative magazine on the area to help us plan bur stay - great hosts! The hostel had a very small kitchen, but a great sun terrace with brilliant views of the mountain that surrounded the town - complete with Inca ruins. As it was lunchtime we had a bite to eat at a local cafe before having a walk around (which did not take long). The town has a couple of main squares and is set on a grid system, making finding your way around easy. The majority of streets are pedestrianised (naturally, they did not have large vehicles in Inca times) and display some of the same stone/wall work found in Cusco, along with some very quaint houses. One of the nicest features were the water ways that flowed down several of the streets - rushing water that today is more aesthetic than practical, but in Inca times (and for some time after) supplied all the houses in the area. We did see a couple of bikes being washed in it though - so still a few practical uses!

Before returning to our hostel we did a reccy to find the train station (for our onward journey) and stocked up on bread rolls (a staple here in South America that come in a variety of forms, from fresh ad spongy to stale and hard), cheese, onions and Inca Cola, then spent a couple of happy hours reading on the sun terrace. This activity was broken up by looking into the neighbour's garden at the huge pig that snorted away to itself and the tiered construction for drying corn. Very unusual!

The next day we were pleased to find that breakfast was included, so we tucked into bread rolls, jam and coffee then headed out for the morning. On one side of town stands the impressive remains of several terraces and store houses, as well as a partially finished fortress and housing. Our tourist ticket admitted us entrance to this site as well so we made the most of our time there. The amount of ruins on the flat ground were minimal, with only a water temple really being evident - Incas prefer to build their important structures on top of (or at least on the side of) hills/mountains.

Consequently, our exploration took us up some steep steps, past terraces to the rocky outcrop that housed the fortress, left incomplete due to the arrival of the Spanish. It was impressive to see how the stones fit so neatly together and how such large ones could be transported up the mountain! We wandered around the upper levels, climbing over walls and through doorways and then traversed a narrow-ish path than circumnavigated part of the hill to a storehouse for grain and some more terraces. Looking out over the town from these vantage points was great - such a neat layout and beautiful valley.

Leaving the upper section, we descended a set of slightly less well kept stairs to ground level where we followed a river and man-made waterway to some other ruins and part of a quarried area. The water was so clear and refreshing that we could not resist filling our water bottle :-) This concluded our time at these ruins, but we decided that after lunch we would explore the sites on the opposite side of town.

So, after a delicious onion and cheese omelette stuffed into a roll we searched until we found the beginning of the path leading up the mountain - hidden between another wall and a house. It was steep in places and ha several vertical drops, but the climb was worth it for yet another fab view from the crumbling store houses. There was another site situated much higher up and the path crossed what looked like a scree slope: we did not venture there but instead appreciated it from afar and wondered at how it could have been built.

It was an early night for us as the next day was the big one: Machu Picchu. Our train for the town of Aguas Calientes left at the ungodly hour of 5:45am, but we had to be at the station for 5:15am, so it was a rather bleary-eyed walk there. Thankfully, there are some kindly ladies selling all manner of snack foods next to the departure gate, but their most promising fare was some hot tea - just what we needed to help wake us up and defrost our rather chilled fingers (bit cold at this elevation). It was then a short wait before boarding.

Now, in January of 2010 there was a landslide which not only placed the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in danger (closed for a month) but also took out part of the train track between the city of Cusco and Aguas Calientes: the main way tourists get to the site. This has still not been rectified so the rail company has substituted the broken sections with mini-buses, meaning several changes for travellers (and a very long line of white vans). Thankfully for us, we only had a small section by bus to a 'temporary' station where we boarded the train which took us the remaining part of the journey.

It all ran rather smoothly (although I hear this is a recent thing - chaos to begin with!) with us being one of the first on the mini-bus which took us through the still dark landscape and on rather poorly maintained roads to the temporary - albeit smart looking - station of KM82. Here we waited for the other mini-buses to arrive and were even supplied with hot drinks - service! At 6:30am we got on the 'backpacker' service (different services, different times = different prices) and were conveyed to the final town in the increasingly brightening morning, revealing some lovely surrounding mountains and gushing river.

Arriving in Aguas Calientes, we quickly made our way through the tourist market that surrounded the station towards the departure point for the buses that take you to Machu Picchu. This service, which takes about 20min, costs an outstanding $7 each - one way - but does avoid having to climb the steep path to the ruins. As Warren was still not feeling too well, we decided to splash out and take the bus up but walk back down.

Therefore, once the bus had filled, we began the winding route to the summit, climbing steadily up the side of the mountain (with huge un-railed drops) until gradually terracing and parts of buildings could be seen. We were dropped off next to the only - very expensive - lodge adjacent to the entrance, where we showed our tickets (purchased earlier in Cusco for £30 - bargain!). Then we were in!

Our first destination was the 'Hut of the Caretaker'/'Guardhouse and 'Funerary Rock' which is at the top of a set of stairs shortly after you enter. It is from here that most of the photos you see of the site are taken as it provides a panoramic view of the site and the mountain behind. Of course, we too took some photos and then were quite happy to sit on one of the many rocks and admire the view in the glorious sunshine. There really is quite a lot there, although much has been carefully rebuilt over time by conservationists to help convey a feeling of what had existed. Mostly there are walls a couple to 7 foot high, outlining houses, temples, a prison and various other structures, some with thatched roofs and others bare. In the centre are several large grass spaces and on the outside edges of it all are hundreds of terraces. All in all, a pretty impressive complex - thought to have been built as a royal 'getaway' then abandoned when the Spanish arrived.

After a good hour of 'taking it in' we followed a path away from the main area to an Inca bridge (rebuilt) which fords the vertical gap along the side of a mountain, then made our way into the complex proper. It was a fantastic feeling wandering amongst the ruins and we were grateful that there did not seem to be that many tourists yet (we had got there very early!). There were arrows guiding you around the most important areas, but we also had a 'self guided tour', choosing rocks to perch on at our leisure.

The site is over looked by Waynapicchu, a large mountain the has at its top the temple of the moon. This section of the ruins is only available to 400 people a day as it involves steep, vertigo inducing climb up a stairway and is not for the unfit or feint hearted. We reached the ticket booth at around midday, not really holding out much hope that any tickets would be left (and only wanting to do the climb to the smaller lookout point due to tiredness and illness). Our luck was in though as it seemed to be a quiet day (with coaches being full of older, unfit tourists) so we were granted access and we climbed to some smaller ruins and set ourselves up for some lunch with a view.

As we had a lot of time to spare (our return train did not leave until 9:45pm) we descended the mountain and found a shady spot on the terraces and watched groups of tourists completing the 'circuit' with their tour guides, wondering what it would be like to be restricted by such a trip. By mid afternoon the complex was much quieter with fewer groups traversing the pathways - a nicer atmosphere that was not that bad to begin with.

The last hour of our visit was spent looking at the ruins of houses, shops and the prison, as well as the temple of the condor (another important figure in Inca beliefs). By now the clouds had started to cover the sky in earnest so we concluded our stay and left the complex - satisfied by a little sad to leave. Outside, we found the beginning of the downhill path which works its way through the trees and occasionally meets up with the road we had ascended on. It was a long journey, but we were not the only ones saving the $14, so it felt completely safe and quite rewarding once you reached the bottom.

Reaching town again, it was still a bit early for dinner, so we found a bench in the main square and amused ourselves by watching the many restaurateurs trying to coerce tourists into their eateries, usually without much success. Our time was helped along by swigging from a huge bottle of Inca Cola - we needed to stay awake somehow! The town is set in a lovely area surrounded by mountains and a stoney river, but had developed so fast for the influx of tourists that it is not that attractive - just hotels, shops, eateries and the like. Still, not bad for a few hours.

After a dinner of llama steak we had a walk around the town trying to find a bar to hold up in for the remainder of our evening in Aguas Calientes but to no avail - all were restaurants and not offering cheap drinks. Our plan B was to get a cheap bottle of rum from a shop and add it to our Inca Cola. This is exactly what we did, sitting at first on a bench by the river until the heavens opened, then relocating to the sheltered area of the main square where we chatted and watched the world go by. The highlights of the evening were when a group of local children played volleyball (without a net) in front of us - the ball went everywhere - and the old lady who took up residence on the bench next to Warren, and fell asleep!

When the time came for us to get on the train we were more than ready - there is only so much 'watching' you can do in one day! It was an uneventful train and bus ride in the dark back to Ollantaytambo, where we had to wake up our host as he had forgotten we would be back late and had not left the door open. Sleep came swiftly and by the morning we felt refreshed, if not a little stiff from all the climbing about the previous day. We spent the day taking a little walk up the valley - to help loosen up our muscles - the relaxed (deservedly) on the sun terrace, planning the next steps of our trip. An excellent place to spend some time at the end of such a big adventure!

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