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Published: October 17th 2010
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Me, Nic, Maya and Rich
Wayna, looking down on Machu 1700 Steps
Up at 3.40 and out the door by 4. The Boss, Sarah, Julie, Rich and I walked to the base of Machu Picchu in the dark, with Rich and Sarah´s torches assisting to light the way. We made the bridge, which was supposed to open at 5AM, by 4.30 and found it open, so the hike to the top began a little earlier than anticipated.
At first, it seemed like it was going to be a snap. There were a few stone steps interspersed with fair stretches of dirt road. Really, the only tough part was that it was dark and the Boss and I were a few paces behind Rich and Sarah. As a result I couldn´t really see where I was going and tripped over a couple of times (nothing too drastic).
Within 5 minutes my tune had changed. I was sucking in air like I was about to be charged for it, streams of sweat were rolling down my face and my legs felt like they would be in less pain if I just cut them off. A bit of pre-dawn light had started to filter through, or maybe my eyes had just adjusted to the
dark, but seeing the steps was less of an issue.
It certainly wasn't made any easier by the American guy who, at about half way, became particularly vocal. He was shouting slogans at the others in his group like it was a Gatorade commercial.
"C'mon, feel the burn!"
"The faster you go, the sooner it will all be over!"
I wanted to shout a few slogans of my own at him but decided that anyone with that much energy was clearly in far better shape than myself and wouldn't have any trouble throwing me down the 800 or so steps we had climbed. I put my iPod on, listened to Tokyo Police Club's "Champion" and felt like anything but.
I made the top a little before 5:30. Rich and Julie were already there but the Boss and Sarah were still five or ten minutes behind. They arrived and I copped a serve from them because I had carried the Boss and my water bottles and, as a result, she had had to share Sarah's water. Of course it was up to me to remember this - even though I'd seen them twice on the way up without it being mentioned
The Path to Machu Picchu
I think this is around step 689 and my back was wetter than the last time I'd had a shower due to me lugging the bag carrying the Boss's and my water, food, camera, sun cream, repellent, passports and warm clothes. I guess I'm just thoughtless like that.
The wait until the 6AM opening time was punctuated with eating our packed breakfast (the squashed banana had managed to infuse its flavour through everything else) and getting our tickets punched with a number, meaning we were among the 400 people permitted to climb Wayna Picchu that day.
6AM rolled around and we went in. Our guide for the morning was Etson (AKA Charlie Brown) and from 6 til 8 he gave us his version of the place. Basically it was a town that he believed had been home to around 1300 people, though archaeologists place the number at around 1/3 that amount, due to the amount of homes and terraces on site.
To describe the site is largely futile. Obviously we took a stack of photos, and with the sun only just having risen and clouds drifting up from the valley over the site, it was a spectacularly beautiful morning. The intelligence and ingenuity of the Incas was
Cloud over the site
Wayna in the background still evident, from the fact that the site still stands, the rocks they had carved as a map of the surrounding mountains and the acoustic room - where four people humming in to strategically placed gaps in the walls fills the whole room with the humming sound.
At the end of the tour the Boss and I, along with Dean and Shannon (the two Americans from the other group) lay down on a grassy patch and dozed for around an hour. I woke up at 9:30 and made my way to the base of Wayna Picchu along with Rich, Maya and Nic - the Boss having decided that climbing Machu Picchu was enough for one day. No sooner had I made the base of Wayna Picchu than I discovered I had left my ticket back with the Boss. I started making my way back and soon found I was travelling with Martin, one of the English guys, who had left his ticket in a mate’s bag who had subsequently gone back down to Aguas Calientes. We eventually navigated the maze that is the site and got back to the Boss, who was waiting for me with my ticket in her
Me and the Boss
Wayna in the background hand. She then gave her ticket to Martin and we went back to the base of the mountain.
We Got to the base of Wayna Picchu to discover a huge line had formed of people who were preparing for the 10AM climb. Nic, Maya and Rich were at the front so we did the honourable thing and jumped the queue to stand behind them. To make our efforts even more frustrating for those behind us, it was a one-in-one-out policy.
Soon the five of us were on our way up the mountain. It was a slog but this time, with the sun up and the site of Machu Picchu behind us, there were far more stops to get photos. As a result it was a much less strenuous climb to the top.
At the top of Wayna Picchu there were more ruins - apparently it had been the site where the holy men of the area had lived. The views were absolutely spectacular - if you ever go to Machu Picchu definitely make the effort to go up Wayna.
We were back to Machu Picchu about two hours later where the Boss met us. We all checked out the acoustic
Machu Picchu
The view from Wayna room one last time and then made our way to the gates, preparing for our descent back to Aguas Calientes. Having eaten only a squashed bread roll, banana and a couple of cookies in nine hours and done more climbing than at any point I could remember in my entire life, the prospect of getting a bus to town was appealing. But at US$15 for the trip, we decided to just get something to eat instead and walk it. But at s/30 for a sandwich, that plan went out the window too. The Boss and I ended up springing s/8 each for an ice cream (they cost s/1.50 in town) and we all began the long walk back to town.
It was during the walk that the Boss almost created for herself a new nickname - “the Tortoise”. Rich, Martin, Maya and Nic set off at a reasonable pace, certainly nothing too difficult to keep up with, but the Boss managed to have dropped a hundred metres on them within the first minute. Of course she was tired - rather than climb Wayna she had spent the past two hours sun-bathing. How could she be expected to keep the pace?
Me on Wayna
The affects of the day's climb starting to show We made town at around 2, had a feed and spent the next few hours at an internet cafe, trying to pass the time until our 7:30 train. We met up with the English guys - who were on the same train as us - and decided that the best way to pass time on the train and bus back to Cuzco was to drink. So before boarding the train we bought a few bottles of vodka and, as a result, the two hour train trip was a breeze.
The train terminated in the town of Ollantaytambo where we went our separate ways - the Boss and I boarding our own bus back to Cuzco. We planned to meet up at the hostel where the English guys and the rest of our group were staying. But when the bus rolled in to rainy Cuzco at 11PM, the Boss and I had enough energy to get a hamburger from a fast food joint and collapse in to bed.
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