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Published: March 9th 2013
Machu Picchu
The postcard viewToday started at 4:30 AM. My hike up Wayna Picchu, also spelled Huayna Picchu, was to start between 7 and 8 AM. They allow 200 people up in that time slot and 200 people up in another slot. I was determined to get up there before the rain. I had a quick breakfast in the hotel and was at the bus stop by 5:20. Heck, I was so early that I was on the 3rd bus up the hill. As we ascended the hill, the sun started coming up and it looked like a nice day. By the time we were waiting for the park to open at 6, it was beautiful. I bolted through the gate like the gazelle that some of my coworkers know so well. Off I went up the steep stone steps, pushing tourist off the cliff and climbing over others. Darn, I think that was actually just in my mind. lol. I did go quickly up the steep stone steps but I was merely swept along with the pack. Out of nowhere came the first, picture postcard view of the city of Machu Picchu.
Seriously, words cannot describe how I felt looking out over the
view I know so well from travel specials, documentaries and photos. The sun was shining, the sky blue, the clouds playfully whisping in and out. (I am not sure if that is a word, but hopefully it evokes mystery and romance.) I am going to take a few minutes to talk about the background of how I ended up here. Please bear with me. My sister in law had given me a 365 places to visit before you die calendar back in 2008. I ripped off the Machu Picchu page and saved it in my dresser. I knew I would be coming here sometime in this lifetime. The calendar also talked about the Lodge up on the grounds. I wanted to stay at the Lodge, but honestly it is so wildly expensive I couldn't. I received an unexpected and most welcome gift of some money to do with as I please. I immediately decided to splurge on the Lodge. Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was simply a hotel that offered some access to the park before and after the tour buses came or left. Let’s face it. It was a place to
sleep. So, with that in mind I bought a new DSLR camera. I knew it was something I would keep and use for a long time. Today it had a real workout and it came through like a champ. So, if you are still here, be happy because I am going back to the wonderful day at Machu Picchu.
Being in the park so early in the day, I was able to walk through at my leisure, take as many photos as I wanted without having groups of people in them. It was as if the park were only open to a few people. The signage here is rather lackluster, actually more of a treasure hunt than information. Every once in a while there would be an arrow. No words, just an arrow. Sometimes there would be a salida sign, which was in fact very helpful, but mostly there were simply arrows. I followed along and came upon some of the most fantastic views. The steepness of the hills and amount of terraces were staggering. As each person writes about Machu Picchu, I can’t imagine how they were able to build this. Although I will post a multitude of
pictures, the shots can’t do this place justice. Everything was so green, the air so clean. It was a pleasure to walk through towards the back where the large Wayna Picchu mountain stands. Machu Picchu is what the ruins are called. The tall mountain standing directly behind the ruins is Wayna Picchu. The Inca had a watchman’s station on top of that in which they would communicate with the watchman in the front of the city. As with most of my blogs, I prefer to tell my experience with a place and encourage you to either research online something you find interesting or email me.
By 7:25 I was heading up Wayna Picchu. Although I can’t guarantee this, I have a feeling that the route we took was either the same or pretty darn close to what the Inca used. Steps of rocks and stones went up and down at various angles. At places the steps were actually carved into the large rocks. Once I was about a half hour into the climb, I did not see many people. We all were going at our own pace, so it was almost as if I were alone in the jungle.
It made me feel a lot better that when I did see someone, that person was panting and wheezing just as much as I was. As they say, misery loves company. At times there were cables to hold onto for especially treacherous sections. I did the best I could, but since I had anticipated a cold rainy day I had dressed accordingly. By the time I hit the trail-head I had already removed my wool sweater. About 20 minutes into the climb my coat came off. That left me with the unfortunate dilemma of what to do with a coat, sweater, 2 bottles of water, wool hat, poncho, granola bars, candy bars, camera and so on. Luckily I had brought a good nylon bag, so I tied that to a loop on my coat, tied the sweater around my waist and plunged upwards and onwards. There were several clearings for rest and photo opps. I took full advantage of both the rest and photo opps. Finally after a good 50 minutes I was almost to the top. The trail dipped into a small tunnel through the rock. The opening going into this was very small. The tunnel was very small,
but what really got me was the exit. The opening was extremely small which would have been bad enough, but the trail went up some steps going out of this opening. I literally (yes I know the difference between literally and figuratively and this was definitely literally) had to climb on hands and knees up through this opening. All I can say is that in none of my past lives was I ever an Inca. The climb, working beside sheer drops, the small openings- I would have failed at all of these. But there I was. I was on top of Wayna Picchu. It was absolutely amazing. What great views and what a feeling of triumph for having made it to the top. Many who read this will have climbed it and to them it may not have been such a challenge, but to me it was a victory. Going down was less physically demanding than going up, but it had its own challenges. Some of the steep stairs had nothing beside them on which to hold. Adding to this were all of the people who were still on the way to the top. All told it took exactly 2
hours to climb up, savor the triumph, soak in the views and climb back down.
There were a couple hours to kill before I had to meet my organized tour, so I followed the arrows and worked my way back towards the front. My plan was to get something to drink, use the washroom and rest before going through the whole 2 hour tour. As so often happens, even the best laid plans can go awry. As soon as I was at the front gate the tour guide saw me and said that we were ready to go (an hour and a half early) so off I went. It was nice to have the guide and hear the information; however, this group did not blend together like the one from the other day. I was happy enough to be finished and head down the mountain to Aguas Calientes again.
Back in the town, I had some pizza, logged on from an internet spot, had coffee, picked up my bag from the hotel and headed to the train station. By this time it was pouring. I was so fortunate to have such a beautiful day. On the train I
went through my camera and wrote down the pictures that I wanted for the blog. We transferred to buses and rode the final hour and 40 minutes back to Cusco. Happily my driver was there to pick me up and take me back to the hotel. My new room is the attic with the steepest ladder stair I have ever used. The room is great, but the wireless doesn’t make it all the way up. Still, I can sit out in the courtyard and type. I hope you have enjoyed this blog and are able to feel how special this place is.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
And now grasshopper, you understand......
Dave here......going to this special place and talking about it is "the Grand Canyon" theory. You can see pictures and hear about it all you like, but until you actually are there, you don't know how great it actually is. But now.....you understand....travel on, my friend. Please send our best to Tara.