Peru and the trek to Machu Pichu 2015

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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

We were up and at them starting at 6:30 am. There was a light rain and cool temperatures this morning. It was warm clothing day. Our luggage needed to be outside our room by 7:00 am. The luggage situation was a little tricky today. We were not allowed to bring our large luggage with us for the next few days; rather this luggage was being shipped to our Cuzco hotel for our arrival in two days. The only items were allowed to bring with us for the next few days was small carryon items. This was tricky initially trying to figure this out, however we did. We ended up bringing our two back packs and three Trafaglar bags we received when we started our tour. Basically we packed an overnight bag(s).



We had an enjoyable breakfast in the same location as dinner last night. The breakfast menu selections were limited compared to the Lima hotel, however this hotel had cook to order omelets. Bonus time.



Immediately following breakfast, we needed to check out of the hotel and turn in our real fun hotel key. We went to our tour bus with our carryon bags in hand. On our journey to our first stop, the tour guide explained to us that in January 2010, there was a tremendous rain storm in a two day period totaling 35 inches in two days. It wiped out a significant amount of the town, washing out the train tracks to Machu Pichu, stranding thousands of people in Machu Pichu, and killed thousands. The tour guide also explained to us that one of the glaciers came loose from the mountainside sliding down the mountain into the town of Yucay. It blocked the roads. It was the worst natural disaster to hit the region.



Our first stop this morning was a small village of Urubamba. The streets and alleys are real narrow, however our tour guide spent time walking through a small alley where we could view the wall structures on both sides of us. About the first bottom half of the wall is Inca construction, the top half is recent history. He explained to us the reason the walls were built so high here was protect the homes on the other side from the strong winds in this area. The strong winds normally happen in the afternoon. We walked a further down this alley and viewed the side of a very steep side of a mountain which had an Inca storage area for crops. Following our quick tour of this, our tour guide took us to a small private home behind the tall walls. I included a few photos of the inside of the home. The home was one room and had electricity, but no running water. On the ceiling there was several items being dried. On the walls there was a wedding photo, an altar, several hand tools used in the field. On the floor were a bed, a few pieces of furniture, and a ton of guinea pigs. They raise guinea pigs in their home. The floors are dirt. This is a contrast from the other home we visited a few days ago in Lima.



We left Urubamba and arrived at the archeological site of Ollantaytambo. The evaluation is 9160 ft. According to the tour guide and my advance research, here is a little information about this site. “During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance.” We had two options at this site; you could follow the tour guide at the lower side or follow the assist tour guide for a hike to the top. Cindy followed our tour guide and Todd hiked to the top. I included photos of this site.



After completing our stop at Ollantaytambo, we reboarded the bus and started our quick ride to the train station which will take us to the town of Machu Picchu. You are able to drive to Machu Picchu, however the journey is very long and the roads are rough. The preferred method is to take a train. Our tour arranged for us to ride in a vistadome train. This provided us panoramic views of our surroundings. We grabbed our hand and overnight bags and headed to the train station. We initially waited in the waiting room, however we were able then to board the train. Even though most the train car was ours, there were others we did not know. The reason this is significant is because we storage our bags in an area far away from where we were sitting. On top of that, our seats were facing the opposite way. Once the train ride started we were able to seeing incredibly stunning views of the large mountains, cliffs, and peaks. Our train was travel down in elevation. The final destination was actually lower than the hotel we stayed at last evening. In addition to the dramatic views, we followed the Urubamba river. This is the rainy season and the snow is melting from the highlands and glaciers, so the river current was intense, quite interesting to watch it from our train. The water was real muddy, however along the way there were points where fresh water was emptying into the river. The fresh water was coming from the mountains. Not sure anyone to water raft in these turbulent waters. One thing we did notice as we got lower in elevation, the landscape changed from rocky and different type of vegetation plants to a tropical rainforest. Quite a difference. One thing we did see is the beginning section on the Inca trail. Jenny wanted photos of this.



While on board, we were given a small breakfast snack and beverage. The break snack included three very small pancakes with elderberry jam, spinach quiche, fresh strawberries, and a banana. The train crew towards the end of the journey telling selling local goods. We did not purchase anything.



After our 1.5 hour train ride, we arrived at the Machu Picchu train station. The train staff took off our handbags and overnight items and put them next to the train. A little nerve racking, however in the end it was safe. We gathered our items and then followed our tour guide to a waiting area. From here we were given hotel luggage tags to put on our bags and then place our bags on to a hotel cart. We were not going directly to the hotel, rather later tonight.



The train station was real busy. Of course this is to be expected since this is the number tourist destination in Peru. We exited the station through a large market which sold mostly tourist items. It was really neat to see the diversity in products. Before catching our bus to take us to Machu Picchu, we walked into the town of Machu Picchu and were give a briefing on the surrounding area and were we could eat lunch tomorrow before we leave the area. This town is really pretty and is similar to what you would see in a mountain town; however there is never snow here.



The weather was overcast and drizzly. Our elevation here was around 6800 ft. From there was walked over to the bus station and get into a single line to board our bus. We had to wait a while before our busses arrived. Our tour had to take two busses. The tour guide said the bus ride to Machu Picchu would be about 30 minutes. On our bus ride was mostly on dirt road; however the switch back turns had some form of concrete or blocks. The dirt road was only one lane there were no guard rails on the side of the roads. The drop offs were hundreds of feet drop off. There were several times we were traveling on the road and there was another bus coming towards us. Some of the times we had to back up to a turnout area, other times the other bus driver backed up.



Once we arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu, our tour group met in one location so we can proceed to the entry together. Our tour guide already had our passes to get in. The entrance was a quite an incline and the entrance line was long. Once we arrived at the entry gate, each of us had to show our passport. We knew this beforehand. We had never had to do something like this before.



We walked a little ways up a small incline and entered the Machu Picchu area and all I can say is WOW. The views were incredibly beautiful and everything we expected and more. A little history of Machu Picchu. One thousand people lived here; it took 150 years to build. Here some additional information, source (http://www.peru-machu-picchu.com/ ) “7,000 feet above sea level and nestled on a small hilltop between the Andean Mountain Range, the majestic city soars above the Urabamba Valley below. The Incan built structure has been deemed the “Lost Cities”, unknown until its relatively recent discovery in 1911. Archaeologists estimate that approximately 1200 people could have lived in the area, though many theorize it was most likely a retreat for Incan rulers. Due to it’s isolation from the rest of Peru, living in the area full time would require traveling great distances just to reach the nearest village. Separated into three areas - agricultural, urban, and religious - the structures are arranged so that the function of the buildings matches the form of their surroundings. The agricultural terracing and aqueducts take advantage of the natural slopes; the lower areas contain buildings occupied by farmers and teachers, and the most important religious areas are located at the crest of the hill, overlooking the lush Urubamba Valley thousands of feet below. Hikers, tourists, and the early explorers describe similar emotions as they climb their way through the Inca Trail. Many call the experience magical. Glancing out from the Funerary Rock Hut on all the temples, fields, terraces, and baths seems to take you to another time. Blending in with the hillside itself, many say the area creates a seamless and elegant green paradise, making it a must for anyone who travels to Peru.”



The elevation at Machu Picchu is about 7,700 ft. Prior to walking around, we took a group photo with the beautiful Machu Picchu area in the background. We spent a total of 3 hours walking around. We had a guide that took us around, however since our group was so large, we split up into two groups. I was taking a ton of photos and a lot of the time stepping back from the group to take photos without people. About 30 minutes into our tour, I was taking photos, not realizing that the group I was in is no longer around. I started going in the various rooms, my group is not there. Then I ran (literally ran) up the inclines looking everywhere, no group. I ran back down the incline, looking for our group, no one. I seriously panicked. I was sick to my stomach. I was exhausted from running around trying to find Cindy and the group. This is one of most magical places on earth, one of the 7^th wonders of the world; I am lost, in a foreign country. We had headsets that were using so I kept those on hoping I would hear our tour guide talking. Nothing. Finally after running around frantically, I was able to see our group below in one of the rooms on a terrace. I quickly ran down and had a hard time trying to get access to the group. Finally I was able to hear our guide talking and found Cindy. I don’t ever remember being that scared before. Thank goodness I was able reconnect. Lesson learned, stay with your group and take photos with people in them.



After Cindy and reconnected, we continued our tour of the ruins. We walked into several rooms built in the terraces and the walked around at various vantage points. We also walked on the end of the Inca trail. We saw the beginning earlier in the day. We ended up at one point where some people decided not to hike up further, however Cindy and I decided to take the hike to the Sun Gate location. This was quite a hike, but it was so worth it. This is where most of the photos are taken when you visit Machu Picchu. Most postcards are taken from here. Once Cindy and I had our photo taken, I hike a little higher, the view was still incredible.



From a personal point of view on Machu Picchu, the Inca ruins are one of the most incredible sites Cindy and I have ever visited. It seemed that the clouds and rain passed through the surrounding mountains appeared. It added to the incredible views. I have said this before and I will say it again, the area is incredible to the senses. I actually had a slight tear in my eye when I reached the Sun Gate. I never thought I would ever be able to visit this place and now I am here and sharing it with Cindy.



The mountain peak that always shows up in the pictures that take is called Huayna Picchu.



After the beautiful views, we started our hike back down to the ticket area to meet our tour. The hike down was slow because the surfaces were wet and slippery. Before reaching the bottom, we encountered two llamas on the walking path. I took a couple of photos of them with the beautiful backdrop of Huayna Picchu.



Once arrived at the entrance to meet our tour group. We were able to stamp our passports, on our own along with a date stamp. I thought this would be neat to do. As a side note, our tour guide told us visiting the area is much better in the afternoon because there are less crowds and a lot of the time the weather clears. Good decision.



Our tour group boarded the bus to drive back down to the small town of Machu Picchu. We were dropped off at the bus station and then walked to our hotel which was about a 5 minute walk. The hotel, El Mapi, was a small, but really charming place. Here is a link to the hotel, http://www.inkaterra.com/byinkaterra/el-mapi-hotel/. It consisted of 4 buildings, 4 stories each. The hotel was modern and built at the base of a mountain. At the hotel we meet in the hotel restaurant as group going over our order for dinner and talking about the plans for the next day. We also received our room key. Our room key was in a small acrylic sack. I attached a photo.



Our dinner was at 6:15 pm in the same place we meet earlier. We drank a pisco sour for starters. We ate an appetizer, Todd ate Quinoa and Cindy ate cream of vegetable soup. For our main course Cindy and I ate a grilled chicken breast with smashed potatoes and grilled veggies. Our desserts were cheese cake and chocolate tart. We had a very nice visit and meeting a super nice couple from Hawaii.



After dinner, we returned to our room. Todd was in the mood for coffee so he ordered and had it delivered to the hotel room.





We were in bed early this evening. Tomorrow we had some free time in the morning before our journey back to Cuzco.

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