MachuPicchu

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This was a long day. Not only tired from the flight and lack of sleep, etc., we had to get up early (5 AM) to get the taxi to the train, which would take us to MachuPicchu through the sacred valley. We definitely took the most comfortable route, in the Vista Dome train, with other foreign tourists. Our seats were at the front of the rear car - kinda crappy, cause most of the view ended up being behind us. But, it was definitely worth the extra cost for larger (and cleaner) windows, and windows on the roof.

The trip out offered great views - of Cusco, and surrounding countryside, and spectacular mountains and cloud forest from within the sacred valley. 4 hours after leaving the city, we disembarked at Agues Calientes (hot springs at the base of the mountain where MachuPicchu is located). Talk about touristy! We had to navigate past the booths selling tourist souvenirs to get to the buses. It reminded me a lot like visiting Banff, in Canada. Everyone spoke English, as well, which is an indication of just how touristy it is.

Still, words can´t describe the feeling of walking in an intact Inca city that was built 500 years ago, and deserted for about 400. The stonework is amazing, and the architecture is simple, but impressive. Although it was crawling with visitors, it remains an impressive sight and well worth the visit.

We began with our guided tour, which we paid for, but after just over a half-hour, we realized that just about everything we were being shown was either "for astronomical or religious" purposes. Mike, the archaeologist, translated this as meaning "the archaeologists don´t know, so it´s all speculation". So, we ditched the tour early to climb the trail and step to WaynuPicchu; "MachuPicchu" means "Old mounatin", and Waynupicchu" means "young mountain", although it´s taller. At the peak of this narrow mountain was another "astronomic observatory" and a few small buildings and terraces. The very top offered a spectacular view of the area, and the entire city of Machupicchu. It took us just under an hour to hike up, and we were sucking air most of the time, but it was well worth the effort, as everyone told us as they passed us on the way down.

This ended up taking up a lot of our time at the site, and once back, we walked quickly back towards the exit, grabbed a bus back, and had time to buy a few souvenirs. Be warned: the priced in this area are higher than in the smaller markets in Cusco, and the people much harder to bargain with, even though they speak english. And don´t tell them that Ecuador (or merchandise from Ecuador) is better: they get angry ;-)

The train ride back revealed more scenery, including stuff I had slept through on the way up, as well as a night-time view of Cusco as we arrived at the station. The city is surprizingly big, with a lot of sprawl from recent expansion. The return trip also featured a traditional dance and a fashoin show by the crew of alpaca clothing for sale. They were definitely catering to an audience with more money than we had.

We were home by 8 pm, had dinner and went straight to bed. A long day, but well worth it. I would have enjoyed it more had I spent at least another day at MachuPicchu, spent more time taking it in, and visiting the sun gate. We spoke to other folks who had just come off the Inka trail, which is definitely the more adventurous route, and probably safer now that groups such as the Sendaro luminoso (sp?: "Shining Path") are less active. Sadly, our time in Peru is limited, and this had to do. I managed to max out my camera´s memory card during this single day, and had to switch to the backup. I have enough photos to hopefully make a VR thingy when I get home. I´m going to have to be very careful in the Galapgos, or hope someone on the boat has a computer I can use to transfer photos to my iPod. I´m looking for a certain Belkin accessory that can do the same thing directly, but I have a feeling it will be hard to find in Ecuador :-P

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Photos

Machu Picchu!
The view of Machu Picchu from the top of Waynu Picchu. The rumour is that the city is supposed to be shaped like a giant condor. I suspect it´s mostly peoples´ imaginations, but it´s a good story.

Sunrise over Cuzco
A view from the train climbing the switchbacks out of the city.

Sacred Valley
One of the spectacular mountains seen from inside the sacred valley.

Rio Urubamba
The train to Machu Picchu follows the main river that flows through the valley.

Cloud Forest
Closer to Machu Picchu, the vegetation shifts from arid to cloud forest, as seen on one of these lush-looking hills overlooking the Sacred Valley.

View from Machu Picchu
This is the view of the valley and river below, from the entrance to Machu Picchu. We got to watch this develop during our bus ride up the mountain, from Agues Calientes.

First Look
This is the first thing I saw upon entering the site. Impressive is an understatement.

Fountains
To this day, a stream flows through the city in carved channels and pools as seen here.

Fountains 2
Connected reservoirs hold pools of water in various parts of the city.

Condor rock
This spot was one of those "religious" areas, apparently dedicated to the Condor, a symbol or wisdom in Inka culture. Can you see the Condor in the rocks? (there are wings, too)

Courtyards
For the size of the city, there are several open areas that were probably public gathering places, since only higher-class folks were apparently allowed inside the temples.

Main Courtyard
The acoustics of this large central courtyard are such that, from this vantage point, you could hear conversations happening at the top of the other side. Perhaps not quite as sophisticated as the Colliseum, but pretty cool anyway. I have no doubt that large public meetings could occur here and speaches heard by most people gathered here (assuming no hecklers or crying babies).

Steps to WaynuPicchu
I found these neat steps carved into a massive boulder on the trail up to the top of Waynu Picchu. Very Convenient!

Waynu Picchu
The buildings atop Waynu Picchu. Unless the residents were in really good shape, I wouldn´t be surprised if people frequently stayed up here for days at a time, while studying astrological phenomena.

Condor´s Eye View
The view of Machu Picchu from the top of Waynu Picchu. The bus route is visible on the right, as is the Sun gate way off on the right, at the top of the hills.

Big Rock
This big rock is said to "echo" the horizon behing it.

More Courtyards
Another view of the city: open areas and terraces, surrounded by buildings crammed together.

Terraces and Waynu Picchu
Waynu Picchu´s that big sucker sticking up in the background. Yeah, we climbed that. Two re-constructed thatched roofs are also visible at the base.

City buildings
Some walls of houses in the "living" areas of the city.