Machu Picchu

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Up again at 5.30, for what was going to be a great day - Machu Picchu at last!

We had a short walk to the train station and then jumped on board for an hour and a bit before getting the bus up to the place itself. Not the way i wanted to arrive but it was going to be great whatever!

We got our passports stamped for the cheesy sake of it, and then walked up a few stairs and into the lost ancient Inca City! What a sight! Immediately everyone started taking photo´s and videos as the guide was trying to hurry us up to a view point, but every other step provided a new snapping opportunity!

Finally we all convened at the top of a veiw piont for the start of our tour. Bren and me (steve), were taking the challenge of conquering the mountian that overlooks Machu Picchu called Waynapicchu - which ironincally is the mountain seen in every photo you will ever see of Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu the mountain is on the otherside of the city - anyway, enough Picchu's!!) We left Pea and the tour half way through to start the 2800m climb - all stairs! The suggested time was 40 mins but being testosterone filled young men obviously wanted to beat that time - the stairs were monsterous, and there was even a cave to crawl through to get to the top, but we did it in 30 mins! When we got there Franz (our dragoman co-driver) had done it in 19 mins - bugger.

The view from the top was amazing and it really can't be put into words. After geting our breath back and having a melted snickers it was back down the mountain to meet Pauline to go to the famous Sun Gate for another view. The way down was trickier than first expected. From up top i saw a Japanese woman on all fours crawling down the stairs, which i was quick to mock... a few moments later i, myself was on all fours on exactly the same stairs fearing for my life!

Back down on the ground we started to try and get back to meet Pea, but every corner i turned there was some angry man in a uniform telling me i couldn't go that way! Eventually after many, many more stairs a very sweaty steve and bren collapsed in front of Pauline who was ready for the 45 min walk to the sun gate - brilliant.

Off we went and after a few more steps and a lot more walking made it up to the sun gate. Again another fantastic view of the city and its surroundings. The whole valley must be covered in ruins and it really is an amzing place. The sun gate is so called cause when the sun rises on the winter and summer solstices´it shies through a particualr spot in the temple of the sun and creates a specific shadow - from this the Incas´knew when to harvest, soe, reap and many other things - all from 2 days of the year! Quite remarkable for an empire that began in the 14th Century and had no written language!

After the Sun Gate we strolled back down and took some time to just look in ore at the city. Pauline knows many more facts than me as she did the full tour, so direct any pressing questions to her!

It was, in all, a really amazing and humbling day and one that i have waited for a long time - a definate reccomendation if anyone ever gets the chance!!

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