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Published: August 18th 2008
Machu Picchu
at around 10:30, it was a bright and sunny day. ¡Que bonita! Today we visited one of the seven wonders of the world (which by the way doesn't really have a good definition -- wikipedia it). We got up early (again) and were taken to the train station by our travel agency. The whole travel agency exerience has really been different. I usually don't have a good handle on my plans until the night before. I just get in the van and they take me somewhere. Instead of taking the train from Cusco to Machu Picchu, they drove us 1.5 hrs to Ollantaytambo in the sacred valley to catch the train. I think it was cheaper and faster that way. In any case, it made for a nice ride. And despite having the best night of sleep last night in a while, however short, the ride afforded me a few minutes to doze off. And dang, it gets freakin cold in Cusco! Having no atmosphere really seems to make a difference... By the way, as arbitrarily as I decided to start taking diamox, I've decided to stop taking it. Finally I can drink beer and it tastes the way beer should. Speaking of drinking, I forgot to mention the coco tea yesterday. The
Our chariot
Boarding the vistadome train for Machu Picchu region (the country, really) is known for its affinity for coco leaves. Yes it's from the cocaine plant, and no it doesn't make you high. It's like a million times less potent than cocaine (I made that up, but it's probably close) but it will make you pop positive on a drug test, or so I'm told. In any case, it tasted like dirt. Not very tasty. I drank as much as I could because it's supposed to be very good for helping with altitude sickness. In reality, diamox is probably better and acts very similarly.
The train ride to Machu Picchu was only 1.5 hrs, but it was on the vistadome train, which is supposed to be one of the best train rides in the... (fill in the noun). It was ok, but nothing that special. It was a great view through the majestic mountains of the Andes. Really incredible to go through there, and I couldn't help but think it was exactly like the fjord tour in Norway except the mountains were rock and scrub brush instead of lush greenery (and no fjords). A very nice ride, even included breakfast. Actually I had breakfast at the hotel
The vistadome
The view was great! before checking out and was pleasantly surprised to have cooked eggs. What a nice change. A crappy cafe con leche on the train and I was feeling (very slightly) rejuvinated.
When we arrived in Machu Picchu, we were assaulted with bugs almost immediately. Who would have thought there would be that many bugs at that altitude? (we had actually descended to about 8,000ft in Machu Picchu). Thank goodness someone had tipped us off and we had field-grade deet (only downside was it was that goupy oily lotion instead of the nice spray). A ton of little tiendas sell bug stuff here, as well as an onslaught of vendors as soon as your train arrives in Aguas Calientes, but if you look at the ingredients, none of them have deet. It was immediately evident who had bought the local crap and who had the good stuff. These persistent little biting flies followed you everywhere and were constantly flying into your face when they weren't trying to bite your arms. Only slightly bigger than gnats, they were quick little buggers and I wasn't able to get many of them. However, I found a new best friend in deet. People were soon
lizards!
I love those little lizards. Check out his tail. I tried to get him to move for a video and had to touch him befor he moved. Cool! walking around with giant welts all over their arms and legs (no little mosquito bites there, I'm talking nasty big red bites all over their arms). I again escaped bite free. I've discovered 2 amazing products on this trip that will benefit me forever: affrin and deet.
We left our bags with the hotel bellboy (who was actually at the train station!) and traveled light up to the top of Machu Picchu. (The train takes you to Aguas Calientes, the little hot springs town at the base of the mountain. If you look straight up you can see where you're going). You get on these pretty nice tour buses that are HUGE and scale the winding roads (with no guardrails of course) snaking their way to the top. I don't remember the change in elevation, but it's significant. It was the kind of trip that one bus had to back up and make room for another if they tried to pass at certain points. You can actually walk up from Aguas Calientes. No thanks. We had a guide take us around Machu Picchu (which actually costs $40 to get in!) and explain everything. It was really incredible to see.
Like the lost city in the clouds. Well, it was the lost city in the clouds. It was built by the Incas in the 1400s, then abandoned (no one knows why), and rediscovered in 1902 by a local farmer, who proceeded to pillage the gold and precious metals from the city, like any good farmer. In 1911, the archeologist (really more of an adventurer) Hiram Bingham from Yale went on a quest looking for the lost city of the Incas, where they were rumored to have retreated from the Spanish. (can't remember the name now but something starting with a V, and not machu Picchu). The farmer's son showed him Machu Picchu (sellout) and he thought that was it. He began excavating and probably took whatever was left of the treasure. Now, it is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites and is strictly protected. They only allow 2500 people in a day, and you pay for it (discounts for Peruvians -- I wonder if that includes Peruvians of spanish descent. haha, that's ironic). It was really untouched, and most of the city remains the original architecture, with only a little fixing up here and there. We walked among the
ew llamas are dirty
They were everywhere up there. Fun to watch, but they felt so grimy. I think they brought the bugs too. temples and houses of the city, to the main square, all with the excellent narration of our knowledgeable guide. The weather was great (except for the bugs) and there were many places where it just abruptly ends with a straight drop down about 1000ft. Scary, but awesome breezes there. Much of the Incan architecture is centered around sunrise, sunset, the moon, and stars, so it was too bad we were there at noon. There were a few places where a block only looked like half the symbol it should be, until we were reminded that at certain times of the day, the shadow would complete the design. Really cool. They also had a compass that pointed to all the exact corners, and on winter solstice at noon, had absolutely no shadows. The tour was only a couple of hours, then we were free to roam. We had lunch (included with the tour) at the only restaurant at the top. It was a decent buffet, but nothing to write home about (does this count as writing home?) I wouldn't have paid for it if it wasn't included (thought can't beat it for convenience). Your ticket to Machu Picchu gets you unlimited
Incan house
One of the houses in Macchu Picchu. entrance on that day until they close at 5. After we had lunch, we reentered and wandered around. There were a few sites we didn't hit on the tour. We ended up splitting up to see them since Edwin was more interested in one of the other sites. I began the 1hr hike up the incline to the Sun Gate. In the old days, it was the entrance to Machu Picchu. It felt like I was going up for about an hour (and I was). It was a tough hike compounded by the altitude and my cold (will it ever go away????) My hemoglobin will probably go up like 3 points just from today. Can't wait to go for a run when I get home. It's gotten a little easier, but I was still panting after a few minutes of stairs (but in all fairness, they are Incan stairs which are about 2 ft high and a pain in the ass to climb). It was soooo worth it though! Every time I looked back, Machu Picchu got smaller and smaller and covered with more atmosphere (it was downright blue by the time I got to the sun gate). The narrow
walkways with a straight drop off the edge was a little unnerving at times. And often I was walking for a while without seeing anyone. Couldn't imagine what would happen if I twisted my ankle up there. From the top, the view was pretty great, but to be honest, I was just glad to have gotten there. The climb is all part of the Inca Trail, which continues out the other side of the sun gate through the sacred valley. It's a 4-day hike that's supposed to be tough but amazing. Requires a lot of advance planning though. It's on my list to do if I come back. The coolest thing about getting to the top is that I was eye level with the huge mountain we were ogling all day and wondering what it would be like to rock climb it.
The hike back down wasn't nearly as bad (the sweat was actually starting to dry). When I got back to Machu Picchu, I popped over to the cemetary and burial grounds (missed on the tour), then off to the Inca Bridge (another hike in the opposite direction). The hike was not nearly as hard or as long,
So perfect
The Incas'building was so precise, if you look closely at this picture, you can see that each window aligns perfectly with the next (my angle was a little off) but was even more lonely. It was actually a little unnerving to be alone out there clinging to the side of this enormous mountain and flanked by huge mountains on all sides with a straight drop in the middle. I was grateful to pass people. When I got to the end, I was disappointed to find that you can't actually walk to the Inca Bridge, only near it. It looks like the terrace to the bridge had collapsed (hopefully not with anyone on it). The Inca had created this narrow path along the mountain that seemingly ends in nothing (though I wonder if anyone's actually been over there to explore). They laid long planks of wood for a bridge across a part of it, and it still stands (not sure if it's original though). It made me wonder though, if the Inca were so amazing at masonry, what makes anyone think they wouldn't have built INTO the mountains as well as on them? Perhaps the trail ends there because it dives into the mountain, the entrance just obscured now by centuries of debris and vegetation. Too bad you can't get there any normal way and find out (it would probably
Now that´s a view!
Can you imagine living there and looking at that every day? involve some very scary rock climbing). By the way, Hiram Bingham was supposedly the basis for Indiana Jones. I can believe it.
After wandering around the sacred city all day, we made it back to down just as they closed at 5. We made our way to our hotel and checked in. We were a little nervous as we walked through the town as it was very....um... local. Many many hostels, all dingy looking. Our hotel was probably one of the nicest ones, and still had a musty jungle feel. The windows were wide open with no screens, which now means I have mosquitoes in my room, no doubt waiting for me. It was a tough choice between bugs or hot and stuffy. I chose hot and stuffy, so hopefully I'll only have to deal with a few mosquitos. Now that I've lived in the Amazon Rainforest for 4 days, I feel invincible. Otherwise the place was ok. Clean towels, beds with mattresses and bedframes, and a door that locks. Not bad. Even has breakfast.
Dinner tonight was low key and, after consulting the guidebook, found that the highly recommended wood oven pizza place was directly across. We
Temple of the Sun
Not very impressive actually, but the only round building there. popped over and had some pretty decent pizza. Although I've eaten almost as well and diverse in Peru as in Bethesda, their pizza leaves something to be desired. This one was pretty close though. Actually, Peru is apparently known for their culinary diversity. There are whole tours arranged around the different types of foods and cultures associated with them here. Interesting...
I'm off to bed a bit early tonight so we can get up at the butt-crack before dawn again. We want to climb Huayna Picchu if it's not raining. Only 400 people allowed to climb a day, so if we want to go, we have to be at the bus station at 5 to get the first bus up to the top and buy our tickets. Then wait around until they actually let us in. Kind of annoying actually. Plus another $40. Hmmm.... But how often to you come to Machu Picchu?
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Mom
non-member comment
Sounds like a blast. So you actually got a lot of exercise walking and climbing. Great. Wouldn't it be safer to stay together though? You're right--what if you twisted your ankle or something with no one around. Sounds different that Tikal but they too want to claim Indiana Jones. lol Still waiting for pictures.