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Published: June 16th 2010
Day 4 - Wednesday
We got up at 4:30am today to have breakfast at 5, grab our boxed lunches and head to Machu Picchu to be there at opening (6am). When we made it to the bus stop I swear the entire town was waiting in line for buses…luckily it went fast. We have to admit that both sunset and sunrise proved to be really disappointing as there is no variation of sky color here…just dark, light, and blue. It was kind of cool to be there in the morning though as it did seem a bit more peaceful. Most of the crowds were up top on the hill taking photos, so we chose to start down below and explore the ruins that we missed yesterday. Then, by the time that we were ready to head back up the steep climb for the overview, everyone was coming down. We even took a hike out to an original Inca bridge. This civilization was fearless as it was on the side of a huge mountain and about 3 feet wide. We took a rest afterward around 9am and found ourselves already busting into our boxed lunch…all that climbing around makes you hungry!
What better view could you ask for than sitting in the sun looking at one of the 7 wonders of the world?
A few things about Machu Picchu: First, it wasn’t rediscovered until 1911 and it’s purpose and history remain a mystery. Most of what guides and books will tell you are speculation or just simply based on what we already know of Incan history…this makes it all the more interesting!
Second, I want to find out how many injuries (and possible deaths?) there are a year here. Let me tell you there are NO safety aides or precautions put in place here. No handrails, ropes to hold onto…nothing. You are walking up and down stairs from the 15th century that go from 6” high to 24” high with each step. Uneven rocks covered with slippery dirt and smaller gravel type rock making slipping seem easy. The paths along the edge are just that…nothing to keep you from falling thousands of feet to your death. It’s kind of unreal and you have to be really careful with each step you take and your footing here!
We were finished by 10:30am and took the bouncy bus back into
Agua Calientes. This is where I learned that Matt has an amazing ability to sleep and have his head not move. We both dozed off while waiting for the bus to fully load up before it headed down the mountain…but as soon as it started to do it’s exaggerated turns my head was flopping all around and I couldn’t sleep another wink. There was my husband with his head somehow perfectly still….how does he do it?? We had lunch in town and Matt FINALLY got his Cuy (Guinea Pig) which is a delicacy here. You can see the pics document it pretty well. Not much meat but he liked it…
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Tom and Sue
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How could you Matt eat a guinea pig? Nicole bought a guinea pig after she graduated from college while working at Microsoft. After she met Patrick, she gave the pig away and has two cats now. I'm enjoying your story. Thanks and photos, too. I remember how quickly it gets dark in countries close to equator. Today is the longest day of year.