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Published: October 25th 2014
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Today is finally the day that we get to see Machu Picchu… Man has this been a LONG time coming. The day started early (like it always does) with a 4:30am bus ride. Our guide suggested that we take the bus up so that we did not arrive in Machu Picchu too exhausted. Unfortunately Kelly and I woke up very sore still from the hike and sadly this did end up affecting our trip to Machu Picchu. After a quick bus ride and getting through the long ticket line we finally arrived at Machu Picchu. The weather during the day was absolutely perfect… it was cloudy until around 12 and once the sun came out it got pretty warm. Luckily we got up there so early so we got to explore before all the tour buses came in.
Machu Picchu in Quechua means Old Mountain, though there are various translations. The site was built in the 15th-century by the Incas and is located 7,970 feet above sea level. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor but was abandoned after the Spanish conquest. The most interesting thing that I learned is that the
majority of bodies found at the site are actually female; this has led to a theory that the site was a home for all the emperor’s concubines.
While this was no doubt my favorite part of my trip to Peru it is so hard to put this into words and pictures do not give justice to the size and complexity of this site. To start with the view from the site itself is simply breath-taking. Machu Picchu sits in a saddle between the two mountains Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, with a commanding view down two valleys and a nearly impassable mountain at its back. Every surrounding mountain and valley was so green and it was so clear you could just see for miles.
The site of Machu Picchu itself was just mind-blowing. How did the Incas build this incredible city without any modern tools? Since there is no written history of the site, many of the purposes and features of the structures are unknown but there are countless theories. The site is roughly divided into an urban sector and an agricultural sector, as well as the upper town and the lower town. The temples are part of
the upper town, the warehouses which stored food are located in the lower. I was so amazed at the vastness of the structures and architecture the Incas utilized in building this site. Every vantage point provided awe-inspiring views of the ruins and the Andes Mountains. The structures themselves were equally incredible. Their construction was so well thought out and detailed right down to built-in cabinets and restrooms. Also the site sits on 2 fault lines so there is a lot of earthquake activity and the Incas took this into account. A lot of the buildings have very wide bases (like pyramids) to provide extra stability to the structure. A lot of the structures or stones are arranged to point directly at the sun during the winter solstice.
One of the most attractive and intriguing elements of the Machu Picchu archeological complex is its system of 16 fountains, with water cascading melodiously from one to the other. The uppermost fountain, Fountain 1 is one of the most beautifully constructed fountains. This fountain, with its fine stone work and providing first access to the water-- before it has been used by anyone else-- is believed to have served the residence of
the Emperor himself. As the water discharged from the Emperor's private fountain it flows on to Fountain 2, and from 2 to 3, and so on.
One of the most famous sites at Machu Picchu are the llamas that reside there. We found a bunch of them at the very top of the site. Our first glimpse of them was actually two of them making babies… which of course all the tourists loved it. What surprised me was how affectionate they were to each other during, um “it”. It appeared like they were kissing the whole time.
This wouldn’t be a very helpful journal if I didn’t include tips on what I would do differently so here I go…. First while the Salkantay Trail trek was amazing I wish I had not done it immediately prior to exploring Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu has a total of 3000 stairs and unfortunately my sore knees and body prevented me from doing everything that I wanted to do there. While we managed to climb to the highest point of the site itself (The Guardhouse) we were unable to climb to the two high-altitude routes from Machu Picchu that go across the
mountains back to Cusco. One path is through the sun gate and the other across the Inca bridge. It of course would have been great to have seen these paths ourselves but we were just too sore to make the climb. Similarly we were unable to climb up to Huayna Picchu, which is the mountain that looks down on Machu Picchu. It is a very tough climb that takes hours and is definitely not for the faint of heart. While the thought of actually doing the climb (prior to getting to Machu Picchu) terrified me, I heard it was an absolute must see. Unfortunately, Kelly and I knew that we would not be able to make the hard climb up and down so we had to forfeit our tickets. But I know that I will be back to Machu Picchu and that hike is the first thing on my to-do list!
The second thing I will do when I go back is to hire a guide to take me around the site. Dozens of guides stand outside the gates to Machu Picchu and you just choose one, agree on a rate, and then spend a few hours with them.
Machu Picchu is so amazing but the worst part is not knowing the history and use of the different structures. I carried a guide book with me but it was too confusing to follow along. Of course some guides know more than others but any guide knows more than you! So just spend the money and get a proper tour of the site.
Thirdly, (and actually something we did right) is to spend the entire day there, starting on the first bus at 4:30am and not leaving until the park closed at 4pm. Truly Machu Picchu can be seen in one day, it is not worth a 2-day ticket. Make sure to take frequent breaks and get lunch at the over-priced restaurant (totally worth it for the view) so that you can hang out there all day.
For the last few hours in Machu Picchu Kelly and I just grabbed a sit and searched at the vastness around us. The views were just too beautiful to leave.
That night Kelly and I enjoyed our first Pisco Sours, Peru’s famous cocktail. The Peruvian Pisco Sour uses Peruvian pisco as the base liquor and adds Key lime (or lemon) juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. Kelly and I were forced to stay away from these for our first few days in Cusco because alcohol can make your altitude sickness worse. The drink was okay, it reminded me of a margarita because it was so sour.
Kelly and I decided to stay an extra night in Aguas Calientes while the rest of our group went back to Cusco which proved to be a great decision. While everyone had to pack that morning Kelly and I were able to wash our stuff and then re-pack in the evening.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Machu Picchu
It is an amazing place. We loved our time there. It is hard to imagine how this place was constructed. We had a guide for several hours and it was great.