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Published: February 2nd 2016
Sophia and I woke up quite early to catch our shuttle at 5:30am, though not as early as Celine and the boys who had to leave by 4:30am to make it up the steps to Machu Picchu by our meeting time of 6:00am. When we walked to the bus station, I was amazed at the amount of people standing in line, even though we were a good 15 minutes early for the first bus! However, I must say that it is down to a science here and was relatively straightforward and easy. Soon we were on a bus, winding up the roads to Machu Picchu. I was trying not to show how giddy I was, but I was so excited!
We were the first at the top and we waited for the rest of our group to emerge from the steps. One by one they came, hot, sweaty, exhausted, but so proud. I was a little jealous… but that quickly passed. We finally met our guide and went through the gates. The cloudy skies allowed you just glimpses of the beautiful city at first. We listened to our guide tell a little of the history of Machu Picchu, including the
number of people who lived there (approximately 400) and what they did (agriculture primarily). I took some photos, went to put my camera away, when suddenly the clouds lifted and the sun came out, exposing the ruins in its entirety. Simply amazing. We walked through the ruins, through temples, and past the sun dial, near the Temple of the Condor, and overlooking the agricultural terraces. When he started to talk about the geology, I could not believe how much was wrong. Usually I try not to be too judgmental about geology on tour groups as I know they only get kind of an overview, but when it is wrong, it makes me question the rest of the "history" he has included in the group. So, I started wandering off and planning to perform my own research later.
After our two hour guided tour, we were free to go and so climbed up the stairs near the entrance to get the iconic view of Machu Picchu. It was another tough climb, mostly because it had started to get quite hot. We really lucked out with the weather this whole trip; the only times it rained were during the bike ride
and zip-lining, which we all preferred to having it rain during the hikes. So, Jake, the girls and I made it to a nice little view point, a little short of the watchtower, where the other two boys went. We though this view was perfect and stayed to take photos for a good half an hour. It was so beautiful. We finally talked the boys into coming down for a group photo before they went off on a hike to the Inca Bridge. Then it was time to say goodbye. The boys went to their hike, Jake and the girls hung around there I think, and I had an appointment to get into Huayna Picchu at 10am.
Side note: My friends had to leave the site by around 10:30 to start their hike back to the bus station from the previous day - down the hill and 12km back along the train tracks. I had decided to stay an extra night. There are so many people that come here and seriously only have a couple of hours to spend in the ruins and I can't understand that. You worked so hard to get here, why would you rush yourself?
Clouds lifted!
Time stamp: 7:09amI think this is one of the drawbacks that comes from traveling through South America for extended periods of time. People start to take for granted the experiences that they have. For me, this was a highlight of my year and an adventure I had long wanted to go on. For others, this is just another necessary stop to see while traveling through the continent. Don't get me wrong, a part of me is quite jealous that people have this freedom. But another part of me wonders if they truly appreciate what they see. This goes back to our trek here too - they were so focused on arriving that they missed what they were seeing. Was this more of the usual? Even the bike ride, which I thought was breathtaking, I heard compared unfavorably to the Death Road ride. One day though, they will look back on the whole experience as an incredible one, I'm sure.
One of the reasons I opted to take the shuttle that morning was because I had planned to hike Huayna Picchu later. I got to the checkpoint after meandering through some of the ruins I had not previously seen and there was
a huge line already. There was no hurry, so I found an amazing rock to lay upon and just enjoyed the view in relative comfort. However, it was getting very hot and I had very little water left. I probably should have gone back to the entrance to get some more, but because of all the one way paths through the ruins, I worried about getting back in time for the last check in at 11. Note for future hikers: Make sure to stock up on water before the Huayna Picchu trek as there is no place to get water inside Machu Picchu.
So, I waited until the line was almost through and then checked in. As I started walking, I saw a trail to the left to Huchuypicchu, which is the medium sized hilltop just behind the ruins and in front of Huayna Picchu. It was a fairly easy climb up, including having to scale a rock with just a rope. Everyone went straight to Huayna Picchu, so I pretty much had this whole little mountain top to myself and I spent a good hour here. Looking over at Huayna Picchu, I decided that I didn't need to
go and at that point I had almost no water left. So, I just sat and enjoyed the view. When you get to the very top, you can see 360 degrees. Everything was below. I saw the train tracks / trail we had followed the day before. I saw all the distant peaks. The ruins from the other side. And thousands of beautiful butterflies. What more could I really ask for? I seriously only saw 9 people the whole entire time, including one group of 5 Chilean guys who only briefly intruded on my solace.
Other than that, it was so peaceful. I just stared out at the vast mountainous terrain, in awe. To think that people actually lived here, or that still do live here. So amazing. Mostly, I was still in shock that I was actually here. I had wanted to come to Machu Picchu for as long as I can remember and I finally accomplished it. Not only did I make it here, I worked hard to do so and I think it made the experience even more impressive to myself. I was proud of myself. And I know that it is an experience I will
never, ever forget.
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Amber
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Amazing!
Stunning pictures, I'm sure they don't compare to the experience. I will make it there one day...