Blogs from Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 17

Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Inca's, was not really lost. There was a family living there when a boy led Hiram Bingham to the site in 1911. However it was Hiram who announced the site to the world and who was responsible for clearing much of the site which over the centuries nature had claimed back for itself. The extraordinary beauty with the impressive heritage of human accomplishment in a challenging location. The ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu means old mountain) in two separate areas -- agriculture and urban. The latter includes civil sector ( dwellings and canalizations) and the sacred sector (temples, mauoleums, squares and royal houses). Our journey to Machu Picchu was done on board the Hirma Bingham train. In itself traveling on this train ... read more

In attempt to get to Machu Picchu on the road less travelled we were also going to be traveling on the road less known. Most people get there by catching a bus from Cusco to Ollanytambo then catching a train to Aguas Caliente, which is the town at the base of MP. But to make the trip a little more adventerous (read: significantly cheaper) we decided to catch a bus from Cusco to Santa Maria, a collectivo from Santa Maria to Santa Theresa, another collectivo from Santa Theresa to Hydroelectrica, then walk along the train tracks 3 hours until Aguas Caliente. Was this going to work? I was hopeful and Matt seemed confident. There was little information on times and availbility of collectivos but our hostel host gave us some information and we joined forces with ... read more

We finally arrived in cusco city feeling both excited and nervous, the inca trail was finally around the corner and the prospect of trekking for 4 days in the mountains was suddenly a bit scary. We spent a few days in cusco beforehand visiting the markets and the inca musuem. Cusco city is a really beautiful place, it's seeped in history and has a real quaint charm about it. I did however manage to fall over on the pebble stones in the main square, ouch. It's ok though, the hippies didn't seem to notice. That is one bad thing about cusco it's full of hippies playing silly instruments really badly. On the up side the food is pretty decent! A day before the trek my friend Suba from uni joined us in cusco and we checked ... read more

17 mars 2012 (Toujours sur l´Inca Trail, à Pacaymayu) On se fait réveiller encore une fois à 5h30AM ce matin. Longue journée de marche. Encore une fois, les autres groupes se joignent à nous sur le chemin Inca. Les touristes marchent dans les mêmes pas, les uns après les autres. J´essai de m´éloigner des regroupements qui souvent sont trop bruyants. Je ralentit du peloton de tête, sans rejoindre les derniers de rang qui souvent lancent une phrase à chaque emjambée. Je suis plutôt en plein centre, laissant passer les plus rapides et dépassant les plus lents. De cette façon, j´arrive tant bien que mal à me trouver un peu de solitude pour savourer la jungle humide dans laquelle on passe la majorité de la route d´aujourd´hui. Beaucoup de sites archéologiques aussi. Dommage que mon désir d´exploration ... read more

After arriving in Cusco and looking around the city, i met a friend called Patty with whom we had a great time. On Thursday i began the Inca Trail. I packed a full backpack that weighed around 15kgs along with a sleeping bag and travel matress. I hooked up with a group of 20. However as i booked with a different company i had my own tour guide, Rossi. She was fantastic and we got to walk at our own pace without having to wait for the others. When we arrived at particular camp sites for lunch, dinner and over night i re-united with the big group, it was great fun. The walk Thursday was fairly easy, we started at what is called Km82 with only 6 hours walking in the afternoon and seeing some great ... read more