Perseverence pays off at Machu Picchu

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This morning we were up early because we were booked on the 8.00am train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town). Because our room was so far away from the restaurant we decided to clean our teeth and re-pack our small bags before going down for breakfast.

At 7.00am (sharp!) Gregorio collected us from the Casa Andina and drove us to the Ollantaytambo railway station. We had to show our boarding passes and passports repeatedly, presumably to prevent anyone from transferring their ticket to another person? I guess that prevents people from 'scalping' the tickets at an inflated price?

We were all very excited as we pulled out of Ollantaytambo because the sky was blue and the sun was shining - it was looking postcard perfect for our visit to Machu Picchu. As we made our way down the Urubamba Valley we were able to look out over the Urubamba River. Following recent rain the river was crashing along beside us. On the corners and in rocky sections the water was absolutely churning around like a washing machine! Breytzi mentioned that the rapids are considered so dangerous that people are not allowed to raft on the Urubamba River.

During our train ride Breytzi pointed out sections of the Inca Trail that people use to hike into Machu Picchu. It takes four days to hike into the site from Ollantaytambo. We were taking the easy option of a one hour twenty minute train ride which would be followed by a 25 minute bus ride to the ruins. A small snack was served during our train ride from airline style trolleys. Our snack consisted of a piece of maiz giganta - the giant sweet corn that is grown in this part of Peru - a piece of cheese and a small cake accompanied by a range of hot and cold beverages. Bernie washed his snack down with a Coke, I opted for a cocao leaf tea.

As our train drew nearer to our destination the sun disappeared and the clouds descended over the mountains. By the time we arrived at the railway station at Aguas Calientes it was very foggy but, we thought, perhaps the top of the mountain will be above the clouds?? We walked from the railway station to the Inkaterra Eco Hotel where we will be spending the night. Once again Gina facilitated a smooth check-in and we split our gear between stuff to be left at the hotel to be transferred to our rooms and the gear that we would need at Machu Picchu.

We walked from the hotel to the bus station feeling quite excited - in just 25 minutes we would be viewing the awe-inspiring mountain-top ruins of Machu Picchu!! After only a short wait we were showing our boarding passes and passports (again!) before being allowed to climb aboard the bus. Oh dear, as our bus drove up the windy road to the mountain top the fog turned into a light drizzle and, by the time we arrived, we were donning our raincoats to alight from the bus into a steady downpour of rain.

Breytzi told us not to despair, that the weather on top of the mountain is very changeable and likely to change for the better before our visit was at an end. Before entering the site we all paid 1S/. to use the loos as there are no facilities inside. While still under shelter Bernie put his camera's raincoat on and then his camera bag's raincoat on! I tucked my camera inside my raincoat and decided that Bernie could be the sole photographer until the weather improved.

Then we queued again, showed our entrance tickets and passports yet again and, finally, we actually set foot inside the precincts of the Machu Picchu ruins. Breytzi told us that we could get a Machu Picchu stamp in our passports so we queued again for that. Hmmn, it was Breytzi who stamped our passports - is that legal to have an unofficial stamp put in one's passport? Who cares! we have a stamp in our passports to prove that we visited this iconic site, considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

We followed Breytzi through some narrow passages and onto a terrace where she told us a little about the history of the site which was built around 1450, but abandoned 100 years later at the time of the Spanish conquest. After being hidden from the world by the encroaching jungle the site was re-discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Breytzi led us through one more narrow passage ... and there it was, the ruins of Machu Picchu ... heavily shrouded in fog! Refusing to have our enthusiasm dampened we decided that the ruins looked very atmospheric, enigmatic even, looming out of the fog.

Breytzi continued our tour by taking us to the Temple of the Sun, the Fountains, the Inka's House, and the Temples zone overlooking the western agricultural sector. We continued past the Astronomical Observatory where Gina pointed out to us the route that we would need to take on Thursday morning when we set out to climb Huayna Picchu.

Yay, by time we reached the Sacred District the rain had stopped and I had my camera out too snapping photos of llamas in the mist and taking pictures framed by the windows of the Temple of the Three Windows. Our tour concluded at about 1.00pm in the Main Square and we were free to continue exploring the site until it closed at 5.00pm. Breytzi took us back towards the exit to a point where we could decide to exit the site and head back to the Inkaterra, continue exploring the site, hike up to the Sun Gate or to the Inca Bridge.

Ten of us decided that we were going to hike the Inca Trail ... as far as the Sun Gate anyway!! We set out with the mountain still shrouded in mist, but hopeful that it might clear by the time that we reached the Sun Gate. A short way along the trail we stopped to have an illicit snack. You are not supposed to take food into the site because of concerns about rubbish being left behind by inconsiderate tourists, but Gina and Breytzi had told us it would be OK as long as we didn't take our food out right in front of one of the site guides. Bernie, Meredith and I managed to consume our snack of dry biscuits and tuna, followed by dark chocolate without being caught out! Some of the others stopped at the ruins of a structure a bit further along the track to have their snack. They soon discovered that they had inadvertently been using an altar stone as a table so they moved their repast to a more appropriate place!

As we ate and walked there were no views at all of the main buildings of Machu Picchu due to the dogged perseverance of the fog. However, this encouraged us to take more notice of things closer to the trail like giant centipedes with red legs, purple and yellow butterflies, orange and black butterflies, a spider in its web and even two or three hummingbirds that flitted by. Two of our party were finding the trail heavy going so they decided to wait about two thirds of the way up the trail for the rest of us to return.

The eight remaining members of our party reached the Sun Gate and still the mountain was shrouded in fog. At least the rain was holding off! With no views to speak of we contented ourselves with close-up photos of the Sun Gate. I went through the gate and photographed it from the outside. While I was outside the gate a couple came through to the back of the gate and one of them let out one of the longest, loudest farts I've ever heard!! Holding my breath, not really, but holding my laughter in, I re-joined the others inside the gate.

With the hike to the Sun Gate conquered we started back down the Inca Trail. As we headed down the fog started to clear a little offering tantalising glimpses of the terraces of the eastern agricultural sector and the ruins of the urban sector. We arrived back at the crossroads and decided to head to the Guardhouse - where the postcard shots of Machu Picchu are taken from - and then onto the Inca Bridge. As we reached the Guardhouse the clouds parted and, finally, the entire site was revealed to us. AWESOME! True to Breytzi's promise the weather had improved just in time for the 'golden hour' for photography between 4.00 and 5.00pm. Like pigs in mud Bernie and I packed our memory cards with photos.

Still planning to walk to the Inca Bridge we tore our gaze away from Machu Picchu's afternoon splendour and headed south. Gabriel had gone on ahead and soon we met him coming back down the trail with the news that a site guide had turned him back because he would not have enough time to reach the Inca Bridge and return by 5.00pm. Not to worry, we contented ourselves with more north-facing photographs of the site now with Huayna Picchu looming clearly behind it.

After a thoroughly satisfying visit to Machu Picchu, despite the weather, we reluctantly started towards the exit gate because we didn't want to miss the last bus down the mountain! Statistically speaking we probably enjoyed a better visit than most because the site is wet and/or shrouded in fog about 70% of the time.

The bus dropped us back in town just after 5.00pm and we walked back to the Inkaterra and a very welcome shower. Although wet, the day hadn't been terribly cold so walking around in our raincoats was a little like walking around in our own personal saunas! We desperately needed a shower to freshen up for dinner.

Dinner at the Inkaterra's restaurant was included tonight. We enjoyed two courses followed by birthday cake again. Today it was Gabriel's birthday and Gina had organised another cake. Unfortunately the kitchen hadn't quite received the message that it needed to be a cake that could be cut into 15 portions. When it was brought to the table it was about the size of a saucer!! Despite this Yin managed to slice it into 15 pieces so that we could all have a taste of cake. To be honest, after two generous courses we were happy to have just a couple of mouthfuls of cake to finish.

After a strenuous day and with plans to revisit Machu Picchu on Thursday morning and climb to the top of Huayna Picchu we retired to our room and set an alarm for 5.00am!! Ugh!



Steps 18,643 (13.38 km)

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Comments

[Caroline Brunner]

Altar of the Sun
So happy reading about your visit to Machu Picchu. So many memories resurfaced for me. I'm wondering if Tom's ashes are still where I put them - in amongst the rocks of the quarry with the best view over the ancient ruins. I even had a small reed cross to mark his final resting place, which one of the children made at the school where we volunteered.

[Dancing Dave]

Machu Picchu
Gotta agree great place...great shot!