Machu Picchu

This weekend I finally went to go see Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world. I had to wake up early Saturday morning to be taken to the train station to catch our 6:40 AM train. I went on the trip with Zack and another volunteer I met on my first day named Susan, a nice lady who is a school teacher from New Hampshire and in her late 50s. We took the vistadome train which had windows all along the sides and ceiling and were served breakfast during our rides. Susan and I were seated together and we chatted all throughout the three and a half hour train ride about ourselves and what inspired each of us to come to Peru. Once we arrived and stepped off the train we realized how different Machu Picchu and the town of Aguas Calientes are from Cuzco. Because it is situated on the edge of the jungle the altitude is much lower and the air more humid than in Cuzco. it was quite hot by the time we arrived though it was only 10 AM.

We spent the afternoon walking around the town and and walked part of the road that the buses use to go up to Machu Picchu. We also went to go check out the hot springs but didn't actually swim in them because it was very hot outside and the water didn't look too appealing. Although the atmosphere was pleasant, I was glad that we weren't spending longer than two days in the town because apart from restaurants and hotels there was nothing else and it made for a very boring afternoon if you weren't going up to see the mountain. When we headed out for dinner we ran into Allison who had arrived the day prior and had just come down from the ruins. We had dinner together and I ordered Alpaca a la Parrilla (grilled Alpaca) and quite enjoyed it, noticing that it had a similar taste to steak. After dinner Susan and I kept Allisson company until she had to go board her train back to Cuzco and then we capped off the evening by meeting with our tour guide Miguel who briefly explained to us what time to meet him and what to bring with us the next day.

The next morning we woke up early once again to have breakfast and pack up our things before heading off to the bus station to stand in line and wait for a bus to take us up the mountain. I must admit that the hotel that we stayed in was extremely nice and I had probably the best night's sleep since I have arrived in Peru. Not only was there water, but Susan and I were each able to have two hot showers during our stay. By the time we took the bus up and got through the entry point it was 7:15 AM and we met up with Miguel and the rest of the group to being our tour. Miguel explained the history of Machu Picchu, meaning "old mountain" and said that it was founded sometime around 1430 and took about 70-80 years to build. When the Inca living there heard of the coming Spanish conquistadors from surrounding villages they fled to the jungle and established the city of Vilcabamba. Abandoned, Machu Picchu became overgrown with vegetation and was "lost" until 1911 when it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University. He hired a group of local workers and worked for four years to fully excavate the site. In the process they found many Inca artifacts which were taken back to Yale University in the USA and were supposed to be returned within 18 months. Only two months ago, celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu, some of the artifacts have been returned to Peru and the rest are expected to come by December. It is actually a very lucky thing for us today that the Spanish never found Machu Picchu otherwise it would be yet another site of ruins like Pisac and Ollantaytambo instead of an almost complete village.

We walked all along the village, through the main gate, the agricultural sector, the temple zone, the astronomical observatory and the temple of the three windows, the main square, the temple of the condor and past the ceremonial rock, and along the fountains and temple of the sun. I took so many pictures from so many different spots but I wonder how much I will remember as to the significance of each location once I return home. The tour finished around 10 AM and then we walked up to the hut take out "postcard" pictures. We then walked first to the Inca bridge and then to the sun gate. The sun gate provided a different view of Machu Picchu and Waynupicchu, which only 400 people a day are allowed to climb. The hike up the the sun gate was exhausting enough so I can't imagine how anyone could be crazy enough to want to climb up Waynupicchu at this altitude. Once we walked back down we had just enough time to sit and admire the view before returning to the bus station to catch our bus to the back to the train. I think that I spent the perfect amount of time up there, not too much and not too little, and got to see everything I wanted to see. On the way out we all stamped our passports and got maps of Machu Picchu. It was definitely a tiring weekend but it was well worth every penny I spent; I greatly enjoyed my time with both Zack and Susan and have no regrets about anything.

I took a great deal of photos and for anyone interested in seeing them, and others from the rest of my trip so far, they can be accessed by clicking here.