Day 234

In the morning our Machu Picchu adventure commenced:

First we took a (chicken) bus for 2.5 hours to the town of Ollantaytambo.

There we had to walk past the usual tourist traps and board a 1st class train that should take us along the Urubamba (Vilcanota) River closer to the remote area where the Inkas had built Machu Picchu.

A few hours and many photos later we arrived at Aguas Calientes (hot springs in Spanish). This town (tourist trap deluxe) offers the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu. Frankly we weren’t impressed what the place had to ofer. Most locals clearly just want to get your money by trying to give laziest service as possible.

The nearby scenery was awesome. I just liked those lush green mountain regions.

We stayed at Hostel El Tumi which was not too noteworthy

Day 235

This was the big day. Machu Picchu, the pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca citadel located at 2430m was our single destination for the day!

We got up very early and hopped on a bus that took us 7km up a winding road (called the Hiram Bingham Highway–does not deserve to be called highway!) towards the main entrance on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley. We entered the Machu Picchu site around 6am. And we weren’t alone.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas“, it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World. Since the site was never known to the Spanish during their conquest, it is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

We quickly went up to the main view areas. Since we were early enough we got the chance to take pictures and enjoy a complete overview of the site without all these other nasty tourists.

Machu Picchu was built on terraced fields in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. The three primary structures are the Intihuatana (Hitching post of the Sun), the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.
Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like.

Around 9ish we had to team up with our tour and the designated tour guide (speaking very bad English) took us around Machu Picchu’s main areas for about 2.5 hours.

With rain falling from the skies we followed a tiny Incan trail along steep cliffs that eventually ended at a Incan draw bridge. The trail was very breathtaking (in those moments when we actually could see through those thick layers of clouds or fog).

The three of us also dared hiking up a slightly strenuous trail towards Puerta del Sol. Once we arrived there the sun came out–who would have guessed that? Perfect name, right?!

This was one awesome location. We could pretty much overlook the entire place, this time with bright sunlight and thin clouds moving around. Wow!

In total we spent 10.5 hours (6am – 16:30pm) running around in various circles.

We also got to experience all kinds of weather conditions covering rain, fog, clouds and sun in a number of constellations. I guess we were very lucky with the sun part.

I didn’t even dare to count all the stairs we happened to step up and down.

Ignoring the mediocre guided tour this day was one marvelous adventure!

Our train ride back to Ollantaytambo was at 18:45pm. Then we continued to Cusco and our cozy room at Kuntur Wasi. What a day!