Machu Picchu. Just saying those words excites the imaginations and minds of those who’ve seen its pictures in textbooks and Wikipedia. I was blessed to be able to visit the site on my backpacking trip to Peru. 3 straight days/nights on a bus and dinky hostels were well worth it when I finally got to see the Lost City of the Incas.
I left Ollayantambo on Sunday evening at 7pm. An American woman sitting on the train next to me began a rather annoying inquisition into my love life (why I was single, and granted, she was 32) and I had to listen to her talk about her failed relationships with men she had met online. You can imagine how fun that was. She then found out I didn’t have a hostel booked ahead of time (I never do. I just show up and find a cheap room). Being overzealous and worried, she dragged me to her hotel and tried to find me a cheap room. I was able to haggle them down from $50 to $18. After sleeping in dinky hostels and smelly buses, I decided to treat myself. And I’m glad I did.
I got up at 4:30am on Monday morning, with the intention of walking up to the ruins. There are buses that take visitors up the road, and they take about 20 minutes but also cost $9 each way. It’s not uncommon for people to walk up the trail to see the sunrise over the valley. I decided to do just that. I realized how out of shape I was, and had to huff and puff my fat ass up the many rocky and uneven stairs, but as the sun came up and broke the fog and darkness of the valley, I knew I made the right choice.
I got up to the actual sight at about 7:10am and was blown away when I walked in. It was an unreal moment. I was actually at Machu Picchu. I read about it in school, saw its pictures all over the internet, heard so many cool things about it. I felt like it was going to be an experience that either blew my mind away or was a complete dud. Well, it blew my mind away. It’s amazing to see what the Incas were able to do with just a mountain, rocks, straw, and determination.
I decided to just wander around the site, instead of paying for a guide. Now, that doesn’t mean I didn’t learn anything. I would arrive at a certain part of the site, take some pictures, sit down and relax. A tour group would come by and the guide would give his/her talk in either English or Spanish. Ok, interesting. Both of us move in separate directions, and I repeat this process at another site. Great way to get a free tour.
Some interesting notes about Machu Picchu. It was built around 1450 and there is debate as to whether it was an estate for an Inca emperor, a religious site, or an agricultural testing center. It was only discovered in 1911. The Spanish never found the site; hence it was never plundered or destroyed. When discovered in 1911, there were some Quechua people living in the ruins of the site. Today about 30% of the site is restored. There is a small rock that is a miniature of the surrounding mountains, as well as a rock called Intihuatana (hitching post of the sun). Its four corners are aligned to the four mountains that surround the site, and it is believed to have been a solar clock.
I spent most of my time just wandering around the site, trying to absorb the fact that I was actually at Machu Picchu. I wanted to examine and know every small knook and crany. I met some very nice people along the way; we chatted and each time we ran into each other we would take each other’s pictures. My only three regrets are not eating breakfast before hiking up, not having enough time there, and not hiking up the Huayna Picchu mountain. But no trip is perfect.
I took the bus down the mountain at about 12:30pm to get my 1:30pm train back to Cusco. I still can’t believe I went to Machu Picchu. I was giddy the whole train ride back and ever writing this post, I’m giddy about it. I hope to return. But I loved it. I can’t say that enough. And Mickey was the biggest hit between Peruvian tour guides and random tourists! He even saw llamas!
daninchile 