Leaving Ourselves Behind

Have you ever built up a place in your mind so much that when you finally see it there is a sense of disappointment? A friend of mine reacted that way to the Trevi Fountain in Rome; wondering what all the fuss was about.

It will be impossible for anyone to see Machu Picchu and not be utterly, completely overwhelmed – I guarantee that.

We were wondering if we were even going to make it. While Stephen continues to sail robustly through this trip, I am the one falling prey first to altitude sickness and then two days before Machu Picchu, I was felled with a 24-hour total body waste expulsion (water? food? who knows) that left me weak, bed-ridden and shaky. Our train ride from Ollantaytambo to the village of Aguas Calientes (the little town that is the launching pad to MP) is but a memory and from there I went to bed, leaving the hotel only to go out for a few grains of rice and some mint tea.

Amazingly, I woke the next morning at 5:00 am feeling 90% better! Our day began with pouring rain, but we were so excited that this was actually happening that it didn’t matter.

This was the scene at the bus stand at 6:00 a.m. – dozens of soggy tourists waiting to board the bus for the 20-minute ride from town to Machu Picchu.

If I may backtrack a bit, there is an not inconsiderable amount of confusion over the best way to see Machu Picchu.
You have the following options:
A guided one-day trip from Cusco. ($450-$500 CAN pp)
An overnight in Ollantaytambo, with first train out to Aguas Calientes the next day, and tour MP that day.
An overnight in Aguas Calientes, touring MP the following day and returning to Cusco that afternoon.
Variations on the above two, depending upon whether you want to build in extra days in either of those towns.
Do the Inca Trail – again, 2,3,4 day options – and hike right up to MP. ( over $1000 pp. CAN)

There is also a bit of hysteria about booking your MP entry tickets in enough time, in order to get the day and allotted start time you desire. We booked ours a month in advance; (good for us compulsive list-maker types), but entirely unnecessary in the slow season. You can book a day or two before and feel comfortable you will snag a spot. In the high season – probably a different story.

We chose to spend one night in Aguas Calientes, then take the bus out the next morning. In a way, we wished we had stayed an extra day in Aguas Calientes – it is a really cute town right on the Urubamba River.

You already know this, but visiting Machu Picchu is not cheap. Our costs were:
Entrance tickets – $132 CA
Train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, return – $300 CA
Bus from Aguas Calientes to MP, return – 66 CA
That is $500 before accommodation, food and a guide.
It is worth every penny – just letting you know what to expect.

We chose not to hire a guide (they run about $75 and should be hired from Cusco, as the ones soliciting at the bus stop in Aguas Calientes are still “in training” and not as knowledgable). This was a mistake!! We love being able to poke around places on our own timeframe, but for something as important as MP, we definitely missed a lot. Hire a guide!

And now – back to the meaty stuff. This is the road that leads from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu! It looks scary as heck from this photo, but the steady fleet of buses that run up and down navigate the switchbacks without a hitch.

We arrived (still pouring rain), and began our ascent, first passing what looked to me like Scottish crofts.

As we climbed, we came across a split in the road (lower and higher). We asked the guard, but he was somewhat non-committal, so we chose the higher path. As it turns out, you are not allowed to backtrack at Machu Picchu – you have to keep moving forward. In a way it makes sense to help maintain traffic of potentially 3000 visitors a day, but the signage is not particularly illuminating.

This was our view when we finally arrived at the top, looking down on the lower level through the mist.

At this point, about 8:30 am, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the mist was swirling around the mountains. Even with so many other tourists around, it felt otherworldly and mystical…and sacred.

We got a tease of that iconic image.

A little clearer, to try for our “money shot”.

In the four hours we were there, the clouds never lifted entirely, but they added such a mood to our experience that we left completely thrilled.

Needless to say, selfies number in the thousands and everyone wants to pose for an “I-was-there” photo. It can make walking the trail a little slow going at times, but all the more fun to watch everyone as excited as we were.

We even witnessed a marriage proposal, followed by many photos and hugging and crying. I’m guessing anyone bold enough to make such a statement proposal is pretty sure of his or her odds.

A thumbnail about Machu Picchu – it was built in the 15th century, more than likely as an estate to the Inca emperor Pacacuti and was inhabited from 1420-1532, when it was abandoned after the Spanish occupation of Peru. The Spanish never discovered it and it remained empty until the early 20th century when American Hiram Bingham travelled to the region in 1911 looking for the lost Inca empire. Local people led him to the site and thus began the discovery and restoration. Bingham wrote “The Lost City of the Incas“, which helped bring the site to international attention.

By 1976, thirty percent of the site had been restored and the restoration continues. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed to show how they would have appeared in Inca times. There are over 100 flights of stairs ( with high, brutally uneven steps) and over 150 buildings.

Machu Picchu was an astronomical observatory; it accurately indicated the two equinoxes, as twice a year the sun sits directly over the stone, creating no shadow.

Machu Picchu has been declared both a UNESCO World Heritage site and in 2007, was named one of “Seven New Wonders of the World.“

Some of the incredible sights we witnessed as the mist lifted and fell around us.

These terraces were used for farming, and the precision of the stone work is astounding. All of the walls are built with dry stone, entirely without mortar. While no-one knows how any of this was built, it is estimated that hundreds of men would work together to move massive blocks uphill.

The vegetation around Machu Picchu is incredibly lush and tropical.

The Urubamaba River that cuts through the mountains creates this climate and supports a vast variety of flora and fauna, including over 370 types of orchids.

What would photos of Machu Picchu be without its llamas?

Almost as sure-footed as the llamas are the men who climb up and down the vertical slopes, clearing away overgrown vegetation.

Machu Picchu has not been immune to controversy and ill-advised development schemes. While there is one luxury hotel right on site, there had been plans for an entire top-of-mountain settlement – restaurants, boutiques and a cable car. Thankfully, they were all nixed. There is a strong no-fly zone over Machu Picchu; established after a Cusco helicopter company briefly won the rights to fly tourists over the ruins. Also nixed after massive backlash.

Nude tourism hit MP in 2014. It’s not clear how this manifested – I’m assuming a last-minute doffing of clothing for a memorable mountain shot, rather than a sweaty naked two-hour hike up the stone steps. However, after much public outrage, guards were installed to make sure there is nothing more revealing on the mountain than a crop top.

Protests in December ’22 that blocked the access road left tourists stranded on Machu Picchu and required them being airlifted to safety. After that, MP was closed for one month. This year, protesters have been active again, over the government plan to privatize sales. It is hard to know what the outcome will be for all of this, but Machu Picchu is definitely the crown jewel of Peru and everyone has a stake.

After such a formidable experience, we still had our hour-and-a-half train ride back to Ollantaytambo to enjoy. since I essentially missed the first one, I was so looking forward to this chance to decompress and savour the view.

The train ( photo actually taken from Ollantaytambo station).

We rode along the incredible Urubama River for much of the journey. The power of this river was incredible to see. Rafting trips are apparently available “for all abilities“, but I have to think this stretch is too dangerous for anyone.

Tia and Cleo were our delightful travel companions. They are three months into a one-year round-the-world trip; two New Zealanders who have been living in Melbourne Australia and plan to head back home after the year is over. People’s stories – such a part of travel.

We especially appreciated their company since about one hour into our trip, the train stopped. At first, we thought nothing of it – a wait by the side to allow another train to pass. However, as time passed and we were not receiving any information, we all began to wonder. Soon – the news – we had “mechanical difficulties” with our engine, and they were working on them.

To pass the time, somehow the staff conjured up a band and two dancers and invited us all to go to the dome car for some entertainment.

Eventually a train behind us passed us on the right, hooked up to the front of our train and a single engine hooked onto the back and between the push-pull, we limped into Ollantaytambo.

We hopped onto busses there for the two-hour drive back to Cusco – two hours later than planned, but – it’s a story.

And that – (in a few words and photos) – was our trip to Machu Picchu. We will never forget it – a travel highlight to be sure.

And now we’re on the countdown – five days in the mountain town of Ayacucho to enjoy for their famous celebration of Easter Week – daily parades and processions leading up to Palm Sunday.