Although my focus this trip was Bolivia, I couldn’t come all the way to South America, be a stone’s throw away from one of the wonders of the world (“stone’s throw” in this case means a ten hour bus ride) and not visit it.  So I took a 5 day detour to discover the rich, diverse and beautiful country of Peru and its iconic destination, Machu Picchu.

Two Quechua Girls in Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru.

First stop, Cusco! And yes, I paid each of these girls one sol each for this picture (they were little enterprising things!)…but why not. Cute little Quechua girls with baby goats are priceless, right? The little girl with the hat is holding Carmela, a 1 week old baby goat! I have to say though that their charming smiles and demeanor turned all business as soon as I paid them…it was then on to the next tourist with a camera. 

Peruvian chef demonstrating how to make the very typical dish,  Causa Limeña.

Prior to taking Peru Rail to Machu Picchu (my other option would have been the 4 or 5 day Inca Trail hike…but time was of the essence!), I spent a day in Cusco trying to get to know the historical capital of the Inca Empire and now UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by over 2 million tourists every year.  I thought a free walking tour would be a great way to learn inside stories and secrets of the ancient town – like I had on a similar tour in La Paz – but I was wrong.  Granted I got a good walking intro to the city – and a salsa lesson (huh?) – but it definitely fell short of the expectations I had conjured in my head.  The highlight was a chef demonstrating how to make a typical potato dish (our guide said there are 2000 types of potatoes in Peru!) called Causa Limeña and meeting a fellow disenchanted free walking tour companion from Montreal, Canada. Misery does love company.

Sites leaving Cusco in my shared minivan with 10 other Peruvians.

To get to my train bound for Machu Picchu, I had to take a 2 hour minivan ride through the Sacred Valley.  I was the last person to fill the van and felt lucky to get the front seat.  From my front seat perch I was able to take in all the wonderful, quirky sites of Cusco life as we left town.  Many shops were dedicated to single items or concepts, likes eggs, toiletry items, sodas or sacs. I did some significant gawking at the pet market that was taking place in the exposed dirt median between two busy streets. Puppies and kittens in cages were being sold to whoever stopped by to admire (although based on the number of stray dogs running around the streets it seems that the novelty of the pet soon wears off after the puppy stage).

This lady was selling coca leaves…the ubiquitous stimulant of the Andes. As a side note, I am becoming a big fan of coca tea (which I believe would be illegal for me to bring home…so looks like I won’t).

Arrived in Aquas Calientes!

After an enjoyable 2 hour ride on the Expedition train, complete with a corn cookie snack and a background soundtrack of soft jungle sounds (on the Hiram Bingham train you get an open bar and dancing natives), we arrived!  The energy was immense.  It felt a bit like a chaotic Disneyland as we all rushed off the train into a crowd of guides and hotel pick-up personal.  And since we arrived around 9pm, for many of us it was straight to bed.  My wake-up call was at 4am.  The park opened at 6am!

View from the line for my bus ticket to get up to Machu Picchu park.

The first buses were suppose to head up to the park at 5:10am, but they started leaving at around 5:40am instead. Is that on time in Peru? 🙂

…but what was the rush anyway!  More lines!

The time in line gave me plenty of time to find myself a guide – the energetic Ruben – and a group of Peruvian and Spanish tourists.  And then we were off!

American Pride!

Hiram Bingham, American explorer and Yale professor, “rediscovered” Machu Picchu on July 24 (<- my birthday), 1911.  Although locals had never forgotten Machu Picchu, – when Bingham visited Machu Picchu the first time a local campesino was farming some of the land – it was because of Bingham’s expedition and subsequent expedition to Machu Picchu that it was thrusted into the world spotlight.

As we climbed to the point that would first reveal Machu Picchu to us, Ruben kept exclaiming excitedly with animated hand motions to “preparete” because we were about to see “una maravilla del mundo”….

Machu Picchu – Un Maravilla del Mundo!

…and what a marvel it was!  And if ever in my life I questioned for a moment that I wasn’t lucky, the absolutely perfect weather we had that morning definitely reinforced that I have much to be thankful for. The scene was absolutely mesmerizing.

Lucky me!

Built in 1450 by the Incas, Machu Picchu is thought to have been built as an estate (similar ones can be found in https://webuyhousesinatlanta.com/ site) for the Inca emperor, Pachacuti. Ruben, our guide, told us that Machu Picchu is still much intact because it wasn’t known by the Spanish during their conquests. “Splendid,” was the eminent thought that kept replaying in my head as my eyes took in all the wonder that surrounded me. 

The Incas no longer inhabit Machu Picchu….but some cute llamas do!  This little baby is 1 month old (Ruben said his color is lucky because black symbolizes fertility)!

Original steps created by Incas.  They are no longer accessible because they are quite slippery to walk on.

I spy a chinchilla!

More Machu Picchu!  The surrounding Andes were just as impressive and imposing as the ancient ruins.

I am going to hike that?

I had bought a ticket to Machu Picchu that included access to hike up one of the famous mountains that bookend Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu. I was one of 400 that day that would make the trek and became a bit obsessed by it during Ruben’s tour.  It just looked so steep!  The above photo was taken before my 10am admittance time…I still look fresh and innocent :).

Temple of the Sun or Torreon – dedicated to their sun god, Inti.

Native flora found on Machu Picchu. Orchids, like the ones pictured, were said to have adorned the rooftops of Machu Picchu.

Some of the rocks at Machu Picchu mimicked exactly the magnificent Andes behind them…this was one of those rocks.  Clever Incas!

Machu Pichu’s Inti Watana – believed to have been designed as an astronomic clock or calendar by the Incas.

Ruben wrapping up our tour of “una maravilla del mundo!”.

This trip I have had the best luck with guides.  Ruben was wonderfully warm, engaging and informed…although I probably found him particularly charming because he called me “princessa” the entire tour. I am easily won over.

In the background of the above pic is one of the Peruvians from my group.  I purposefully included him in this photo because it shows him as he was most of the tour – talking on his cellular.  No wifi on Machu Picchu but I sure as h*ll learned there was a strong cell signal.  Every 7 minutes his phone would ring anew and he would answer it the same, “Hi Mom/Cousin/Maria/Papi/Whoever!  I am at Machu Pichu. Yes, it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen…yes, a wonder of the world…etc, etc.” I particularly appreciated it when he would talk loader than Ruben to get his point across to whomever was on the other line….delightful, indeed. Ruben still gave him a hug at the end of the tour along with the rest of us…once he, of course, had finished his phone call.

Next stop, Waynapicchu!  I only do BIG :).

I said my good-byes to my group, Ruben told me to wave to all of them from the top and then I made my way to the control point to hike up Huanya Picchu (Waynapicchu).  As I was signing my name into the log book (what goes up must come down), I heard an English guide tell his group ominously, “Climbing Huayna Picchu is very dangerous.”  Alrighty then…here I go!

I’ll take dangerous if it comes with a view like this!

On top of the world…at least the Inca world!

The hike up was indeed precarious as I scaled stairs that literally went straight up the mountain (it was quite important to hold onto the ropes provided), climbed through tunnels (my d*mn backpack kept getting stuck) and lastly scampered up a ladder to arrive at the summit.  Apparently it took me an hour to get up there, but it felt like 20 minutes.  I loved every moment of the climb and all the camaraderie with fellow hikers along the way.

Me at 8,835 feet…which frankly after Bolivia felt like sea level 🙂

Did it!

I successfully made it up AND down Waynapicchu (some could argue that going down is tougher). In my before picture I may be a bit less beat up, but here I undoubtedly was more energized.  What an experience!

Looming storm clouds….and I still had to hike up to the Sun Gate!

Inca Trail.

After my hike to Huayna Picchu, I wanted to make sure I did the hike to the Sun Gate on the original Inca Trail.  Had I taken a 4 or 5 day Inca trail hike, this is the gate that I would have entered on the last morning on the trek to Machu Picchu.

Inca Trail to Sun Gate.

The trail to the Sun Gate is a breeze compared to Wayna Picchu, but after hiking Wayna Picchu these stairs did seem even more daunting than anything I faced on that mountain.  I was getting a little tired.

The view from the Sun Gate! Again, the effort was more than worth the reward!

Indeed one of our world’s wonders…and how lucky I was to experience its magic and majesty if only for a few hours.

Had the rain not started, I for sure would have had to been kicked out of the park.  It was hard for me tear my gaze away from the ancient marvel as I would get caught up imaging life amongst its walls back in its glory. It is an overwhelming sight now, but imagine visitors back when Pachacuti graced its palace! They must have been left speechless and breathless.

The pouring rain sent me to the cover of the snack bar outside the park’s gate. There I had a Coca Cola Zero, waited for the line to the buses that went back to Aguas Calientes to go down and reflected on one of my favorite travel days ever.

My 10 soles chariot to bring me back to Cusco. Deal of the century.

A fellow passenger serving up her homemade chichi, a beverage made from purple corn, to our driver.

One of the passengers we picked up on the way to Cusco was a woman packing a barrel of her homemade corn beverage, chicha (it was about the same height and width as her!). She was headed to Chinchero for a family wedding and made the popular Peruvian purple colored beverage for the affair.  The driver asked if he could have some, grabbed an almost empty Coca Cola bottle from the front seat and handed it to her.  She immersed hand and bottle into her foaming brew and pulled out a full bottle for the driver.  Chicha can be both fermented and non-fermented, and the odor emitting from the open barrel definitely pointed to fermented to me so I perked up in protest to the driver drinking while driving.  All in the van assured this little Gringo that the brew was nonalcoholic. All I could do was just sit back and say a few extra prayers.

 Back in Cusco!

My chicha-drinking driver did get me safely back to Cusco where I literally collapsed into a deep sleep for 15 hours (Machu Picchu and 3 weeks in Bolivia took a lot out of me). I woke up the next day intent on spending it entirely at the spa and shopping. And for both Cusco is a pretty good spot to find yourself (the exquisite pieces I found for the shop I will have up shortly!).

Machu Picchu is now just a memory, but what an extraordinary and unforgettable place it was.  Ruben had told us that Machu Picchu is a treasure that belongs to all of humanity, and I feel by experiencing it I get to keep a piece of that treasure with me always. This is why I travel.

*****

“Presently we found ourselves in the midst of a tropical forest, beneath the shade of whose trees we could make out a maze of ancient walls, the ruins of buildings made of blocks of granite, some of which were beautifully fitted together in the most refined style of Inca architecture. A few rods farther along we came to a little open space, on which were two splendid temples or palaces. The superior character of the stone work, the presence of these splendid edifices, and of what appeared to be an unusually large number of finely constructed stone dwellings, led me to believe that Machu Picchu might prove to be the largest and most important ruin discovered in South America since the days of the Spanish conquest.” – an expert from the National Geographic article entitled, “The Wonderland of Peru,” written by Hiram Bingham III and published April 1913

Machu Picchu in 1911 – Photo taken by Hiram Bingham III

Before your trip to Machu Picchu, please read Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time! It is a fun, fast read and does a superb job highlighting the history of the area. Enjoy!