Cuzco & Machu Picchu
Trip Start
Apr 15, 2008
1
35
59
Trip End
Apr 01, 2010
Cusco,
Peru
Thursday, October 9, 2008
After another crazy car journey, we arrived back to Lima airport to check in for our hour flight up to Cuzco. On the way Pablo our guide had handed me our tickets, I noticed the time was different to the flight I thought we were on. It stated we were on an earlier flight, which would have already left. Pablo said not to worry we'd be fine. He dropped us off at the terminal and went on his way. When we went to check in they said our flight had departed and we would have to buy new tickets as ours were non transferable. We spent the next twenty minutes trying to track down Pablo to get us new tickets. I will give him his due he did arrive back within half an hour with new tickets and was very apologetic, it was his office that had made the mistake, I don't think he was too happy with them. Any way that aside hour flight with Lan Peru went very smoothly. We were seated in business class so had loads of leg room and the service was impeccable, we were served drinks, snacks and cake
Cuzco's main square at night
! Not bad for such a short flight. Just one tip, give your self plenty of time to get through customs, at least an hour. First you have to queue up to pay your airport tax, $6.05 per person. Then queue again to go through the x-ray machine which of course takes quite some time.We arrived to a find a lovely warm sunny afternoon in Cuzco. We were greeted and transferred to our hotel, fairly basic but clean. On arrival we were given coca tea, which is an infusion of coca plant leaves, this is said to help prevent altitude sickness, we'll see? At 11,000ft we need all the help we can get. Cuzco is the hub for trips to the Inca ruins in this south-eastern area of Peru. It is in fact the historic capital of the Incas and has many interesting sights. The main square is a very picturesque place with a fountain and gardens surrounded by lovely buildings with wooden balconies. Cobbled streets run off in all directions buzzing with life. I have never visited a country which has such historical values, probably half of the people here still dress in the traditional costumes all very brightly coloured.
On one day there was a parade, everyone was dressed in costumes and dancing their way along the streets, it really was a sight to behold. Street vendors will approach you with crafts for sale, all very reasonable, anything from woolly hats, blankets, table clothes and jumpers. Now be warned they will tell you everything is made from alpaca, it's not
Locals in the Sacred Valley
! Julie and I had our shoes cleaned one day, you have to watch them we set a price of 5 Sol's each which is about £2! for the two of us. He did do a good job and he took about 45 minutes on them but then asked for 35 Sol, mmmm.. you picked on the wrong guy today buddy! He got his 10 sol and not a penny more! But to be honest they are generally friendly race and a firm "no gracias" will do the trick.Sacred Valley
We joined a tour of the Sacred Valley, this area is where the Inca's settled mainly due to the fertile soil and ample supply of water supplied by the Umbamba River. This river starts high in the Andes and flows through Peru to join the mighty Amazon. The countryside is quite barren on the mountains at this time of the year, which is the end of the dry season. On the high peaks at around 16,000ft we could see snow, beneath this the lower mountain slopes were covered in a patchwork of shaded brown fields and finally in the valley bottom the vivid green of the corn could be seen.
As we passed through the area we were transformed back to an age when life was simple and the pace of life had no time scales. There are no tractors out here, in the fields oxen ploughed the earth. The locals were busy going about their daily chores. Peruvian ladies were dressed in colourful clothes, herding their life stock, cows, alpacas, llamas, pigs and sheep
Ollantaytambo
. In the villages the locals would trek up and down the steep streets with huge loads on their backs, wrapped in blankets and secured around their chests, the women would even carry their children in this way too, they must very good at tying knots! In the valley most of the houses are made from adobe bricks, this is a mixture of mud and grass. The locals fill moulds with the mixture and then leave the bricks in the sun to dry out. All along the road sides you can see the bricks stacked up seasoning in the wind and sun, ready for the next building project. We visited several Inca ruins; these were surrounded by steep terraces, which looked amazing, flowing down the steep mountain sides. The Inca Empire lasted for about 400 years and the architectural skills for the time were just amazing, all was going well until the Spanish arrived! The sites we visited were Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero.
Machu Picchu
We caught the early backpacker train out of Cuzco at 7am, built by the British, and owned by the Orient Express, this line runs 110km through the mountains to the small village of Aguas Calientes. Now this is an experience! The seats are set in blocks of four, but set so close together you have to dovetail your legs between the passengers sitting opposite, not too bad I guess apart from the fact that you are stuck in this embrace for four and a half hours! Yes the average speed of this train is about 15 miles per hour. It takes over an hour just to get out of Cuzco, with the gradient being so steep the train has to zigzag back and forth changing lines as it does so. It has to be said on the plus side the scenery is pretty stunning and it is quite mesmerising watching the locals at work in the fields and villages. It does seem quite surreal riding on a train along the main street of a village, with kids playing and dogs' chasing the train as it passes by
Pisac
. Once over the mountain outside Cuzco, the line mainly hugs the course of Umbamba River. Aguas Calientes lies at an altitude of just under 8000ft, the 3000ft difference in height results in an amazing change of vegetation. After about 80km's of the journey, the mountains become covered in lush jungle vegetation, with bright colours of orchids and gingers shining through. The weather becomes warmer and more humid too. Aguas Calientes translates to hot waters. At one end of the village there are hot springs which one can bathe in, we only took a small back pack as were staying over night but forgot to pack trunks so I can't tell you what these were like! But the setting amongst the steep mountains was a wonderful backdrop. The village has no roads so apart from the buses which climb the mountain track up to Machu Picchu there is no traffic. The concentration of hostels and restaurants are built along narrow passages leading up from the mountain stream. Tourist stay one side of the stream and locals live on the other. The village has grown up to cater exclusively for the tourist trade visiting the Machu Picchu Inca Ruins in the mountains above.
We visited Machu Picchu on our second day. It has been raining heavy all night and when we woke at 5am it was still hammering down. Our plan was to get the first bus up at 6am so we could see the sun rising over the ruins and to enjoy the sights before the mass tourists arrived from Cuzco, many people just come for the day, 10 hours of travelling seems like madness to us
Sunset over Chinchero
. As the mountains were covered in thick cloud we saw little point in going up early so had a leisurely breakfast and by 8.30am the rain had eased. Buses run to the top throughout the day so there is no need to worry about keeping to a timetable. We reached the top about 9am, wow what an amazing scene, set on the top of the mountain it really is a sight to behold, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. These Inca's were incredibly skilled, the place is so remote it is no wonder it was left forsaken for over 400 years. It was discovered in 1911 by Higham Bingham, an American explorer, and he only stumbled on it by mistake whilst he was seeking the last two capitals of the Inca. We spend an hour or so walking around the ruin on our own before meeting up with a guide, which is a must. The clouds actually give the place a mystical feeling and will hopefully enhance our photos? Throughout our 6 hours at the ruins we experience a mixture of rain and cloud, with a little sun now and then. On the train travelling back to Cuzco, I notice my skin on my face tightening; I couldn't believe within a couple of hours I was so red, we had hardly seen the sun. So just be warned, if you're visiting put sun screen on no matter the weather! Oh and the place is overrun with tiny mosquito like bugs which will eat you alive so be sure to put plenty of insect repellent on too.
Comments
Train ?
Aren't you supposed to walk to Macchu picchu?.