Machu Picchu - the ultimate Inca destination
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2008
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66
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Trip End
Sep 18, 2008
Machu Picchu,
Sacred Valley,
Peru
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
We disembarked the shuttle that had wound its way up an incredible switch-back road from Aguas Caliente town to the park entrance. It was a little cold, but we had to climb up a stairway for about 10 minutes which warmed us up. At the top of the stairs we stepped onto a grassy terrace, part of the cascade of Inca terraces that border the historic complex. And then we saw it, below us, in the pre-dawn light, partially covered by low clouds and surrounded by monstrous jagged green mountains. We were finally at Machu Picchu, the incredible Incan religious ceremonial city built over 500 years ago, as close to the heavens as they could manage
Cameron´s documentary
. Marco immediately leapt into his guide script about the lay-out of the site, but he had to stop. I was so overwhelmed by the sight of Machu Picchu I was crying. I think Marco was glad actually, because we were so happy to just stand there and take it all in, and he was proud of his country´s history.
Eventually we started our guided tour, and for 2 hours Marco showed us the various special and interesting areas in the complex, including the Temple of the Sun, Intihuatana, aquaducts and the Virigin´s residence. We learned that the purpose of Machu Picchu was religious ceremonies to honour the Incan deities the sun, the moon, the condor, the puma and the snake in order to ensure good crops or other fortunes.
The stone masonry was amazing. The builders used local granite, cutting it into blocks and polishing the stone all by hand with simple tools. Fortunately, the complex had never been found by the Spanish during their South American colonisation, thus there was no major destruction. Local Andean people used Machu Picchu´s terracing for agricultural purposes until early in the 19th century, when European explorers and then historians "found" the temple complex and began restorations for tourism
This sight brought tears to my eyes.
. We found the complex to be tastefully restored (it still had a rustic feel) as well as having excellent tourist management. You didn´t feel cramped by other tourists and there was no litter. The security guards were unobtrusive and polite. Maybe an additional toilet block at the opposite end of the complex would help though.
After our 2 hour tour, we bade goodbye to Marco and then lined up to secure a ticket to climbthe peak Wayna Picchu. (Only 200 people a day are permitted to climb it.) From the top of this mountain you can look back at Machu Picchu, plus there is a small ceremonial site at the top.
We took about an hour, maybe one and a half hours, to climb up. It was 1080 steps according to one of the park officials. The view was magnificant, although both of us felt a little freaked out by the sheer drops off the cliff edge.
From the top of Wayna Picchu we took another trail down the back of the mountain to the cave temple, the Grande Cavern. It was a decent downhill workout! Finally we made our way back up and around to explore Machu Pichu, and then walked a little way up the Inca Trail. By then it was late afternoon and we had a train back to Cusco at 6pm. We took a few last photos, gazed one last time at the marvelous Incan ruins and then jumped back on a shuttle bus to town and the train.
