Machu Picchu - Oh My!!!

 Thursday, May 2, 2013

A cloudless sky, a hearty breakfast and a 6 am departure from the hotel.  Today was Machu Picchu day and what a day it was!   I had been intrigued to see a llama enclosure just below my bedroom balcony when I opened the curtains this morning.

Llamas at the hotel

The first part of the journey was a 20 minute bus trip further along the Sacred Valley. At Urubamba where we stayed, the valley is wide with farms and small settlements on the river flats, but as we approached the Inca town of Ollyantaytambo the valley narrowed - mountains on each side with only the river, railway track and road running along the valley floor. Luiz pointed out the Inca terraces on the lower slopes which were used to cultivate vegetables and as locations for storehouses where dried foods would be kept.  The terraces were important, and still are today for farming and for keeping the food high and dry in times of flood.  The last devastating flood was in February 2010 and there are still damaged buildings and roads and evidence of bridges being washed away.  The money to make repairs has been slow coming to this part of the country.
As we approached Ollyantaytambo the majestic snow capped peak of Mt Veronica (19,000 ft or 5682 metres) came into view.  It is one of the highest mountains in the Cordillera  - we did later see a 20,574 ft (6271 metre)  mountain named Salcantay a little further up the track.

Mt Veronica

We also caught a glimpse of the Inca ruins at the edge of this town and Luiz told us we would return tomorrow for a better look around.  Today however, it was off the bus here and onto the Peru Rail Vistadome train for the hour and a half  riverside journey to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) which is where the bus leaves for Macho Picchu.  The station was busy with day trippers and street vendors with their colourful wares.

Joe getting the hard sell before we boarded the train at Ollyantaytambo

  There is a gentle descent all the way and the river changes from wide and leisurely to a rushing torrent of white water and rapids as it tumbles down towards the Amazon.  It is certainly is spectacular - a deep river gorge with high mountains on each side and the train track running alongside, but at a safe distance above, the water's edge.

Leaving Ollyantaytambo - view from the train to Mt Veronica.

I hadn't expected the journey to Macho Picchu to be so beautiful - what a surprise and how fantastic!
At first the mountains were brown and treeless, with huge craggy rock faces and the occasional  waterfall.   Huge boulders in the river caused the waters to foam and spill in all directions and at great speed - there is a small hydro-electric power station further down which produces enough electricity for 2 million people.  The view from the train was brilliant on both sides of the track - mesmerising in fact.  Along the way we saw the beginning of the Inca Trail - a six day hike to Machu Picchu and we spotted part of the track high above us from time to time.  There were also some Inca ruins built into the cliffs beside the river in a couple of places. We were served drinks and a snack on board but were reluctant to put down our cameras for an instant.

A spectacular train ride!

About half way through the train trip the landscape changed quite abruptly and we entered the rain forest where thick vegetation covered the mountains, giving way to rocky outcrops at the summits.  Luiz told us we were fortunate to have such a beautiful sunny day as the rainfall in this area is high and the weather can be quite unpredictable.  Still a great view of the river below and we began to see some of the many species of flowering plants that are native to the rainforest. 
Finally we reached Aguas Calientes (Hot Waters?) and left the train to catch the bus on a gravel road that would take us the 1500 metres up a mountain to Machu Picchu.  Aguas Calientes has a huge, touristy market with most stalls selling the same thing - all factory produced souvenirs according to Luiz.  We negotiated the many streets of the market, crossed over the raging river and boarded the bus.  The town appears to be at the bottom of a ravine with sheer cliffs rising up on each side.  It is a very lively place with lots of restaurants, cafes and street musicians.  Well, the ride up the mountain was hair-raising with sharp bends and a driver who only knew "flat out" and "stopped ". In no time at all we had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu and disembarked at the entrance point.  We were required to bring our passports for identification and even had them stamped as we went through the turnstiles.  Although there were heaps of people around the site is huge and it did not seem overcrowded.

Aguas Calientes -  and there is our bus

We came from down there! Out of the bus window and almost at Machu Picchu.

Luiz was our guide and  he was amazing.  His knowledge is extensive and he is able to capture the essence of Machu Picchu in his explanation of everything we saw.  Initially we walked down a set of stone steps to a small group of stone buildings with thatched roofs, with still most of the site hidden from view.

Heading for the hidden entrance to Machu Picchu

 Passing through a narrow alleyway between the buildings we were suddenly confronted with the whole spectacle that is Machu Picchu.  What a sight - we were speechless with awe and delight. It is so hard to describe the beauty, atmosphere and quality of this place - it simply takes your breath away.  Of course it is really a lot of stone terraces and ruins but the geographic setting for these man-made structures gives the whole place a magical air.

Machu Picchu - first view.

  The terraces face east and are very extensive, rising high above the main buildings where people lived and stepping down the slope to a sheer drop to the Urubamba River a thousand or more metres below.  The mountains rise even higher on the opposite side of the river.  Behind the upper terraces the mountain which gave the site its name reaches for the sky.  From high up to the north the Inca Trail descends through the Sun Gate to the centre of the city.  To the west  are the remains of the quarry which provided the stone for the structures and then the land falls steeply away to the river far below.  Looking south one is confronted by the familiar sugar-loaf style mountain which also rises above the site - it is a four hour climb to the top, so not on our agenda (thankfully).  These are some of my favourite photos of Machu Picchu  (of course I took oodles, trying to capture every bit of the place).

Beautifully preserved buildings - only the thatch is gone.

View across the lower terraces to Huayna Picchu

Ancient rainforest tree

View to the llama enclosure

Lower Terraces and Huayna Picchu

The upper terraces,and guard house

We spent ages exploring the site, listening to Luiz and marvelling at the magnificence of it all.  Luiz explained what the various structures were used for and how the whole place was oriented to the sun and the society was based on worship of the sun god.  We saw a garden with the flowers and plants of the area, we saw burial grounds. and rooms of houses and then climbed up a rocky outcrop to view the sundial.  Fascinating!  It is quite hard going in some places and it would be easy to loose one's footing - there is little concession to modern facilities like handrails or fences.  Anyway we all made it safely around the site and then went to the only restaurant at the site (tucked discretely away) for a delicious buffet lunch and some traditional live music.
  What a sumptuous buffet and we were certainly very hungry having had breakfast so early and expended a lot of energy in our exploration of the site.  Peruvian food is "fusion" food - a mixture of traditional dishes with the exotic dishes brought to the country by immigrants from many different places, particularly Asia.  For instance it is common to have rice and potatoes in the same dish.  The potato was first cultivated by the Incas and apparently there are 800 varieties - not all edible, however.  Over lunch Luiz also explained that the Inca civilisation did not last very long - 300 years at the most.  The Incas were a combination of many different Andean people and they took the best knowledge and skills from pre-Inca people and developed them to suit their own purposes.  Of course the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in the 1500's ended Inca domination of the Andes.  It is still not clear why or how the city of Machu Picchu was deserted and it lay hidden in the rain forest for centuries until rediscovered by the Hawaiian academic, Hiram Bingham in 1911. Although not the most important Inca site it is nevertheless the most awe-inspiring and is of course one of the world's major tourist destinations.  The Peruvian government has placed strict limits on any development around the site and it seems that there are plans to put a daily limit on the number of visitors.  It is certainly very well cared for.

Native orchids, begonias, coca plant - all thrive here

After lunch some of our group took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes so that we could explore a bit before our train departed.

Dirt road climbs 1500ft (450 metres) to Machu Picchu - spot the little bus!

There is a nice plaza in the centre of town but not a lot else to see.

This stream flows through the town to join the Urubamba River

Main Square of Aguas Calientes

A tiny part of the huge market in Aguas Calientes

 At 3.45pm our train departed for Ollyantaytambo and after another spectacular trip through the mountains we arrived back at the hotel in time for dinner. Tonight the dinner was excellent.

Urubamba River and rainforest - view from the train

River and mountains from the train

Mt Veronica - on our way home

Everyone agreed that our visit to Machu Picchu was a highlight of the tour and that we have been so fortunate to have enjoyed good weather all the way, and especially today.  What a special place! To have visited Machu Picchu was a dream come true.