Machu Pichu

From Ollantaytambo, the only access to the lost Inca city of Machu Pichu involves a picturesque train ride to Aguas Calientes or, for the hearty, a multiple-day hike along the famous Inca Trail. Bet you can guess which option we went with! The train trip was a pleasant and relaxing way to enjoy the scenery. It’s a lovely trip that winds along the raging Urubamba River through picturesque narrow canyons. At a couple of points you can catch glimpses of the Inca Trail. We passed a couple of camp sites for those hiking the trail. This trail undulates up and down steep passes and crosses the river in several places. My hat is off to those who choose this route to Machu Pichu. Along our remote route we passed a couple tiny communities in the Sacred Valley. Boys would run alongside the train in hopes of a snack or drink being tossed out the window to them. I tried to toss an item from my box lunch but couldn’t get the window open!
Late in the afternoon we disembarked at the train station in Aguas Calientes. This town, named for the natural hot springs there, was put on the map when Machu Pichu became a major tourist destination. It’s a stretch to call it a town because it’s only a pedestrian street filled with one hotel and restaurant after another. It mainly exists to accommodate the hordes of people traveling to Machu Pichu. It’s right on the river, nestled between towering mountains covered in tropical vegetation. The views in every direction are nothing short of dramatic.

Very early the next morning we hopped on one of the buses that take you to the entrance of Machu Picchu. The road is one switch-back after another that wind up the steep road cut into the lush mountainside. We arrived at the gate and shortly thereafter hooked up with our guide. With great anticipation we began the steady hike upward along the main path toward what is commonly called the “guard shack”. This small structure overlooks the many sections of Machu Pichu where everyday life played out. The early morning clouds obstructed our view below, so we waited. After about twenty minutes our patience was rewarded as the clouds began to dissipate revealing the spectacular sight below us. Slowly, a maze of roofless structures, walkways, fountains and aqueducts came into view. Llamas were grazing on lush grass in some of the more open areas. Our cameras leapt into action as we feasted our eyes across this mystical place! This “revealing” was certainly a dramatic introduction to the site. With our appetites whet, our guide led us through the entire site and talked about the importance this special place held in the Inca spiritual life. So much about the Inca’s, and especially this place, is left to speculation. There is evidence that this place was a sanctuary inhabited by priests, important civil officials, craftsmen, servants and virgins. The latter were a select group of young girls who were given the honor of sacrificing their lives to the sun god for the overall good of the people.

The city is divided into sections; the cemetery, jails, small dwellings and temples. Rising above the city is an astronomical observatory and a huge solar clock. Some of the structures were originally two-story with sharply peaked straw roofs. Modern architects marvel at the precision with which the individual stones were cut and assembled. Barry was absolutely dumb-founded by how snuggly each stone interlocked with its neighboring stones. He lost himself many times examining this impressive phenomenon. He’d be mesmerized and starring at some wall and I’d move on to another area. Then he would call me over and point out how this irregular shaped stone fits perfecting against adjoining stones. I must admit, it was extremely impressive as well as a bit baffling. Once again, there is only speculation as to how these craftsmen accomplished such an engineering feat in such a remote mountaintop place.

Our formal guided tour lasted about two hours and then we wandered around for another three hours on our own (well, with hundreds of other tourists actually). The crowds were not that bad, though. There were plenty of times we were alone gazing out over the thundering river miles below and gawking at the surrounding mountain peaks in all of their tropical glory. Breathtaking! We came armed with umbrellas and used them once to shade ourselves from the brutally intense sun. The adventurous, and fit, could make a perilous climb up a neighboring mountain peak which overlooks all of Machu Pichu. Personally, I was happy with the fact that I was able to manage the numerous and steep inclines within the city itself in the hot sub-tropical climate. Given to heat exhaustion quite easily, I didn’t want to take a chance. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it! Just sitting on a patch of grass and taking in the essence of this place was pleasure enough for me.

You could say that Machu Pichu was the crowning glory of our extremely fascinating travels in Peru. I enjoyed this country so much more than I ever expected to. Once our visit to Machu Pichu was complete we traveled numerous days on numerous buses all the way back to Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador. Three weeks of site seeing was adequate, but four would have allowed us to visit at least one other area that we missed. One can never see everything, so you just have to savor the experiences that you did have. That’s my other story, and I’m sticking to it!

Lake Titicaca to Cuzco

We opted for a tour bus to take us from Puno on Lake Titicaca to the city of Cuzco outside of the Inca ruins of Machu Pichu. This eight hour trip descended from the heights of the altiplano (highlands of the mountain ranges) to the floor of the awe inspiring Sacred Valley at the edge of the jungle. This was a great method of travel between these two famous tourist destinations because we stopped at different points of interest and our guide explained what we were seeing along the way. We learned that there were five different pre-Inca indigenous groups that lived in the altiplano. Our first stop was a museum that housed artifacts from civilizations that lived in the area between 500 B.C. and 400 A.D.. On display was clay pottery, used in everyday life as well as those used for ceremonial purposes, remnants of clothing and other textile items, jewelry, and even some well preserved grains which were a common part of their diet. After the museum we wandered next door to a colonial church which happened to have a wedding in progress. After taking some photos inside I went outside for more photo opportunities. I was filmig video when a man approached to introduce himself as the leader of the band that would be playing as the bride and groom exited the church. He seemed quite proud of his entourage who were biding their time sitting near the church entrance waiting for their moment of glory. They had mostly wind instruments if I remember correctly. The leader gave me one of his cards which I found humorous since it was obvious I was merely a tourist passing through. Nonetheless, he was very friendly and I was tickled by the encounter.

We boarded the bus and continued our journey through the altiplano with it’s tufts of golden growth used mostly for grazing animals. The towering mountain peaks stood majestically in the distance, one moment, and then were just outside the window the next. Streams and rivers popped into sight now and again. Glaciers were visible on distant high peaks and once there was one just outside the bus window only feet away from the highway. In two rivers, we caught a glimpse of pink flamingos.

The Andes is the longest mountain chain in the world stretching 4,500 miles from Columbia to Southern Chile and Argentina. Southern Peru contains three corridors of the Andes mountain range. There is the Occidental range to the west and the Oriental range to the east. West of the Occidental is the coastal desert and east of the Oriental is the jungle. In between these two mountain ranges is the altiplano or highlands. Our guide called our attention to the topography just as a third mountain range appeared seemingly out of nowhere. This mountain range, in between the other two, is aptly called the Central. Shortly after it’s appearance we began our nearly three thousand foot descent into the Sacred Valley, entering the department of Cuzco. Almost immediately, the monochrome treeless scenery gave way to rugged mountains with fertile valleys of green fields and scenic tree-lined rivers. It was the most green we’d seen since entering Peru nearly three weeks earlier! This welcome change in scenery was a feast to our eyes.

Tourism is the department of Cuzco’s most important economic asset because of Machu Pichu, but agriculture is it’s second. Our guide told us about several small towns we passed through before reaching the city of Cuzco. One town was known for it’s cuy, which is roasted guinea pig. Cuy is a delicacy in the mountain regions. Another town we passed through is known for it’s chicharron which is fried pork fat. Fortunately, we didn’t stop for a meal at either! We arrived in the Inca city of Cuzco about 5:00 p.m. and took a cab to our hotel which was smack dab in the middle of a noisy block of clothing stores; not the typical spot for a hotel but it turned out to be great. Inside the grounds it was quiet and tranquil; the antithesis of the environment just outside it’s gates. We could easily walk most places of interest from our hotel. We immediately made arrangements to hire a private driver for the next two days. We wanted to explore some of the numerous sights outside of the city before heading to Mach Pichu.

Our fist day of exploration was Sunday so we headed for Pisac which is known for it’s large Sunday market and it’s ancient Inca ruins. We drove for about forty-five minutes ascending and descending through scenic mountains before reaching the town. One especially pretty section of the drive wound through a heavily wooded area with lots of tall eucalyptus trees. Our first stop was the ruins where our driver waited while we climbed up and down the steep hillsides of this fascinating archaeological site. It was a workout, but the views from the higher elevations were phenomenal with the Pisac River below in the pretty valley! After our strenuous hike we enjoyed a lovely lunch in town before hitting the market. As you might guess, we did not return empty-handed. We focused on buying Christmas presents to take back home with us. It was a fun day.

The following day we had a different driver who took us further into the heart of the Sacred Valley to a town called Ollantaytambo (O-yaun-ti-tambo). During our day-long drive to Ollantaytambo we stopped at some very interesting places. Our first stop was a village terraced on the side of a hill next to an Inca archeological site. A church now stands in the center of the site using the ruins as a foundation. We happened upon a couple of Andean musicians on site filming a music video. After wandering through this small ruin site we ended up in the square in front of the church where a small market was set up. There were only a dozen or so craftsmen set up selling their handicrafts only filling a fraction of the large outdoor square. On weekends it is full of vendors and bustling with activity. Regardless, we still managed to stimulate the local economy once again! Our second stop was a site comprised of large, mysterious circles dug into the ground with each successive outer circle being larger and built at slightly higher elevation. This created circular shelves about twenty feet wide. The lowest area was about a quarter of the size of a football field. One theory is that the Inca’s used the area as an agricultural experiment of sorts, testing the effects of elevation on different crops. Another is that it was a ceremonial site. The bottom line is that they don’t know for certain. Either way, it was interesting and different from anything else we’d seen. Our third stop before entering the town of Ollantaytambo was a salt mine. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner who said that the property has been in his family for generations. A saltwater stream exits a small opening in the hillside feeding channels at various levels which direct the water to shallow pools. On average, it takes about two weeks for the water to evaporate from these pools leaving salt deposits. These are then collected by hand. We were told that most of their salt is exported to Asia. Visitors are allowed to wander freely throughout the site. We took lots of photos. The hillside glistened white as the sun danced off all those white mineral deposits. It really was a mesmerizing sight!

We arrived in Ollantaytambo on the day of Peru’s nationwide strike so the town was literally closed-up. Buses were not operating so tourists who had been here left yesterday and no new ones arrived; except us. We did have reservations at a hotel, but had to knock on the door to be let in! We were given a second-story room with a great view of the ruins which sit on the edge of this tiny town. After dumping our bags we wandered through the village. Villagers dressed in their native attire were parading through the dusty dirt roads protesting the privatization of the water. It was a real treat to not have any other tourists around. This gave us a glimpse of the local people’s life that would have been spoiled by gringos “in the mix”. Just before sunset we climbed the steep Inca ruins (those Incas must have been extremely fit!). We literally had the entire site to ourselves. We climbed and traversed and gazed in wonder at the spectacle of this city built into the face of a mountain overlooking the pretty valley below. After two nights in this charming town we deemed it our favorite one in Peru. It would have been nice to spend more time here, but Machu Pichu beckons. So, as always, stay tuned!