Machu Picchu

What a day. Despite how I felt, I am very very glad I chose to go through with this tour. I understand now why Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world. Today was one of my favorite days of the trip.

The alarm went off a 3am, I jumped out of bed, and ran straight to the bathroom. At this point, I could easily avoid all of the creaky spots in the floor after visiting the toilet many times throughout the night. Got ready, packed up, and the shuttle picked me up right at 3:30am on the dot. After a few more stops, the shuttle drove us out of Cusco and into more rural areas. The sun began to rise just as we approached the Ollantaytambo train station around 5:30am (yes, it took me 10x tries to spell and say this name correctly). I was surprised how much the drive felt like a trip down I-70 with the mountains to one side and the river on the other.

Here, a few shops were open to sell snacks and coffee. I hopped on the PeruRail and found my seat in the expedition car. This is the “second class” coach – the “vistadome” is their higher-end seat service which features a full 360 degree dome to see the valley. However, the expedition car still had ceiling windows and plenty of viewing points. The train left around 5:45am and took passengers all the way to the town of Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu Pueblo). However, along the way, it made one stop to let people off who were hiking the 4-day Inca trail. I will get into this more later, but it is a definite must-do next time I come. In Aguas Calientes, I met my guide, purchased my entry ticket, ate some breaky, and took enough Advil, Tylenol, and Imodium to tranquilize a horse.

Here are some pics of the Machu Picchu Pueblo.

Because it’s the low-season, getting a pass for Machu Picchu was relatively simple and unproblematic. However, it is definitely worth reserving ahead next time especially with larger crowds. Once the small group was ready, the guide took us to the Machu Picchu bus station, the last leg of the journey to the Incan city. The dirt road navigated its way up the mountainside through a series of several switchbacks until we reached the top. There is also a 1.7km trail from the town to the top which would be fun next time as well. On the way up, I listened to the soundtrack from Avatar, which seemed fitting given the immense scope of the mountains which did indeed feel like they were floating.

Finally, we entered Machu Picchu. 4 different circuits were implemented after Covid that navigate different parts of the city. Our tour took us on Circuit 2, which included the high lookout point where the iconic Machu Picchu pictures are taken. The guide was named Edwin, and he frequently checked with me to ensure that I understood all the facts (he was speaking in only Spanish). We began on the agricultural side of the city which features layers of terraces. Here, llamas were chillin and people were taking their selfies.

Edwin explained how the Incan empire actually contained many many more cities, Machu Picchu being only one of them. On the Inca trail, visitors will see more of these sites along their way to Machu Picchu. What’s great is that the hiking guides actually carry most of the camping gear and they cook all the meals too.

I remember reading about the bureaucratic form of government of the Incas, and it was cool to finally see it in action. The Incan king lived in Cusco, the capital city of the empire, while the chiefs each resided in a different city.

Edwin then change the topic to Hiram Bingham, the American from Yale who rediscovered Machu Picchu. Edwin made sure to stress that Bingham RE-discovered the city, not discovered for the first time. He explained how Bingham had taken most of the artifacts back to the US to be studied by the vast amount of scholars. According to Edwin, since then, only 20% of the intellectuals and artifacts have returned to Peru, which is a shame. On a different note, Edwin gave us all Coca leaves to chew on to help with the elevation and provide a boost of natural energy.

We then walked down into the city itself, where the temples, houses, and amphitheater all resided. It is crazy how the Inca people were such great astronomers and how their buildings integrated solar and lunar patterns. As well, their tax system was centered around labor, not money. Citizens would dedicate 2-3 months of the year to work different jobs to help the city overall. Incan architects designed doors and windows in trapezoidal shapes to aid structural stability during seismic activity.

In total, the circuit took about 2.5 hrs to complete. Once finished, I took the bus back down to the town, got an earlier train ticket back to Ollantaytambo, and bussed home, arriving in Cusco around 6:30pm. Overall, the scenery and awe of the city was incredible. It amazed me how much care and thought was put into every aspect of its design and construction. Imagine if car or phone companies put that much effort in nowadays.

I met up with Sergio and Katarina at their hostel to say a final goodbye. They had a burger bar open, which was perfect cuz I was starving. The last supper 🙁 But all in all, a very successful day.