Mystic (misty) Machu Picchu

On this year’s first day of Chinese New Year (23 January 2012), I accomplished a life-long dream – I conquered Machu Picchu! It is one of the new 7 wonders of the world and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1980s. The lost city was built by the Inca Empire and was not discovered until an American, Hiram Bingham found it in 1911.

I had imagine myself doing the Inca trail and reaching the lost city at the end of the hike, but in reality, we took the train to Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu town) and stayed overnight before taking the bus the next morning to Machu Picchu. Our accommodation @ Aguas Calientes was screwed up as the booking agency did not confirm the reservation, and the address was incorrect. By the time we found Hostel Continental, we were shocked that it was an empty building! It felt almost haunted as the doors were closed tight and it looked like it was undergoing renovation (no mention of this on its website!). We were utterly disappointed and I, in particular, was terribly annoyed by the situation (inefficiencies irked the hell out of me). We had no choice but to look for a new place to stay and fortunately, accommodations abound in Aguas Calientes since tourism is its bread and butter. We found a cheap hostel (S50/night!) and the room was downright basic. It was noisy since the room was just above the main street but we managed to catch some sleep.

Tip: We took Perurail from Ollantytambo to Aguas Calientes. The two-way trip cost us US$210 for two persons. The office is located next to the Cusco Cathedral. 

Tip: Best to buy the bus tickets (Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu) one day ahead to avoid having to queue on actual departure time. Pay in US$ (US$34 for 2 persons, 2-way) as it’s cheaper than paying in Peruvian Soles. 

Tip: Buy the entrance tickets to Machu Picchu from the Tourism Information Centre in Cusco – they have a printer so no hassle on printing. It cost S128 per person.

Tip: Unless you’re super adventurous, skip Inca trail cos’ it’s quite expensive. Doing what we did, we saved couple of hundred bucks. 

The next morning we woke up at 5.30AM and arrived to the foot of Machu Picchu at 6.45AM (we took the 6.15AM train) and it was raining. What a disappointment! I felt quite devastated that my pix of the place would be all dark and grey but blue eyes was in good spirit.

The idea of this trip is not to see Machu Picchu in perfect weather. The idea of this trip is to escape the rat race and live a little differently.

We waited until 7.30AM and decided to go up anyway despite the rain. The rock steps up were high and we couldn’t see very much as it was misty and foggy. We had an umbrella with us while most of the visitors had wisely brought their raincoat. Fortunately the rain wasn’t that heavy and so our umbrella was sufficient to shield us from the rain.

Machu Picchu was built in the 1400s by the Incas and it was noted historically that the Spanish did not find the Inca site, and as such, it was better preserved than other Inca sites in the country. Located over 2,400 metres above sea level, Machu Picchu boasts a gorgeous view, surrounded by mountains all around. The irrigation system is intelligently developed, considering the time it was built. We stood amazed at the huge rocks that founded the site – how in the world they managed to do all this without modern construction? The terraced area was designed for agriculture activities and stone steps were built for walking between the terrace. Inca homes on the other side has triangle roof with small windows. Higher up was the Intihuatana stone, which a tour guide described as the calendar ‘clock’ for the Incas.

 

After about an hour of drizzle, the sun started to shine over the historical site and the clouds began to clear, giving way to some blue skies. Yay!

Tip: Best to visit Machu Picchu early in the morning before the first train arrives just before 10AM, bringing huge number of tourists. Unless you don’t mind the crowd of course. 

The crowd started to grow bigger but by that time we were heading towards the higher ground of Machu Picchu and did not coincide with the huge tourist groups that started at the bottom level of the site. We took a break at one of the terraced area and sat watching the bustle below. The sun was shining by this time and it was calming to just absorb the view before us. It is quite a majestic sight and we’re really lucky that the rain hasn’t continued.

Tip: Bring some energy snacks ie. muesli bars, choc, bananas plus water, and try to visit the toilet before going up – there’s nowhere to answer nature’s call when you’re up at the site 😉

We found a path leading to the Inca bridge so we decided to check it out. My feet felt wobbly walking on the trail leading to the bridge since it’s a long way down. The bridge was a narrow  one, made from several woods, followed by stones, lined one after another. The entrance is blocked to hinder anyone trying to use the bridge.

We finally left Machu Picchu at 12.30PM and reached Aguas Calientes at 1PM. We took a leisure lunch and rewarded ourselves with a glass of caipiroska and mojito each. It felt good that we finally had the chance to visit Machu Picchu. It was well worth all the stress and energy.