MACHU PICCHU (meaning "Old Mountain in the Quechua Indian language) is set high in the Andes Mountains, (approx. 2,430 metres above sea level) above the Urubamba River valley and was built in the 15th century by the Incas, but later abandoned. It is believed to have been constructed as an estate for the Inca Emporer Pachacuti. It's polished dry-stone walls are fused precisely together by huge blocks, without the use of mortar and wedged so closely that a credit card cannot fit between, and are all erected in astronomical alignment. The site comprises of houses, temples, a guard house, sun dial, water fountains, ceremonial buildings and sanctuaries and was only known by the local people until Yale Professor Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911. This engineering marvel is the most visited tourist destination in Peru and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
The big day has arrived and there was not a cloud in the sky. We walked downhill to the station to catch our Peru Rail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, in the chill of the early morning. The 1-1/2 hour train journey was scenic every inch of the way, firstly along the beautiful river, with snow capped mountains to be seen through the glass roof. We wound our way through tiny towns and began the assent to dizzy heights. After alighting the train, we hopped into one of the many buses to take us on the 1/2 hour 'scary' ride up a narrow dirt road with oncoming buses and numerous hairpin bends to contend with. Finally, we were at the entry point of "Machu Picchu".
Our guide, Edgar, was excellent and very enthused to be taking us on this magical mystery tour. From the onset, we quickly realised that this was not going to be a 'walk in the park' and almost immediately we began climbing the massive, uneven, sometimes narrow, stone steps. Every so often we stopped to catch our breath and rest our legs, whilst Edgar happily encouraged us on whilst telling us the history of this incredible vision which was about to unfold before our eyes.
Voilla!!!.... the sheer sight of these archaeological remains was totally breathtaking – 100 times better than the postcards. It's hard to believe that most of the building material was carried sometimes for miles, and by many thousands of workers up this mighty mountain to create this Inca city. The roofs of these buildings were made of grass and branches, but not to be seen anymore. The grass was lush and green and families of llamas strolled around, oblivious of the tourists.
Again, my photos will not do this awesome scenery justice.
There are far too many locations and points of interest to write down here but we spent close to 3 hours exploring. The distant views of the mountainous surrounds was also picture perfect, but the angry clouds were also heading our way.
Sadly, after getting our passports stamped "Machu Picchu" it was the end of our journey, and time to bid farewell to this wondrous part of the world, just as it began to sprinkle :(
It was back in the bus for a crazy, fast ride down the mountain!! How lucky we were to have been on the morning tour as upon reaching ground level at Aguas Calientes, the heavens opened and it absolutely poured for the next couple of hours.
We ate the most awesome lunch at the restaurant 'Chullpi', consisting of one of the nicest salads we've ever eaten, followed by a beautiful piece of pork (the waiter kept telling Colin it was 'guinea pig') topped with a small piece of crackling on a bed of mashed sweet potato/ banana and lime – it looked like tomato paste but we were very pleasantly surprised as it was delicious. Dessert was a diced fruit salad with a fresh strawberry sauce washed down with my first, and hope not last, "Pisco Sour"…. yummo!!!
The market place here was enormous with a ridiculous maze of stalls, most of which were displaying the same or similar items. Unfortunately, because of the pouring rain we were stranded there for over an hour before we caught our train back to Ollanta.
The train journey was so much fun as there was a fashion parade by the onboard crew and as they're such a good looking race of people, all the clothes they modelled down the aisle of our carriage, looked beautiful, on them! Not sure how we did it after that fabulous lunch but we scoffed down a piece of chocolate cake and coffee, well knowing that dinner was also on our agenda in around an hour!!
On embarking the train in Ollanta, we walked straight into Café Mayu, for our last dinner together and how we pushed in more food, still amazes me. The café and food were excellent though – clear veg soup, followed by couscous and small pieces of chicken stuffed with cheese and topped with mushroom sauce, and finishing with a tiny chocolate mousse in a pastry shell…. washed down with water!!
It was a long and tiring walk up the hill to yet another bus and our 2 hour journey back to Cusco – the lucky ones had a quick nap during on the bus. It was after 11pm when we arrived at the hotel, 'Abittare Cusco'. Our room was warm and welcoming, but sadly, despite walls which were about half a metre thick, the floors were timber and so were the doors. There was not much sleep had by any of us as people arrived and departed at all hours of the night and clumped their suitcases down the two-story stairwells, and along the cobblestone courtyard, all talking very loudly!!
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