~~~ Machu Picchu ~~~
The train ride aboard PeruRail was a 3 hour 50 minute trip to travel the 110 kilometers (66 miles). We left the station in Cuzco promptly at 6:00 AM and were scheduled to arrive at Aguas Calientes just before 10:00. After a few minutes of travel we started to back up. We thought something may have been forgotten at the station and were going back for it. However, we soon learned that we would go forward and then backward several times along the way. It was necessary to climb the mountains which were too steep to go straight up. We consulted our map and followed along as we traveled. The first five miles took about 30 minutes. (The last part on the lower far right corner shows the bus route to Machu Picchu.)
On the way we had glorious views of the Andes. Even though everyone was tired, it was too magical to even think of sleeping and everyone had their cameras ready as snow capped mountains came into view.
Along the way we were served complimentary sandwiches and drinks and taken care of by attractive, friendly attendants. It was a very pleasant adventure.
Arriving in Aguas Calientes, officially known as Machu Picchu Pueblo, we scrambled to catch a bus, after handing our backpack over to the representative of our hotel. We were told, "every bus goes to Machu Picchu so it doesn't matter which one you get on. "
We boarded for the 25 minute 4.8 mile ride to the entrance of Machu Picchu.
With the narrow ribbon road with all its switchbacks and no guardrails, it was a bit hairy when we had to pass another bus en route. When we arrived at the top and looked down we could see the road we traveled to the top. It was no wonder it took so long to travel such a short distance.
Entering Machu Picchu we began to see views that we had only dreamed of before.
Our guide, Darwin, was just about the most passionate and emotive guide we have experienced. He presented Machu Picchu as if he had discovered it himself. In fact he has written a book entitled, "The True Story of Machu Picchu," which he offered for sale at the end of the tour. When reading or listening to a discussion about Machu Picchu it is important to remember that there are numerous theories about the nature of the site and the significance of the various buildings. Since the Incas had no written language, those who have studied the site have to rely on oral history, documents from the Spanish conquerors and artifacts. In spite of Darwin's book title, there is little that is conclusive about why Machu Picchu was built. Also, there is no conclusive evidence indicating when Machu Picchu was built -- most likely in the early 1500's. However, all that makes the whole area more interesting and adds to the wonder inspired by the total experience.
Though there is some evidence, it is not known for certain if the Spanish knew of Machu Picchu. The area only came to the attention of the world in 1911 when the American, Hiram Bingham III, was led to it by a local farmer. Today, 300,000 people visit annually and pay the $20 admission fee.
In his 2-hour lecture/guided tour Darwin did bring the area alive to us with his unique interpretations, while keeping a pace that was comfortable for people. We were very pleased with how well Tom did with the climbing and steps, some that were very difficult.
The "Temple of the Condor" was one of the many sites that Darwin showed us. The condor was an important symbol to the Incas -- along with the puma and the serpent. Here if you look carefully you can see the out-stretched wings in the back and the beak in the front of the picture.According to Darwin, the cave behind the body of the condor was used to house mummies and animal sacrifices were performed on the stone body of the bird.
Everywhere we looked each vantage point was more breathtaking than the last.
As we looked about we saw llamas and alpaca grazing in the area.
Then as the tour ended and we had time to explore on our own, we took time to just sit and meditate in the area.
What a perfect day in a perfect spot.
Back down in the valley, in the city of Aguas Calientes, we easily found our hotel, Hatuchay Tower. We were absolutely thrilled with the choice. From our large wall of windows we had this view of the raging rapids of the Urubamba River.
A park and walkway fronted the river and we knew that we would want to further explore this area the next day. Meanwhile, we knew that we would sleep soundly that night with the sound of the rushing water lulling us to sleep.
We also were pleased to meet the proprietress of the hotel, Rosita, who we found to be very charming, friendly and helpful.
The food at all of our complimentary breakfasts was good and we had especially enjoyed all the fresh fruit, including papaya, pineapple, melon and tuna, the fruit of cactus. At this hotel, breakfast surpassed the others that we had had and included potatoes fried with onions. We were still a bit queasy from the altitude but managed to enjoy this good spread. Marie found the anise tea to be refreshing and we finally figured out, thanks to Rosita's instructions, that the essence of coffee was supposed to have hot water added before drinking it. Tom loves his coffee strong, but the coffee here in Peru was stronger than any he had ever tasted. So we were glad we figured that out.
We had a choice to go back to Machu Picchu for a major part of the day or spend the day exploring the area around Aguas Calientes. We chose the latter. It looked interesting and we wanted to relax and just experience the culture a bit.
Without a doubt, this town caters to tourists. Here we saw the largest display of wares that we had seen throughout our tour. Row after row of vendors pushing their products and calling out to get our attention. "For you a special price!" they would shout in an effort to get us to buy something. We probably would have bought a lot there if we weren't short of money at that point. We had gotten some money from a cash machine before leaving Lima, and didn't need much in Cuzco. We discovered that there were no cash machines in this entire area and no one took credit cards. Since there was nothing we really needed, we browsed but didn't buy.
Mostly we just enjoyed the sights and sounds.
We spent much of our time sitting by the river and taking in the awesome scenery. It was a peaceful, beautiful day, again with blue skies and floating clouds. The temperature again was in the 70s except for brief periods of cooler moments when the breeze picked up and the clouds drifted across the sun.
The promised rain showers, that usually occur periodically throughout the day in this season, never materialized and we were not disappointed that we did not need our rain gear.
We were fascinated by the huge rock formations on the side of the mountains. This one looked just like an African mask to us. We could see the eyes, mouth, nose and hair.
We had vouchers for lunch at Inkaterra Cafe, located at the Pueblo Hotel. We were told by Rosita and others that is was a fine restaurant and we decided to find it on our own. Our first journey up and down steps and through narrow muddy streets, in this town built on the step slopes of the mountains, was definitely the circuitous route. It seemed that the most direct route would be through the train station but passage to it was closed, for security reasons. When we walked back to the river and to the Hatuchay Tower, we listened more carefully to Rosita's instructions and followed a more direct route.
We looked forward to tasting Peruvian food with great eagerness. We knew we would like it and we were disappointed that for several days of our trip our stomachs told us to eat very little and carefully. We decided to sample a little of everything from the munificent buffet offered and were delighted with everything we tried. Marie was thrilled with the thick sweet potato chips and Tom especially liked the various salads.
While eating we were entertained by Peruvian musicians, something else we had looked forward to with eagerness. We had heard live Peruvian music in Tokyo, Japan; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Munich, Germany and other places in the world. We wanted to hear it in Peru. This group was good. Of course they were selling their CDs. We wished we had waited to buy theirs instead of the ones we had bought earlier.
Soon it was time to board the train for the return trip to Cuzco on our way back to Lima and then back home.
Our return trip to Cuzco and Lima
