Chapter 9 - Perú Loving - Part 3 - Machu Picchu

Life In Chile

Chapter 9 - Perú Loving - Part 3 - Machu Picchu
(June 2014)
3 Months to go 

After waking up fairly early and enjoying a tasty breakfast at our hotel, we made our way through the colourful markets to the bus station in Aguas Calientes.  To be fair, the bus tickets for the journey up to the Lost City of the Incas were an absolute rip off, but we had no other option but to pay the 100+ Peruvian soles and the price was quickly forgotten once we had begun the climb.  As we zigzagged our way up the mountains, we were left speechless by the breathtaking views of the valleys and the mountains and this was before we had even reached the ‘Wonder of the World’.  The weather was perfect and with each meter we ascended, we were more and more excited to check it out!!

Half an hour later, we reached the Entrance and were ready for what would turn out to be one of the best days of our lives!!  With our map and cameras at the ready, we entered and began wandering around.  We had originally planned to get up to Machu Picchu for sunrise, but this didn't happen as our bed was too comfy, or should I say, we were LAZY ;).  However, as we walked around, it quickly became apparent from overhearing other people speaking, that the sunrise that morning was useless due to poor overcast conditions.. result!! Obviously we were then no longer bothered in the slightest that we had not woken up early for the sunrise!!  We had an hour to kill before our hike up Huayna Picchu (although half of that time I spent walking from the meeting point to the toilets at the entrance and back!! Whoopsie, where was my mum to check if I needed the toilets when we were next to them haha!!).

We started our hike at 10.00am in the second group of 200 people (only 400 are allowed to do it a day) and were pretty much the last ones to embark on the mother of all walks.  It must have taken about 1hr 15mins to reach the top.  We found ourselves stopping every so often to rest and have a drink.  It was so hot and we couldn't believe how steep some parts were.  A kind older Spanish couple offered us some crisps at one point as we must have looked so shattered!!

When we reached the top, we realised it was definitely worth all the effort.  The views were incredible.  We chilled on the side of the mountain and were pretty much alone, as everyone else had already moved on.  It was quite a surreal experience.  Obviously many photos were taken.  It was also crazy how tiny the city of Machu Picchu looked from where we were; we really were so much higher than it!!

Eventually we were instructed to make our way back down, which turned out to be a challenge in itself as the steps were steep and there were often sheer cliff drops at the sides which wouldn't be much fun if you were to fall.  It probably took us about 45 minutes to make it back to Machu Picchu as we arrived at about 1.30pm.

We stopped for a bite to eat on a ledge overlooking the main square.  Josh accidentally knocked the camera off the ledge and down onto the grass so he went off with some security guards to find a way down to recover it.. only him!!  We then used our map to follow our way around the trail and see all the main points of the city i.e. the temple of the sun, various tombs, the condor temple, the main gate coca plants (which can be made into cocaine apparently) etc.  We hadn't paid for a guide, but we really didn't need to.  Wherever we stopped, there were at least 3-4 other groups with guides so we would just stop and eavesdrops for a couple of minutes - some of the groups were so big we couldn't pass them so had to stop anyway…..what a shame haha!

With each stop we made, the views and scenery seemed even more impressive.  We literally must have taken about 3000 photos, seriously!  The city really was stunning and it was so cool to be there.

We also found some llamas wandering around too which was amazing.. obviously we took photos of them too. 

The finale for the day was up by the House of the Guardians.  The view from there was the postcard picture that everyone loves.  By this time, it was getting late and the park was almost empty.  We were so tired but it had been an incredible day.  

On our way out, we got our passports stamped with the Machu Picchu stamp - not strictly legal (so please keep it schtum haha!) but a good souvenir!!  We got the bus back down the mountain, picked up the rest of our stuff from the hotel, bought a few more souvenirs in the market and got the train (on-time) back to Cuzco.  On the train we were given a goodie bag for complaining about the first train being late which was a bonus haha.  

But Josh being special Josh got way to into telling me a story, about the Guinea Pig that he ate, he knocked over his Inca Cola drink all over his lap so it was an average journey at best!!

Finally we thought we were going to make it back to Cuzco without any hiccups, but it took forever for our colectivo to fill up in Ollantaytambo once we got off the train, and when we finally did leave, the only road out of the city was shut down for the evening as there was a street party for the villages Saint.  I honestly wanted to cry; all I wanted was to get back to our hotel and sleep!!!! We were shattered! 

Finally we arrived at our beautiful hotel and fell straight onto our beds and fell straight asleep WAHOOOO!!!!!

What an amazing few days we have had in Peru, memories that we will never forget!! We are so lucky to of been able to have the opportunity to experience this incredible wonder of the world!!!

Thank you Peru!

You have been an absolute treat :)