Once in the minibus from our campsite after breakfast, we had a comfortable drive through the Sacred Valley where we stopped back in Ollayantaytambo for lunch. We then boarded the Perurail train which would take us on a one and a half hour ride over 27 miles up to Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu town. Queuing up for the train alongside its deep royal blue coloured carriages, I showed my passport so the conductor could check it off against my ticket, and hopped impatiently from foot to foot to be let onboard. I felt dirty and tired and couldn’t wait for a shower at the other end!
The train set off and slowly made its way alongside the raging river, which violently hurled itself against the river’s bank and boulders, both reminding me of and making me want a chocolate milkshake! Snacks were served on board and I passed the time by playing cards with the others and reading my book.
When we got to the town there was a magical atmosphere in the air. I could see the high mountains reaching up around us and knew how close we were to Machu Picchu. All around were backpackers wandering about and locals selling their wares, and rows upon rows of market stalls and souvenirs to buy. I suddenly felt really excited. We made our way through the streets to the hostel and I had a hot shower and sent my dirty clothes off for washing.
The evening was spent wandering around the town and watching the chocolate river rushing through it whilst I tried to find an electrical store that might have a charger for my camera. One of the trek guides had said some stores would charge your battery up for you for a fee, but after about 10 stores saying no and a woman in one store who left me waiting for a whole hour and never came back (I only stayed because I was desperate to charge my battery and had already asked everyone I could find in the hostel with similar cameras), I finally admitted defeat when two guys in my group found me sitting dejectedly in the internet cafe (waiting for the woman who never came back) and took me to get some fried chicken.
Our group and another group then went for dinner and we excitedly chatted about the next day, as well as the whole ‘where are you from, where have you been, where are you going’ chat that you have with fellow travellers on journeys. I later spent a couple of hours in an internet cafe writing up the day’s adventures and then headed home to get some sleep before the 5.30am start for Machu Picchu the next morning.
Monday 28th February
I woke at 4.30am to hear someone from my group singing down the corridor the Lady Gaga song ‘Alejandro’. There was a conductor on the Perurail train the day before with the name badge ‘Álejandro’ and the song had obviously stuck in his head, for he had been singing it ever since. Now annoyingly, it was stuck in mine too!
I dressed quickly and decided to wear my new happy pants for the trip. It was impossible to know what weather to expect as it was still dark outside or even if going early for sunrise would be worth it, but I decided to hope for the best and dress light. We climbed aboard a coach and it felt like forever waiting for it to fill up with people who had booked tickets. Eventually we set off, up the mountain.
Driving up the steep zig-zag roads the mountains loomed up all around us, and as I studied their beauty and the famous Wayna Picchu mountain came into the view I can’t quite explain how emotional I felt, to finally be seeing this amazing sight with my own eyes and not just in books or on TV.
We finally reached the top and went through the ticket area, again showing our passports. It was still very early and at first I was slightly disappointed to not be able to see the site properly, as it was cloaked in a thick blanket of morning mist and cloud.
We decided to make our way to the Inca bridge which took about 20 minutes on foot, and is all that remains of what some people believe is an old escape route across the mountain, in the form of a tiny rickety little bridge jutting out of the cliff side. No one knows really why the Incas left Machu Picchu so there is a lot of mystery surrounding the famous site. The Inca bridge we went to is the one to the west of the site known as the ‘tree trunk bridge’; there also used to be a rope bridge at the site which provided a secret entrance for the Inca army. The spot of the tree trunk bridge was considered to be of vital strategic importance for the defense of the site. A 20ft (six metre) gap was left in the carved cliff edge with a 1,900 foot drop below, which was bridged by a pair of tree trunks. In times of danger the trunks could be withdrawn to make the site unassailable.
Heading back to the main site, I stopped to take some photos and found I was completely on my own on the stone path, some of which was cut into the cliff face itself, with heart-stopping sheer drops falling away below me and no railings should I trip and fall! If there was anywhere that you could feel the ghosts of the past so strongly, this was it. Cobwebs glistened with morning dew on old twisted tree branches hanging above the paths and well-carved and trodden boulders would have told many stories if only they could talk. Some places along the way I stopped and listened and could hear the chirping of little birds in the trees above me on the cliff path; other times the air was strangely quiet, not a sound.
Arriving back at the main point, a group of llamas milled around trying to avoid the many tourists who excitedly pointed their cameras at them as if they’d never seen a llama before in their life. I watched a group of people holding onto each other as one of them took a photo of something over the edge of the cliff face. When they’d gone I could see it looked like a little family of rabbits – later I found out they were in fact brown chinchillas!
We met our guide and he took us around the site, explaining some of the history. Machu Picchu is a pre-Colombian 15th Century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 feet) above sea-level, and is situated on a mountain ridge high above the Urubamba valley with the Urubamba river surrounding the site on three sides. Most archaeologists now believe the site was built as an estate for the Inca Emperor Pachacuti (1439-72) although it’s also believed to be a sacred, religious site because of its location – the site is built on and around mountains that hold high religious importance in the Inca culture, and in the previous culture that occupied the land.
The type of stylistic stonework found here is also only found at other religious sites. It is often referred to as the ‘City of the Incas’ and was built around 1450 and abandoned 100 years later around the time of the Spanish Conquest. However, the site was never discovered by the Spanish during their conquest, and the types of sacred rocks defaced by the Conquistadors in other locations are untouched at Machu Picchu, so the place is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site.
As the morning mist cleared it revealed a perfect warm, sunny day and the full beauty and wonder of Machu Picchu was revealed. I couldn’t have hoped for a better day to visit this famous site and spent a good few hours wondering around on my own, taking photos until the batteries eventually died, and relaxing on the terraces staring out at the mountain ahead whilst the brown chocolate milk river rushed far below in the valley.
There really is no way to properly explain, or show, Machu Picchu, you just have to visit it for yourself.
The site itself is divided into two main sections known as the Urban and Agricultural sectors, divided by a wall. The central buildings use the classic Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape – the Incas were masters of the technique, called ‘ashlar’ in which blocks of stone are cut to fit tightly together without mortar. Many are so perfect it’s said not a knife or even a blade of grass can fit between them. Peru is also highly seismic land and the mortar-free construction is more earthquake-resistant than using mortar, meaning the walls can move slightly and resettle without collapsing.
The way the various buildings have been built is fascinating and helps protect them collapsing in an earthquake. Windows and doors tilt inward from top to bottom and are trapezoidal, corners are usually rounded and inside corners often incline slightly into the rooms. ‘L’-shaped blocks can be seen in many places, used to tie outside corners of the structure together. The walls don’t rise straight from the bottom up but are offset slightly from row to row. How the Incas moved and placed the enormous blocks of stone to this day still remains a mystery, as it’s thought they never used the wheel in any real practical manner but may have used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes.
The whole site is made up of 140 structures or features, including temples, parks and residences. The royalty area was a sector for the nobility and is comprised of a group of houses located in rows over a slope. I saw a lot of stone steps – there are over one hundred flights, often carved completely from a single block of granite and some of them just disappeared into the rock face, not seeming to lead anywhere! Numerous water fountains can also be seen, which were interconnected by channels and water-drains perforated in the rock, designed for the original irrigation system.
All in all the general tour I had at Machu Picchu was very good, but the site is big enough and mysterious enough that especially when walking further around it afterwards I simply didn’t know what many of the things were that I was looking at. I would definitely recommend taking a guide of your own if you go, or do your research beforehand, as it’s never quite as exciting as finding out what things are after the event, when all you have are photos!
Around lunchtime I decided to leave and caught one of the buses to take me back into Machu Picchu town. I was meeting the rest of the group after lunch to get ready to leave for our next destination, so relaxed alone for a while in the main square with some food and a nice glass of red wine, watching people go by.
The town was previously known by the name ‘Aguas Calientes’ until the late 1990s when it was changed to the same name as the ruins, making it instantly recognisable around the world. There is definitely a real feeling of magic and excitement in the town being close to such an amazing and mysterious archaeological site, and it is easy to relax and wander about in, in peace, as there are no cars in the town apart from the buses that shuttle tourists up and down the mountain. The town also has one main attraction in itself: the thermal baths. I didn’t get to see these sadly as we weren’t there for long enough, but they are hot open pools on top of a hill with a stunning view. The waters are reputedly medicinal and next time I am there I think they’d be great to rest and recuperate in after the long Inca Trail!
Once reunited with the group we boarded the Perurail train and begun the one and a half hour journey back to Ollyantaytambo. I think the early start and the morning’s excitement had worn me out because I promptly passed out and only awoke to the train rolling into the station. We then climbed into a minibus for another few hours heading back into Cusco. We arrived there when it was dark, around 7.30pm. I had originally planned to relax and take it easy after the early start but everyone was on such a high from the magical day and from the previous trek we all agreed that tonight should be a night of celebration, so we decided to change and meet in an hour for dinner and a salsa club that a couple of the group had discovered the last time we visited!
The night was amazing and one I shall remember for years to come. Everyone in my group also agreed it was the best night of its sort that they’d had in years. After dinner we went to Mythology, a club on the square. After an evening salsa session, it turned into a normal club with a good DJ playing recent and classic songs and a really exciting vibe. I went up to order my first drink and made friends with a girl dancing on the bar. Before I knew it I was up there beside her, soon followed by some of the girls in my or the other trek group. We made loads of friends and met lots of people, all from different places with different stories to tell. Clubs like this, when travelling, are by far my favourite and I would choose a night like this over any back home in London.
Wednesday 2nd March
I spent a couple of beautiful sunny days exploring Cusco and enjoying the lively atmosphere. On the last day I went with the others to a little terrace restaurant off one of the squares to have lunch in the sun, but before we knew it one by one street sellers started coming off the road to ask us to look at their wares. After about the 15th ´No, gracias´ and the third complaint to the restaurant manager who did nothing, we decided to pay for our drinks and leave and go elsewhere. We eventually found a quiet restaurant up high overlooking the main square where we could relax.
As 7pm approached a minibus was due to come and pick us up to take us from the hostel to the bus station where we would catch a night bus to Arequipa. As the day faded and the golden lights of Cusco came on I took one last stroll around the city with my camera. I recognised some people I had seen two days earlier at Machu Picchu, although I didn’t stop to talk to them. I felt really sad at leaving this beautiful Inca town, after an amazing few days of adventure – I felt I hadn’t explored enough or spent enough time there. But sadly time had run out, and as our minibus rattled over the cobbles through the main square for the last time, I watched out of the window with a heavy heart.