Machu Picchu
Peru
We had purchased our Machu Picchu tickets the day before in Aguas Calientes, with a 7 a.m. entry time. The shuttle bus arrangement seemed far too hectic for us, so we rose early for the 4 km trek up to the entrance. For the first 2 km we retraced our steps out of town along the river before turning off at the base of a mountain. From there it was all stairs and tall rocks leading directly up the vertical slope. It was 40 minutes of non-stop climbing and sweating before we finally arrived at the gate.
Given the intense cloud cover we had experienced over the last few days, we weren't expecting miracles today. Much to our surprise, the skies were actually clear, although the persistent haze hadn't abated. With a little negotiation we picked up a guide outside the gate then made our way in with hundreds of other tourists, following circuit 2A (the classic, and most popular, route).
One of the first stops was a lookout over the vast majority of the ruins (the iconic shot you see in advertising campaigns), and it was the best view we would have all day. Even though the sun was still low in the sky and the haze was giving the scene a mysterious quality, I would have preferred to see the ruins with better lighting. On the plus side, it was so early that there were very few other tourists spoiling the photos.
Next we meandered through the ruins, our guide pointing out interesting sights and landmarks that we wouldn't have noticed or understood by ourselves. He filled us in about the of history of the Inca Empire and Machu Picchu, and made comparisons to other civilisations around the world. His photos of the site back when it was rediscovered in 1911 were fascinating as well. In the end, we definitely felt it was worth hiring an expert. (I won’t go into detail about our visit here, as I would surely make a mess of it and you really have to see and experience it for yourself.)
Overall, Machu Picchu was undoubtedly a phenomenal place, with almost 70% of the buildings completely original (some had been restored and a few bits and pieces were new, such as the straw roofs on a handful of buildings). What the Inca were able to achieve without the tools and technology we have today is mind-blowing. Splitting up the tourists over several different circuits was definitely a good idea, so it never felt like we were stuck in an endless cue. While we were glad to have seen it with our own eyes, the hype surrounding Machu Picchu may have unjustly heightened our expectations. We thought it was going to be bigger, grander or more expansive, with more to see and and explore. Other less well-known ruins we had visited in the past had impressed us more, even though they weren't as complete or intact as Machu Picchu.
Once we had made our way down the thousands of stone steps back to Aguas Calientes, I decided I wanted to return the next day to scale Huayna Picchu (known as circuit 3A), a mountain that would give me an overhead view of the ruins. Again I went through the lengthy procedure of purchasing a ticket in Aguas Calientes, and thankfully I could buy the route and entrance time I was after. Hopefully the weather would be just as kind for me tomorrow and that the experience would give me the wow factor I was looking for.
The weather was just as hazy as yesterday, which wasn’t ideal for viewing ruins from atop a mountain. Once again I climbed up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes, knowing how to pace myself better but not managing to reduce the sweat levels at all. To reach Huayna Picchu from the entrance, I wandered through a different section of the site to yesterday, including a couple of the more prominent temples (they just looked like all the other buildings). Without a guide I spent more time examining the ruins rather than listening to someone talk, which allowed me to appreciate them in a new light.
An hour later I arrived at the foot of the Huayna Picchu, and in a large group we slowly ascended the stairs of the mountain (Huayna Picchu translates as 'young mountain', as opposed to Machu Picchu, which means 'old mountain'). The gradient here was steeper than that coming up from Aguas Calientes, and at times only the ball of my foot would fit on the stone steps. The conga line moved slowly - overtaking was almost impossible on the narrow path. On the way we passed a couple of small ruins, making me wonder how they were constructed on the side on this vertical peak.
It took a little over half an hour to reach the summit, composed of a jumble of large rocks where only a few people could gather at a time. The haze was not on my side, and I was left staring at an vague pale green patch way below me. It wasn't the view I was hoping for. Like yesterday, I spent 3 hours inside the site, but this time I could go away feeling like I had seen all that Machu Picchu had to offer.
