Who hasn't seen pictures of the legendary Machu Picchu and
instantly said “I want to go there some day; I want to see it with my own eyes”? For us, that day – etched in bold letters in
the calendar of our lives – will forever be June 24, 2014.
The idea has been there for a while, but it materialized as I
wanted to make the most of this two-week South American escapade we embarked
upon. A $600 LAN ticket covering 6
flights on the itinerary Rio [blog link here] - São Paulo - Buenos Aires [link here] - Lima - Cusco - Lima - Guayaquil
even made that easy on the budget.
What’s not easy, however, are the logistics required to turn this trip
into reality. It is a difficult place to
get to. Sure, one can take the easy
route, call a travel agent with dates and just show up [which is technically
what my travel companions have done, me being their “travel agent”] but where is
the fun in that? For me, half the fun in
going anywhere is the planning process; it makes you learn so much about the
place without even realizing it…
That, plus I’m a bit of a control freak!
Now, then…
If you’re interested in the “how”, skip towards the bottom
of this post; I’m not going to bore everyone else with those details.
For everyone else, here’s the “what”:
As your plane descend over the Andes I hope you asked for a
window seat, as you wouldn't want to miss the breathtaking scenery unfolding
once you get under the blanket of clouds.
The jagged edges look frightening as the valley opens up below and all I
could think of was how determined the Spaniards had to be (or how hungry for
gold and riches) to come this far inland, over the tallest mountains outside of
Asia, to destroy the Inca civilization…
One surely takes to philosophizing (is that a word?) about the sheer willpower
and determination of Man to discover and conquer things, when one actually
realizes how small one is in the face of nature; how microscopically minuscule
one actually IS in the grand scheme
of things… yet, despite that diminutive size, how much has Man been able to shape
and transform over the years this world we live in… Changed permanently (or
temporarily) for good or bad…
Contemplation minute over as the landing gear touches ground
and jolts us from the seats.
The “International” Cusco airport is small, but it has
apparently grown with the tourist influx over the last few years (to the tune
of about 2 million visitors a year).
You’re immediately reminded you’re in a tourist destination, as an
Inca-costumed fellow invites you to the first photo opp. Might as well get used to it while you’re
here…
Speaking of getting used to, one thing that will surely take
a couple days to get used to is the altitude.
Cusco is 11,200 feet (3,400 meters) above sea level, after all,
something that your body will immediately alert you of. Drink plenty of water, as your body
dehydrates a lot faster at altitude, take it easy at first, and feel free to
use some altitude sickness medication (Diamox seems to be popular). Alternatively, coca tea and muña tea are the
more natural choices (although the coca tea may leave some traces in the urine
for a few days… good to know, in case your company does random drug
tests). We didn't use it (wink-wink) but
I've seen people chew coca leaves to counter the effects of altitude. Apparently they work… although I certainly
can’t confirm… nor deny…
Cusco was in full celebratory mood and decked out for the
occasion. June 24 – the winter solstice
– marks the festival of Inti Raymi [Festival of the Sun] which is one of the
most important dates on the Inca calendar [pardon the cacophony]. The
reenactment of the Inca winter solstice ceremony takes place at the
Sacsayhuamán archaeological site (one of the main tourist attractions in
town). Everyone was in traditional garb
(beautiful, by the way) but what struck me was the multitude of rainbow [“gay”]
flags that adorned some of the building and that most people carried. I was a bit confused (thinking that we
stumbled upon a major gay pride parade) until the driver mentioned that it is
the actual Cusco flag; something the locals take great pride in and (being a
predominantly strict catholic population) don’t really appreciate the
gay/lesbian references. But it’s easy to
confuse the two, since the only difference is an extra dark blue line on the
bottom…
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| Local "crayola" |
In the end, this festival turned out to be a blessing in
disguise, since most people stayed in Cusco, therefore Machu Picchu was not as
busy! And we still caught a brief
glimpse of it when we came back in town the next evening…
On the way to the Ollanta train station we made a quick stop
at a local village (Chinchero) to get a bit of taste of how the Inca lived a
couple hundred years ago. In this
particular center (pics below) they claim to still live like that. We got a demo on how they turn alpaca wool into
yarn and use natural ingredients to color it (yes, blue corn does give you a
blue color) and bought a few souvenirs.
Ollantaytambo is about as far as a car can take you. From there, it’s another hour-and-forty-five
minutes by train to Aguas Calientes. The
Urubamba valley here is only wide enough for a road or a railway, but not both.
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| G'nite, campers! |
The Machupicchu Pueblo (or Aguas Calientes) is the last stop
where tourists typically spend the night before climbing up the next day. Don’t expect too much comfort (although there
are enough nice places if you want to spend more) since all you need is a place
to sleep. The village is all tightly
packed in on either side of the river, and we actually had to wait for the
train to leave the station in order to get to the hostel, just on the other
side of the tracks. Literally, the place
was no more than 3 yards from the tracks!
Luckily, this was the last train, and as this is terminus point, no
other trains passed through (although around 1 am there was a small locomotive
maneuver that shook up the entire place making me think an earthquake was upon
us).
First thing in the morning (must have been around 6) we
lined up for the bus, and 25 minutes later we were up at the park’s gate. Aguas Calientes is at 6,700 feet, Machu Picchu
at almost 8,000, which means the 3.7 miles road that separate the two is VERY
steep. You can also walk up, but it
takes about an hour and a half and you’ll be already spent by the time you get
there… Unless you’re 20-something!
As you enter the site, no amount of previous photos or video
footage prepares you for what you’re about to experience. You’ll be in awe from the first glimpse,
everywhere you turn, until you leave and take one last look over your shoulder to
make sure that something will stay etched
on the retina forever.
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| Good morning, sun! |
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| 7:20 am |
It’s Majestic.
Surreal. Breathtaking. Mystical.
Pinching one’s arm does help in trying to convince one that it’s not a
dream, but it doesn't do the job all the way!
And as the sun peeks over the mountains to the East, it brightens up the
place bringing it to life. Once here,
you understand that any picture – no matter how good – can only show you a small
piece of this amazingly breathtaking puzzle.
And yet, I find myself posting some of these pictures and video links (Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu), knowing full well that they’ll show you about 10% of what you would
experience in person.
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| Huayna Picchu peak |
We quickly made our way to the North end of the site, where
a select 400 people (200 at 7 am, another 200 at 10) are allowed to climb up
Huayna Picchu; the mountain peak you see in the background of all Machu Picchu
pictures, which used to serve as a place of solitude for the high priests and
the local virgins.
The actual climb is simply indescribable. It starts misleadingly flat as you cross
over, but it gets increasingly steeper and steeper as you approach the
top. The actual pinnacle is nothing but
a haphazardly random clutter of boulders that can severely punish the smallest
of missteps. There are very few safety
rails or ropes to speak of, and despite all that, apparently they've only had
one fatality over the last couple years.
Clearly, it’s not for everyone.
You have to be in shape and unafraid of heights, but the rewards are
extraordinary. If the Machu Picchu site
below is a solid ten, this would be a twenty!
Coming all the way here without making this trek is like only
half-experiencing this world wonder.
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| Brother[in law]-ly love! |
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| "a little" steep ;-) ...60 degrees or so |
The round trip takes a good two hours and it’s about 1,000
feet vertical from the starting point.
It already start warming up as you descend (seems like the sun is so
much stronger at this altitude) so make sure you bring water, sunscreen and a
wide-brimmed hat.
Back down, we met our local guide Walter (paid $20 each) and
spent the next 3-4 hours learning tons of details around how this place got to
be, the engineering and architectural feats that involved bringing water up to
these levels, or shaping each individual rock to interlock milimetrically without
any mortar (especially without iron tools; they only had bronze and
copper).
But aside from the marvels of perfect
stonemasonry, which is still visible, he talked at large about the
sun-worshiping spirituality of this culture, their traditions and beliefs. He talked about their reverence towards
animals and the three symbols omnipresent in the area: the snake (underworld),
the puma (the world of men) and the condor (upper world). Walter had some good stories about each
corner of this amazing site, and frankly, I would definitely recommend a
guide. Otherwise, you’ll be staring at a
bunch of rocks that won’t have much meaning beyond the obvious.
With another item off the bucket list, we made our way back
down to Aguas Calientes, grabbed some souvenirs and enjoyed a quick lunch on a
balcony above the river while a local folk group serenaded us with a beautiful rendition of El Condor Pasa. Alpaca meat
tastes pretty good (not resembling sheep, or goat, as I presumed), but I resisted the urge to try Guinea Pig [a national
staple in Peru and something most restaurants offer] because I don’t think I could have set foot in another pet
store after that…
The return train ride to Poroy offered the opportunity to
enjoy the valley during sunlight, as the train slowly snaked its way around the
river. Absolutely stunning. And wild!
Back in Cusco, we caught the last moments of the Festival of
the Sun. By now, the town was beginning
to clear out, and we crashed early as we had a 5:50 am flight back to Lima! I do need to note that we spent the night at
one of the most amazing Marriott hotels I ever encountered (and believe me,
I've slept in my fair share of their properties to date: 748 and counting)
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| the Marriott's inner courtyard |
The two days in Peru – half of which was spent travelling to the site – were a quick blur. This has actually helped me “relive” the experience. And goosebumps are back as I’m typing this. I’m glad we took plenty of pictures that remind me of the 10% and help “trigger” the other 90% in my mind’s eye! I think an extra day or two would have allowed us to enjoy it at a more leisurely pace, but that rarely happens when you travel with me!
The “How”:
Book entrance tickets in advance: http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/
I opted for the Machu Picchu + Huayna Picchu package (this
one allows for a total of 400 people per day; 200 at 7 am and another 200 at 10
am). We chose the first group, but be
aware... the climb (and descent) is very steep with little
"protection". Take water with
you if you decide to do it. Sunscreen
and a hat goes without saying.
I had a lot of trouble with the website (English site does
not work very well). Had to use the
Spanish (with Google translate side-by-side), and even then had problems
processing the card. I ended up using
their support service (they had to do something on their end in order to let
the payment go through; Jose Chang [jchang@visanet.com.pe] was my contact in
making that transaction go through; his name came up in all the online forums
where people had similar problems). Be
advised, the process is very cumbersome; you fill out an online form that gets
you a confirmation, then use that confirmation to process payment. Alternatively, http://ticketmachupicchu.com/ also
sells tickets, but they charge a premium (I paid $55.46 for my package, they
charge $71). Either way, make sure you
have the paper ticket with you. And
passport.
Once you get to Cusco, expect to pay about $25 from the
airport to the hotel (a few of the hotels may have their own shuttles)
In Cusco, we stayed at the JW Marriott. I used points. There are other decent hotels in Cusco, but I
had points, so Marriott was convenient for me.
Excellent property, btw. Diana
(concierge/front desk) was very nice and accommodating. She hooked us up with Antonio (phone # 974
343113) who drove us around while we were there [fairly decent prices and very
nice/clean minivan; I think it was $25 for Airport transfer, then $80 to take
us from Cusco to the train station in Ollantaytambo (almost 2 hrs away)
Here's Diana’s info: Diana Chuquichampi | Guest Service
Agent | JW Marriott Hotel Cusco | Esquina de la Calle Ruinas 432 y San Agustín
–Cusco | Perú | Phone (5184) 582200 | Fax (5184) 582201 | e-mail:
cuzmc.front.desk@marriott.com | web:www.jwmarriottcusco.com
For the train ride over I booked round-trip tickets in
advance at http://www.perurail.com/
The departure options are either Ollantaytambo or Poroy,
based on what your schedule looks like.
Poroy is closer to Cusco (only about 30 mins by car) but departures for
Machu Picchu are only in the morning. Olantaytambo
is further out, but they have more options in terms of departure times (later
in the day, too)
We took the train (7 pm or so) from Ollanta (Antonio drove
us there), arrived in Aguas Caliente around 8:45-ish, stayed at La Payacha
(wasn't much, but it was very close, and we left most of the luggage at the
front desk, picking it up on the way back); I also booked this hostel online ahead
of time.
You also need a bus ticket (that you buy in Aguas Caliente
or in Cusco) preferably the day before. We
bought it that evening from the bus station that’s just near the bridge. It's
$19 round trip (bus ride to the entrance of the park takes about 20-25 mins)
Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds and the heat. Take your passport with you. Can't go in without it (plus, at the exit,
you can self-stamp with a "Machu-Picchu visa" as a nice souvenir)
Huayana Picchu is at the other end of the site (takes a few minutes
to get there from the entrance in the morning)
Antonio recommended a local guide (Walter) who charged us
$80 (4 people) for about 3-4 hrs. It was
very informative. Well worth it.
Left the park around 12:30 or 1 and grabbed lunch and some
souvenirs in town. It was getting VERY
hot up there. Sun is strong at 2,430
meters (7,970 ft). Get a hat and plenty
of sunscreen, or long sleeves (our guide was wearing gloves!)
Took the train back towards Cusco that afternoon (I think it
was 3:20 or so), arrived in Poroy around 7, where Antonio was waiting for us
($35 to take us back to the hotel)
