Machu Picchu.
The Peruvian Andes have always been a pipe dream for me. I never though I would have the chance to visit the place but always thought it would be an interesting place. While pouring through maps while in Bolivia I realized I was within traveling distance and decided to head that way. Passing through lake Titicaca to the old Inca empire.
Walking through Cusco
After a long night on South American buses and a sketchy crossing over the border which had rioting a few days before hand I found myself in Cusco. Back in the day this was the Capital of the Inca empire but now has become the Catholic Capital. I had a few days to spare so I checked out the town and old stone work left, most of which was destroyed and rebuilt by the Spanish Conquistadors.
Walking through town I checked out the Golden Temple which was one of the most important buildings within the empire than converted to a monastery. At the base you could see beautiful rock work followed by hastily built buildings on top of it.
I had randomly showed up in Cusco during there most important festival. It was Corpus Christi and the locals were taking 15 separate saints to small churches within the area. I had no clue what was going on and why but it was a huge day of festivity. That night I enjoyed local food including cuy, was it good….no but it was different.
Heading towards Machu Picchu
The next morning I was in a taxi and heading into the Sacred Valley. Since on the trip last minute I wasn’t able to hike into Machu Picchu so instead I took a train.
I arrived in Agas Calientas late in the afternoon and getting my room settled walked around the area. This place was the main access to Machu Picchu and it was a bit weird seeing all these abandoned builds yet they had a brand new soccer field. That night I went to bed with the plans to take the first bus up to the site.
A Rainy Day in the Mountains
The road up to Machu Picchu was intense as we did switchback after switchback. The road was barely wide enough for a bus yet there was traffic going both ways. Making it up to the place I finally got my ticket and started exploring the place.
It was pouring rain as I walked around and got a feeling for the place. It was wild how much work had gone into building the sacred site.
Walking around I was blown away that a group of people would build a small city in such a steep area. While it was raining hard all day it kept the crowds. I could only imagine how many people are there on busy days.
The place was surrounded by rugged mountains that rose out of the valley. The clouds hung to the side of them and the mist gave the place a wild feel. I had just left a desert climate and actually dropped elevation to go to Machu Picchu.
As the day went on more and more crowds started showing up. I made a person map of the area knowing that I would come back another day when the weather was better.
Wanting to take in a view of the whole area I hiked up to the Inca Trail gate on Mount Machu Picchu to get the full view of the area.
At the end of the day I had a good feel for the area and decided it was time to go back into town. The next day would be rain but the day after that was calling for much better weather. I purchased my ticket for that day and came up with a solid game plan.
A Sneaky Entrance to Machu Picchu
After a day of resting in the rain it was time to return. I decided I would walk up early in the morning to be one of the first people there. Leaving the hotel at 2 in the morning I made it to the bottom of the switchbacks where guards were waiting. They let me know that it wouldn’t open to walking until 6 in the morning but were kind enough to let me take a nap in a small shack next to the bridge.
While napping I noticed a few tourist walking past and walked up to the guards to see what was going on. They let me know that those people had paid them off, so I looked through my bags to see what I could offer. All I had was two cliff bars which I offered and they were happy to accept them. Soon I was walking via headlamp up the forest trail and ran into the others who were hiding from my headlamp.
We all chatted for a little bit and they admitted to paying 40$ a piece to get in. They were hiding in fear that the same guards would kick them out if caught. I joked that we paid those same guards off then walked the final hour up to an empty gate and was the first person in line.
A Quiet Morning of Solitude
The moment the place opened I made a mad rush for the main spectacle sites. I knew the layout of the place and wanted to take advantage of the isolation.
First making my way up to the Temple of the sun I had the area to myself for 20 minutes. Once the first people would show up then I would just move on to the next site.
You could tell which spots were the most sacred by the quality of the stone work. They had worked there shelters into the rock itself. This is the Temple of the Condor one of the most beautiful spots in the area.
The stone work was wild and so cleanly put together. To this day not much is still known about how they done such advanced stonework.
For the next hour I would walk place to place staying away from the crowds. The weather was still a bit cloudy but the weather was supposed to clear later in the day.
Hiking up Huayna Picchu
Slowly I made my way toward Huayna Picchu which is the summit on the right side of the photo below. I wanted to be there when they opened up the trail and keep my streak of silence going.
The trail up to Huayna Picchu was steep but I was able to make it up reasonably fast. From the top I had a clear view of Machu Picchu below as the clouds came and went.
From my vantage point it felt like a vertical drop to the river valley below. It seemed they had built random structures thinking of the views and how could you not appreciate that.
A Final Hike up Machu Picchu Mountain
With the weather starting to clear up I decided to hike back up to Machu Picchu mountain. It had been a quiet day and still there wasn’t that many people there.
From the top of Machu Picchu mountain you had a real feeling of how special the area was. Situated in a lush valley it was the final stronghold of the Inca before being abandoned and overgrown. To this day they are still cleaning out the vegetation and finding new areas within the jungle.
Soon enough it was time to walk back to the main section of site. Once arriving on the upper terraces the sun made the area glow. For the next 30 minutes I soaked in the view from numerous different vantage points.
I had made the most out of my day at Machu Picchu and now it was time to leave. I still had two more days before leaving Peru and heading to Argentina.
Back in Agas Calientas I stayed in town for another night before taking the train back out of the valley. It was a beautiful area and it was amazing to see the building sandwiched between the mountain.
An Afternoon in Ollantaytambo
The train stopped in Ollantaytambo and before getting a taxi back to Cusco I decided to hike around the ruins in the area for a few hours.
The area was just as stunning as Machu Pichuu but without the people. It turned out that this place was the holiday home of the King and had an open viaduct throughout the city.
As I walked around I was blown away by the random doorways and stone work. You would have to wonder how and why they made such beautiful pieces of art.
At the high point of the area there were massive columns carved out. It seemed that they had been brought up to the area.
Noticing some building across the valley I decided to walk down into town and go check them out.
In the town there were random columns erected. Around each turn was another wild thing to set my eyes on.
Making it to the other side of the valley it was wild where they chose to build houses. You had to wonder how these building hadn’t slid off the mountains over the years but here they were.
Both Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu were beautiful areas and a place I would be happy to return to. The skill that went into making the stone structures is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It had been a brief but amazing trip into the sacred valley and I felt I had made the most of it.
Time to Head South Towards Argentina
That night I went to bed in Cusco before my flight down South. I would be going to Argentina for a week of riding in Las Lenas ski resort. But before that I would be landing in Santiago Chile and traveling by bus. I was very fortunate to go explore such an amazing area and really enjoyed my time exploring Southern Peru.
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