Machu Picchu @50 Day 3

October 13:2017

Happy Birthday to me. Stayed up too late and 5am came early. I awakened many times as my breathing was labored and my mouth was very dry. A but of water and I returned to my slumber.

My 5am alarm rang and I began my departure preparation. A hot shower was a good start. Naitro and I were in the lobby at 5:30 and LaTrice soon followed but.she had a strange look on her face. She asked why we had all of our things. She didn’t realize that we weren’t returning to Cusco that night. Our next two nights would be spent in an island in a deep gorge, Aguas Calientes.

A twenty minute taxi ride to Poroy, we were at the station. The ride there took us through the snaking little roads of the mountainsides.

LaTrice was repacking and I got in line...a long line. She joined me and Naitro and we waited for the doors to open. LaTrice was looking for her ticket snd realized that she only had her site passes. She didn’t have her train tickets. We quickly went to an agent and asked for assistance. They wanted an image of the ticket on her phone but we couldn’t connect to the internet. They were unable to pull up their computers as the power was out. They made a call and were able to get her info. Whoohoo!

A few minutes later we boarded the train. We had a four person table and a wonderful view presented itself.

The valleys and rivers and snow capped peaks provided a dramatic view as we moved along at about 25 miles per hour…seriously. We snaked beside river as it twisted and turned. More brown and low brush gave way to lush green vegetation. This was now the jungle.

Huts along the way, beside the river were quaint and also picturesque. Many birds and horses, cows, and sheep along the way. We stopped at a few towns to pick up people.

At one point, we actually did a zig zag back and forth to descend 40ft in a very short span. That was incredible and a first for me.

Raging rapids and swirling waters looked inviting…invigorating.

Towards the end we had descended to a more comfortable pressure and altitude. The air was so fresh and the temperature was warm. The sun was bright snd there was much greenery - jungle like

Arrival at the train station ( Aguas Calientes ) the cars were opened and it was like rats were let out...rats with backpacks. It was a crazy scene as peoples from all over the world had joined together for this adventure.

Slowly we moved through the platform and out the train station. There were dozens of people with signs for the different hotels and tour companies arrivals. In the distance I could hear...Hotel Ferre. It took me a minute but I spotted the guy yelling and saw his sign with my name. With a big smile he said my name and welcome to Cusco. Naitro and LaTrice were making their way through the crowd and would be there soon.

He turned us over to another guy who took two of the bag and started walking. He walked down the steps, avoided the Alley of Doom”where the vendors await, and a back path was had. Down some more steps and then across the railroad tracks, I now had my bearing. This side of the tracks was the river gorge side and 5. Inure walk and we were there. The train station was actually in the hill above.

We were greeted warmly and after registration, we changed into cooler clothes for the days freak. It was much warmer and sunnier then expected...shorts and a muscle shirt but did bring a hoodie and umbrella as the chance of rain was great.

Our bags were taken and the advice given was to take the bus ($12) up to the entrance (25-30min) but to walk back as the line could easily be 1.5 - 2 hours. Also, she suggested that we wait until 11:30 or 12 so there would be less of a line for the bus and also to get into the park. The walk back would be an hour, maybe more but we would return quicker then the line.

We asked for a lunch recommendation and just a 2 minute walk was Full House. They had just opened and not really ready but we were warmly welcomed and seated on the balcony with a view of the river and gorge.

I had the mushroom, zucchini, and corn risotto with quinoa and a mango smoothie. LaTrice had a veggie sandwich and Naitro had a salad. The Trip Advisor “ Excellence”sign out front was accurate as everything was delicious...really delicious.

It was now about noon and we headed to the center of town to catch the bus. There was quite the hustle and bustle going on but it was quite easy to find the busses. There was a line but the busses were returning quickly. We realized that tickets were purchased elsewhere and Naitro volunteered to go get them. She has a line but by 12:30 we were on our way.

We zig zagged up the mountain, returning to higher elevations in the Andes. With each zag, after the zig, the view of the Andes was even more spectacular. What a sight.

Exiting the bus, we see a line. That line stretches so far that we cannot see the end. It was an insanely long line. Thankfully, this wasn’t the line to get in. It was the one to leave. Nope...not going to do that

The line to enter the park was much shorter and getting around some groups just standing around, we got in quickly with no issue...whoohoo!

There was quite a bit of walking to finally get to a crossroads where we would continue straight to Huyana Picchu or we would climb up And continue on to what would be the beginning’s of the site.

There was a stone house ( very quaint) was a quick photo op and teaser of what was to come.

I was racing ahead, sorry girls, as I felt anxious to reach the view point before it would rain. That, to me, would have been tragic. About 10 more minutes more (up) and a clearing up opened up. I could see the ledge and then I could see Wyuana Picchu.

Approaching the long wide bridge, the view opened up amid the mystical place of Manchu Picchu revealed itself. I had made it…Machu Picchu. It wasn’t raining. :-)

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel situated on a mountain ridge (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District in Peru, above the Sacred Valley, which is (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas" (a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba), it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues.

After a few minutes of taking in the view, Naitro came along. She was looking for the OxyShots but I couldn’t find it. I would determine later that I had packed it in my suitcase when LaTrice told me to pack it, while we were at the hotel in AC. At bit later, LaTrice arrived. It had been quite difficult on her asthma, climbing the maze of stairs, so high, and with so little oxygen to be had. We were there together, a bit ragged. We hugged and shared out excitement but then also had a bit of a rest. This was our moment…what all of the traveling had lead to. Our journey, together, had led us here. I think that any one of would have thought it crazy to somehow go back to 2001 and tell our younger selves that we would share such an adventure, 16 years later. What an amazing thing.

We walked down and through the site which is roughly divided into an urban sector and an agricultural sector, and into an upper town and a lower town. The temples are in the upper town, the warehouses in the lower.

The architecture is adapted to the mountains. Approximately 200 buildings are arranged on wide parallel terraces around an east-west central square. The various compounds, called kanchas, are long and narrow in order to exploit the terrain. Sophisticated channeling systems provided irrigation for the fields. Stone stairways set in the walls allowed access to the different levels across the site. The eastern section of the city was probably residential. The western, separated by the square, was for religious and ceremonial purposes. This section contains the Torreón, the massive tower which may have been used as an observatory.

Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest deity.

The Popular District, or Residential District, is the place where the lower-class people lived. It includes storage buildings and simple houses.

The royalty area, a sector for the nobility, is a group of houses located in rows over a slope; the residence of the amautas (wise persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the ñustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms. The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with a vaulted interior and carved drawings. It was used for rites or sacrifices.

The Guardhouse is a three-sided building, with one of its long sides opening onto the Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock. The three-sided style of Inca architecture is known as the wayrona style.

The site is structured to lead people through it in one way, not really allowing a meandering enjoyment, my only disappointment.

As we walked down and into the site, we spotted an adult llama and a baby. It was very friendly with the tourists and seemed to stop and pose and then buzz to a different spot and repeat, over and over. We took advantage of this and followed until we could get some good pics with them. I even reached out and petted the adult. Not being sure of male or female, it just stood there and stared me down…lol.

Thus far, the day’s trek had taken it’s toll and the girls talked about not hiking the mountain tomorrow. I suggested that a good rest that night might change the thought. We’d come along way and probably would never be here again. We continued on.

After enjoying our afternoon, it was time to head out and make our way down the mountain…whatever that may bring. Again, the path was pretty much one way so, as we exited the funnel narrowed.

Once out, we saw the line of people waiting…waiting on the bus down to the valley. The line was long…like seriously long. We looked at the map with the scratchings on it made by reception. Walking to the end of the line, probably a quarter mile or longer, we began looking for the turn to begin down the mountain. After a few minutes, I stopped and showed the map and asked ??? I was pointed back the way we came. We stopped a guy making the same mistake we had made and he decided to join us…Mark, from Manchester UK. Mark is a scientist and was in Peru on a health retreat.

Back at the entrance, lol, we found the start of the long climb down. There were pieces of stone for steps much of the way and then paths between. The steps had quite a tall rise and a short run. The sun was out and boy was it hot We were all dripping with sweat as our knees were burning from the pain as each new step the pain intensified. With each pass of the actual road that we crossed, I kept thinking…not much longer. A couple of locals passed us at one point ( where I thought we’d almost made it ) and they told us…another 30 minutes. AARRGGHH!!! I couldn’t believe it. I had to reset my pain tolerance and mental strength. Deep breath…keep moving. The difficult path was important as with any difficult challenge in life…fight through the pain and you can make it.

It had been two hours and over two kilometers but it seemed much farther that we had traveled. It felt great to have made it to level ground and our knees and quads were so happy.

We had reached the edge of the little town in the Sacred Valley. At the suspension bridge across the river, we stopped to take a selfie, the group that braved the trek down the mountain. We had shared our trek and now knew a bit about each other. Sharing the journey, even if in a small way or for a short time, makes the journey much richer and more interesting. A few smiles and snaps and we said our good byes.

We went right as Mark went left and headed along the river to our hotel. We had passed a wood fired oven and the pizzas looked great. We agreed on 30 minute rest and freshen up.

I was sticky and smelly so a shower was needed. Hot water pounded on me for as long as I could tolerate…it felt so good. I toweled off and dried with the breeze of the river as I had the windows open.

At our late afternoon lunch, we had decent pizza and LaTrice and I had drinks with a local liquor, Pisco. It’s a colorless to amber-yellow liquor made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th century Spanish settlers as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain.It had the advantages of being produced from abundant domestically grown fruit and reducing the volume of alcoholic beverages transported to remote locations. I had one with Mango and egg white and LaTrice had once with a Peruvian Chili spice. They were really good as you can see from the smiles on our faces.

Crossing the railroad tracks and into the market, we shopped. Much of the trinkets for sale were repetitive but we did find some treasure. I bought a mini Machu Picchu and a colorful Inka mask. I negotiated a good deal on a leather backpack for LaTrice. There were many scarfs to consider, Carved statues, and bits of painted art here and there. There wasn’t much good but we did make out well with our purchases.

It had been raining and as we decided to leave…it was pouring. We waited, and waited but decided to just make a run for it. Luckily the rain had let up.

We returned for a break, relax, and chat. I worked on some pics and a bit of writing. A lot of dish…and that was the best part. :-)

As we had a energy zapping day. We were ready for dinner even though it had only been a few hours since our late lunch I found a recommended cafe called Tree House. Now the town was very small, 1000 residents, but finding this cafe was quite an effort. We asked for directions two or three times and got lost at least as many. We finally found the sign for it and…it was up a very long, steep flight of stairs…OMG! The girls weren’t happy with me but they climbed. It paid off as it was a very “traveller” place to be. There we’re people from all over the world and sitting next to us, some peeps from ATL. How about that.

On our return to the hotel, we passed the center of town where there were a large group of people siting and they all had candles. We learned that they were peacefully protesting. They do not have enough busses as they are all for the transport to and from MP and very expensive for them…unaffordable. They also were there for wage equality and we’d see more of that the next day.

It had been a long and marvelous day, my birthday. I’d spent it doing what I love, exploring and meeting new people. I did this while sharing it with two friends. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate such a day.