Macchu Picchu was one of the few things that was actually on our list before we headed out on our big adventure. But at the time it seemed so far away. Fast-forward 8 and a half months and here we are. South eastern Peru heading towards one of the worlds biggest tourist attractions. But that doesn't mean they make it easy. Here is the picture story of our journey to the city of the Incas.
We started by driving from the city of Cuzco. It was a 7 hour drive to get to Santa Teresa. Check out the map page to get an idea of where we drove!
The highest pass we went over was a massive 4316 meters!
The road gradually got gnarlier and gnarlier and the last 1 1/2 hours was spent billy goating our way up this crazy road to the pueblo of Santa Teresa.
For a little insight into the road, check out this video. However it doesn't even do it justice to the sheer drop over the edge, where one wrong move would send us plummeting to our DEATHS!
At Santa Teresa we caught a cab ride 30 minutes up to a hydroelectric plant where we caught the last train of the day the final 8 kilometers to the town of Aguas Calientes.
Aguas Calientes is a necessary stopover for everyone going to Macchu Picchu. Its overly touristy but still manages to retain a certain charm about its narrow cobblestone streets.
We booked a cheap 12$ hostel for two nights so we wouldn't feel rushed while visiting the ruins. Apparently we chose the cheapest... the one that included pets for free! This massive 'thing' joined us for the first night as well as about 6 nasty black spiders. After having a small extermination party, we fell into an uneasy sleep dreaming of huge scary insects... or at least I did.
Our alarm woke us at 4am and we quickly headed out the door to wait in line at the bottom of the hiking trail up to the ruins. We wanted to arrive at the entrance before the first busload which left Aguas at 5:30. The first 400 people into the park are allowed to climb Wayna Picchu, the mountain seen in most of the typical shots of Macchu Picchu. The trail opened at 5am, and it was a mad dash up the 1751 stone stairs to the entrance of the ruins to make it before the busses arrived at 5:55. We made it with our lungs burning and beat the crowd by a few minutes and we managed to have a few minutes with the ruins pretty much to ourselves. It was a incredibly magical moment and one I won't soon forget.
We were part of the lucky 400 who were allowed to climb Wayna Picchu and I celebrated at the top by scaring Andrew and posing on this jutting rock which has about a 500 foot drop below it!
We had a few moments like this. Sitting and staring in wonder at the scenery and the location of this old Incan city. It was more about the area than the ruins themselves. Looking out over towering mountains draped in lush forest greenery instilled a sense of awe and wonder and made me realize just why this is one of the worlds top attractions.
Climbing down the stairs of Wayna Picchu was not for the faint hearted! At the bottom of these perilous stairs was a sheer cliff face that dropped straight to the valley bottom!
Continue at your own risk!
The Macchu Picchu postcard picture, the one you all know and love. The mountain overlooking the ruins is Wayna Picchu. You can see the crazy stairs right up at the top!
Macchu Picchu has something for everyone, from the rich to the poor, to the hippiest of hippies bringing their spiritual magical rocks from all corners of the world.
After getting down from the ruins we enjoyed an adult beverage in the town square as the townspeople celebrated Mother's day. We enjoyed people watching and discovered my next year's sexy halloween costume: Inca Maid.
We opted out of taking the expensive train ride back to the Hydroelectic plant and walked the 8 kilometers instead along the train tracks. We only had to flee from the train once when we got caught in one of the tunnels... good thing we are in super shape and can out run trains!
Taking a break on the rails
All in all our Macchu Picchu experience was one to remember. It quickly became a highlight of our trip and anyone who gets a chance should definitely make it there one day (there are easier ways to get there than the road we took although more expensive!)
This brings back a lot of memories of our hike up to Machu Picchu. Unfortunately we had 3 days of rain out of the 4 day adventure.
ReplyDeleteSarah and Russell
WHOA.... my favorite part was the river/waterfall crossing.... I thought it was cool that you got out of the car to film, then when I watched it I realized OUT of the car was the safest place haha. GO KUMU!!!!
ReplyDeleteSarah (and Marc and Bella) :)