MACHU PICCHU - WAYNA PICCHU - AQUAS CALIENTE - CUSCO

Machu Picchu day!

Wake up at 3:30 and a rushed breakfast. Our poters disassembled the tents and left towards the train station to go back to their homes. We also set off in a hurry for a 5 minutes walk down, lighting the path with headlamps in quite a heavy rain, rushing down towards the check point. i was glad i got a waterproof over trousers and the recommended poncho.

The most boring part of the trek was at the check point: 1.5 hour wait for the gates to open. Luckily we were at the very front of the queue and took over the last free bench. We spent the time talking, playing music till the iPod batteries died and exchanging emails. Once the gates opened we all (all is 200 people; allowed is 500 but 300 are porters who dont enter the Machu Picchu) rushed in to get to the ruins before the crowds.

Together with Holley we kept ourselves at the front keeping quite a good pace and afer 40 minutes of climbing we arrived at the Sun Gate where summer solstice can be observed. From here it was down to the city of an unknown name that is referred to by a name of it's closest mountain: Machu Picchu.Machu Picchu means Old Mountain and is located at only 2400m a.s.l. Surprisingly low if taking into account all the climbing we had to do. We also were to be climbing today a higher adjacent to the ruins mountain called Wayna Pichu, meaning Young Mountain.

The city at the moment we saw was covered by clouds or maybe cloud and mist. Sabino started our tour and within minutes, bit by bit, parts of this magnificent structures got revealed when the wind blew the clouds away.

All I have to say is that the city, build around 1450, is huge, impressive, cleverly built with many features such as: mechanically openable city and temple doors with leaves (leaves non existed any more unfortunately), windows located facing prevailing wind to provide ventilation, acoustic rooms for prayers and meditations with niches amplifying noise; Incas telescope - two stone bowls that used to be covered in silver and water to increase visibility of star constelations observed during solstices; Inca king bedroom with on suite; pitches for playing football; terrace with a pool; water canals and fountains distributing water; drainage system and above all magnificent architecture with multiple construction styles (apparently there are 60 styles used by Incas) from random rough small stones (buildings for lay people), larger still irregular stones but perfectly fitted and with no mortar used (buildings for more important Inca), to almost perfectly square stones also perfectly fitted with no mortar (temples).

Well, I guess you just need to book a ticket and come here!

The most tirying and challenging part of the day was a climb to Wayna Picchu 360m above the city. It was a heavy going, super steep 1h climb up hundreds of stairs to an amazing view points located on terraces high up the top of the mountain. The view of the Secret Valley, Rio Urubamba (the river) and Machu Picchu was spectacular despite a cloud cover that was covering in a suprisingly horizontal line the highest peaks of the valley. Sabino recommended coming here again in winter, dry season, when the sun lingers here almost all the time, clouds are gone and all the glaciers can be seen. The access and terraces were in fact built to worship the glaciers.

After a well deserved rest and taking hundreds of photos it was just to walk down the steep stairs again. 1h! no big deal... Catching a bus to town of Aquas Calientes, quick lunch and boarding on a luxurious train with panoramic and roof windows to Ollaytantambo where Sabino and the bus would pick us up for the drive back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu: tick, tick, tick!!!