Following the Dream

Christian April 5th, 2008

We scrambled around Cuzco getting all that we needed to go to Machu Picchu. We ran to the train station to get the tickets and to the INC office to get our entrance tickets. Surprisingly all of the backpacker train tickets were sold out for the days we wanted, so we had to splurge and spend an extra 20 dollars for the Vistadome train. It was not that big of a deal since we were able to get our entrance tickets for Machu Picchu half off since we had our ISIC student cards. The only thing that we did not have was a place to stay. However, this is the last month of the slow season there, and with the multitude of hotels it was not should not be a problem finding one when we arrived.

The train that we booked left at 6:05 on Tuesday April 1st. We had to be at the train station a half hour early, so it meant an early rise that day for the both of us. Our new hostel is terrific by the way. They were on top of everything, even at 5:15 in the morning. They stored our bags so we did not have to haul them up to Machhu Picchu, offered us breakfast, and called a Taxi for the train station . . . all within 10 minutes. We caught our taxi and made it to the train station on time, since it was only a few blocks away (but was not recommended to walk to that early in the morning). We sat in the cafe and ate a crossant while we waited for our train to start boarding.

When we got on the train, we were pleasently surprised. The train cars were very nice. They have a see through ceiling so that you can truely see the views of the sweeping mountains. There was only one disadvantage, and that was no heat. It was cold and you could see your breath. However, being we were living the high life, they offered us blankets and hot beverages. As we progressed towards Macchu Picchu the scenery began to change drastically. The mountains became taller and taller. The river that was running next to the train tracks got stronger with rapids that must have been class 5. It was a nice train ride, taking 4 hours.

We arrived at Machhu Picchu Pueblo (formly known as Aguas Calientes) and jumped off the train in search of a place to stay. The moment you get off the train, you know that the town is a tourist trap. There are people all over vying for your attention to try to have you stay at their hotel. To make matters worse, to make your way into town you have to go through a maze of handicraft markets. Luckily we navigated the labrith and made it out alive. We found the tourist information booth where we grabbed a map. We then went to the number one place on our list that was recommended to us, Gringo Bills. At first it seemed out of our price range, at $78 dollars a night. However, once we began to walk away they magically had a room for $40 with all of the amenities. It was nice, clean, and had the most comfortable bed we had on the whole trip so far. We immediatly dropped our bags and headed off for Machhu Picchu.

You have the option of either walking two hours up hill to get there, or paying $6 and taking a bus. Being short on time we took the bus. The bus takes you up a series of switchbacks for a half hour, rising higher and higher. At the end of the half hour you can start to see the ruins. We hurried through the gate and up the first part of the “long” trail. For the first part, you just go up and up (tiring) through dense jungle. You cannot see anything but the trees for the first 10 minutes or so. Then the trail opens up and before you lays a post card perfect view of Macchu Picchu. It was amazing to see it, we sat there in awe for a few minutes trying to register that we were actually there. There was a ton of tour groups, and it looked a bit crowded, so we decided to make the hike to the Inka Bridge. It is about a 15-20minute hike to it, and not crowded at all. One thing is that it is not for those with a fear of heights (Casey and I). The trail runs along the side of the mountain and is not very wide, with some parts being only 2 feet wide with a drop off 1500+ ft. on the edge. I took baby steps most of the way, until I was used to the feeling of “If I trip and fall, I am done for”. The bridge is basically a ledge built into the side of the mountain with stones. There is a section that is pieces of wood, that once removed acted as a drawbridge. You could not get that close, since the trail had washed out, but to think how they built it on the side of a vertical wall was amazing. On the way back, I stopped being a sissy and walked at a normal pace along the trail. When we got back, most of the tour groups that were right at the start of the ruins had moved on and left the first part pretty open.

We walked in through the sun gate, the entrance to this city. We walked around for a bit, listening in on other people’s tour guides and reading our guide that we had bought. It was amazing what they had built way on the top of a mountain. As we walked around we saw a sign for Wayna Picchu. This is the mountain that you typically see in the background of Machhu Picchu photos. We remembered seeing the sign at the front gate “Only open from 7am to 1 pm, with a limit of 400 people”. It was 12:45. We decided that since the tour groups were still around and we did not know what the weather would be like for the following day, that we would give it a shot. It was recommended to us many times. We got to the entrance of the climb at 12:55, and we were numbers 378 and 379. Barely, we made it there in time. They make you sign in with the time you left, your passport number, and signature. Once you make it back, you sign out. This way they know if they will have to perform a search and rescue mission or not. The climb is pretty steep. You actually climb down before going up. The climb is a switchback trail up the stairs that the Incas made. The climb up was not too bad, since you are surronded by trees and for the most part, you cannot see how far down it is. It took about 45 minutes to get to the ruins. At the top of the mountain there are more stairs and terraces. Macchu Picchu looked so small from mountain. We continued on to the very top of the mountain, having to crawl through a narrow cave. On top the view was nothing short of spectaular. I even managed to make myself stand ontop of the highest boulder on the very top of the mountain for a photo. We sat up there for a while taking in the view and getting eaten by bugs. The way down was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. You are 2800 meters up, walking down these narrow steep stairs built 400 years ago with sheer drops to the ground a couple of thousand feet below. It was no the thing to do when you have a fear of heights. There was only one way down, so we had to. I almost think that the ruins on top of Wayna Picchu were more amazing than those of Machhu Picchu. Just in the engineering factor. I was scared to walk down after it was built. I cannot even imagine how they built these structures on the vertical side of the mountain. I imagine that many Incas gave their lives while building the terraces and buildings ontop of Waynapicchu. After we got past the top where you could see far below and into the heavily vegitated part, it felt much safer. There was one thing that I could not get out of my mind though. There was this small bird that stayed in front of us the entire way down from the top. He would jump down a few stairs in front of us, look back, and when we made it down near him, he would jump down a few more, almost guiding us making sure we got to the bottom okay. Once we did make it back okay and signed out, many of the tourists had left. We had a good two and a half hours at the ruins of Machu Pichhu that afternoon almost to ourselves. It was then that we could truely appreciate them. Once all of the crowds had left, it way much more peaceful. There was a new energy in the air, you really could feel the energy of the place and picture it as it was back in its hayday. We explored and explored, seeing a Chinchilla, many llamas, and lizards. It was fantastic. We left right before they closed and headed back to the town for the worst excuse for a pizza and the best night’s sleep during the trip.

We woke up at 5:00 to the sound of my phone alarm. We quickly got ready and left to catch the 5:30 bus to the ruins. We were there by 6. It was very misty, so we could not see the sunrise, however the place seemed pretty empty. The mist gave the ruins a very eeire feeling. You could sit at the top and watch the mist drift over the ruins. We made our way to the Temple of the sun, which we had to ourselves. We sat up there and just watched the mist pass over the ruins that were empty except for some llamas wandering around. It was very special. We spent the second day exploring the ruins again, learning more and more from different tour guides that were leading other groups. We got to meet up with our friend from Holland that we toured the Colca Canyon with. It was a good day. We ended the day with the train ride back to Cusco. On they way back the train attendants put on a fashion show of traditional clothes available for purchase. It was funny, with the train car filled with whistles and clapping. There was a group of older ladies who were going nuts when the male train attendent would come out modeling the newest Peruvian sweater. There was also a man dressed in “traditional” Peruvian costume who danced around the car with a stuffed llama (toy not real). Our hostel surprised us again when we got back with their service. Our bags were already in our new room, there was chocolates on the pillows with our sheets turned down. We ended the trip with a fantastic dinner at a nearby restaurant and a nice nights sleep.

• Peru
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