The start of our hike. The train (tracks on right) continued with those only going to Machu Picchu. We arrived at km 104, the start of our trek toward Machu Picchu, at around 7:30 am. The train stopped to let us and a couple dozen other hikers off at this access to the Inka Trail, and we met our guide Jorge, who had walked in from Aguas Callientes that morning (only about a one and-a-half hour hike) to meet us. Jorge had a great sense of humour, lots of knowledge to impart, answered pretty much everything we thought to ask, and made sure we didn't get too tired or worn out as we hiked.
We stopped at a couple of ruins along the way, saw another in the distance, and enjoyed the incredible scenery, as well as a lovely boxed lunch provided by the tour company. This was pretty much the first day that I had more than soup for all three meals; nothing wrong with the food, it just took that long for my system to adjust to things. By around 2:30, we made it to the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu and had our first sight of the famous city.
We stopped at a couple of ruins along the way, saw another in the distance, and enjoyed the incredible scenery, as well as a lovely boxed lunch provided by the tour company. This was pretty much the first day that I had more than soup for all three meals; nothing wrong with the food, it just took that long for my system to adjust to things. By around 2:30, we made it to the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu and had our first sight of the famous city.
We made our way down from the Sun Gate to a fantastic view of Machu Picchu on a fairly clear day. Then we hiked down to Aguas Callientes, or Machu Picchu town, found our hostel and got cleaned up, had supper with our guide, then went to bed early, as we had to be up and waiting for the buses back up by 4:30 am. Machu Picchu doesn't open until 6, and the buses leave around 5:30, but to have a guaranteed seat, you have to line up early.
The city seen through a mist of clouds In the weeks leading up to our trip, we kept an eye on the long-range weather forecast. It showed rain for our entire 10-day trip. While a couple of days had the occasional spittle the you only noticed as it stopped, the day of our explorations of Machu Picchu called for 100% rain. And didn't lie. Jorge had us for 2 hours, whereupon we could reenter the site and stay as long as we wanted. For the first maybe hour of Jorge's explanations, it remained mostly foggy and overcast (it had rained in the night). This gave the rather awesome effect of the city seeming to float in the mist as the clouds floated past, lending a certain air of the ethereal to the mystical ruins.
And then the rain started again. A steady drizzle that turned into a gentle downpour, then into a pretty awesome demonstration of how well the drainage still worked in Machu Picchu. Those Incas sure knew how to build! The last of our guided tour happened in a bit of a rush as dozens of sodden tourists quickly made their way to a couple of shelters near the exit. Jorge finished up his presentation under the thatched roof, then bid us a wonderful day, leaving us to our own devices.
As the train back to Ollantaytambo didn't leave until 6:30 that evening, and it hadn't yet reached 8 am, we decided to wait out the rain for a bit, then just dove back in, seeing as we were already wet. Somehow, our timing worked out, as the downpour eased back to a steady drizzle, then just overcast skies. Leaving us a very pleasant day to explore the ruins.
And then the rain started again. A steady drizzle that turned into a gentle downpour, then into a pretty awesome demonstration of how well the drainage still worked in Machu Picchu. Those Incas sure knew how to build! The last of our guided tour happened in a bit of a rush as dozens of sodden tourists quickly made their way to a couple of shelters near the exit. Jorge finished up his presentation under the thatched roof, then bid us a wonderful day, leaving us to our own devices.
As the train back to Ollantaytambo didn't leave until 6:30 that evening, and it hadn't yet reached 8 am, we decided to wait out the rain for a bit, then just dove back in, seeing as we were already wet. Somehow, our timing worked out, as the downpour eased back to a steady drizzle, then just overcast skies. Leaving us a very pleasant day to explore the ruins.
After the rain
It's hard to see, but this cliff goes way up, and just past the ribbon of trees to the right, the mountain falls away a good distance. Just look at all those stones! And the stairs continuing up the other side About a 15 minute hike from Machu Picchu, you'll find the Inka Bridge. We didn't know what to expect, but went to take a look. You're required to sign in before you can take the trail, then sign out again, presumably so that they know if anyone's fallen off the edge of the cliff on the way to the bridge. I'm not joking. It's a narrow trail in places (no more than a couple feet wide) and most of it open to the air. I loved it.
As we approached the bridge (you can look, but you can't cross), and I saw the huge plank spanning the space, I thought, 'neat, but so what?' And then I took a closer look and the whole architectural marvel of it just about blew my mind. The plank is not the interesting part; the sheer volume of stones put in place over 500 years ago, along a vertical cliff face in the middle of nowhere without the use of scaffold or mortar, and still mostly intact--that's just damned impressive. You do truly have to see it to get the full impact, and pictures don't do it justice, but I've included one here anyway. Just amazing.
Eventually, we made our way back down to Aguas Callientes (walking rather than getting a bus), had some food, and caught our train. We knew that we would share the bus back with Cuzco with some other Salkantay trekkers, and had a moment of worry having to listen to a rowdy group on the train (and getting rowdier and more obnoxious with every beer they tossed back) with Salkantay packs (we really wanted to apologise for the most obnoxious, as he loudly claimed Canada as his home). Luckily, our bus had the other worried train passengers, leaving the party bus to annoy a different driver. Our group pretty much slept back to Cuzco, much to everyone's relief.
We spent another couple of nights in Cuzco, but really only one day, as the bus didn't arrive until after 10:30 pm, and the flight back to Lima left at 8:30 am. We checked out a market with everything you could possibly need, from knitwear and souvenirs to fruit and raw chicken, and most things in between. Then off to Lima.
We met an entrepreneur named Juan that Mike had made a connection with for lunch at a fabulous (and slightly schmoozy) restaurant called La Mer, where we had cebiche (or ceviche, if you want to Americanized spelling), the must-have Peruvian seafood dish. Mike and Juan talked about UAVs and how Mike and Aeryon might help Juan with various humanitarian efforts he has a hand in. Juan ordered a wonderful selection of dishes for us (including octopus--delish!) so I don't know what all we had, but every bite was fantastic. Dipped our toes in the ocean, just to say we did. Despite the surfers, it was too cold to swim, though the hang gliders had some impressive updrafts.
As we approached the bridge (you can look, but you can't cross), and I saw the huge plank spanning the space, I thought, 'neat, but so what?' And then I took a closer look and the whole architectural marvel of it just about blew my mind. The plank is not the interesting part; the sheer volume of stones put in place over 500 years ago, along a vertical cliff face in the middle of nowhere without the use of scaffold or mortar, and still mostly intact--that's just damned impressive. You do truly have to see it to get the full impact, and pictures don't do it justice, but I've included one here anyway. Just amazing.
Eventually, we made our way back down to Aguas Callientes (walking rather than getting a bus), had some food, and caught our train. We knew that we would share the bus back with Cuzco with some other Salkantay trekkers, and had a moment of worry having to listen to a rowdy group on the train (and getting rowdier and more obnoxious with every beer they tossed back) with Salkantay packs (we really wanted to apologise for the most obnoxious, as he loudly claimed Canada as his home). Luckily, our bus had the other worried train passengers, leaving the party bus to annoy a different driver. Our group pretty much slept back to Cuzco, much to everyone's relief.
We spent another couple of nights in Cuzco, but really only one day, as the bus didn't arrive until after 10:30 pm, and the flight back to Lima left at 8:30 am. We checked out a market with everything you could possibly need, from knitwear and souvenirs to fruit and raw chicken, and most things in between. Then off to Lima.
We met an entrepreneur named Juan that Mike had made a connection with for lunch at a fabulous (and slightly schmoozy) restaurant called La Mer, where we had cebiche (or ceviche, if you want to Americanized spelling), the must-have Peruvian seafood dish. Mike and Juan talked about UAVs and how Mike and Aeryon might help Juan with various humanitarian efforts he has a hand in. Juan ordered a wonderful selection of dishes for us (including octopus--delish!) so I don't know what all we had, but every bite was fantastic. Dipped our toes in the ocean, just to say we did. Despite the surfers, it was too cold to swim, though the hang gliders had some impressive updrafts.
Mike in the ocean. Hang gliders launched from the hill just to the right We had planned a walking tour of Lima (we stayed in the Miraflores district, and this tour would have taken us into Lima proper), but despite about 8 or 10 of us gathered, no guide showed up, though when Mike called, they said someone would come the next day. Wouldn't work for us, as this was our final day. So we set off with 3 others of the group for a bit of a wander to the food market. After a bit, Mike and I decided to just head back to our Airbnb, taking in some shops and parks along way.
Had some causa for supper--again, a Peruvian dish. Basically a mashed potato sandwich with whatever filling they have on offer. I had mine filled with avocado and tuna. Peru has something like 3000 different kinds of potato, and maybe half that for different kinds of corn. Whatever variety of potato bracketed my causa, it seemed nice enough.
Our driver arrived around 1:30 am to take us to the airpoirt for our 5 am flight home, saying that night traffic is pretty bad, given all the early flights. That said, we had smooth sailing (or driving) and made it to the airport with lots of time to spare. Some turbulence on the flight, but we made it home all safe and sound.
Besides the fantastic scenery, Peru has some great food and wonderful people. If you've ever thought of going, I highly recommend it!
Had some causa for supper--again, a Peruvian dish. Basically a mashed potato sandwich with whatever filling they have on offer. I had mine filled with avocado and tuna. Peru has something like 3000 different kinds of potato, and maybe half that for different kinds of corn. Whatever variety of potato bracketed my causa, it seemed nice enough.
Our driver arrived around 1:30 am to take us to the airpoirt for our 5 am flight home, saying that night traffic is pretty bad, given all the early flights. That said, we had smooth sailing (or driving) and made it to the airport with lots of time to spare. Some turbulence on the flight, but we made it home all safe and sound.
Besides the fantastic scenery, Peru has some great food and wonderful people. If you've ever thought of going, I highly recommend it!
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