Machu Picchu

          First of all let me start by saying that just getting to and from Machu Picchu is not easy but so worth it.  Breakfast was provided by our hotel and this was the time we took our altitude sickness medication.  We also drank the local coca tea to help adjust.  Altitude sickness is real.  You can suffer headache, tingling sensations and shortness of breath, just to mention a few of the symptoms.  After breakfast we headed back down the mountain to the bus station.  You can opt to hike up to Machu Picchu but I really couldn’t recommend that to anyone.  The hike will take you an absolute minimum of 2 hours and it’s a very difficult hike.  If you hike back that’s another 2 hours plus 3 hours at the top so you can plan on a minimum of 7 hours if you are in excellent shape.  

           The bus on the other hand takes 30 minutes and departs about every 5 minutes.  The road is dirt, or mud, with some stones mixed in with numerous switch backs all the way up so if you are prone to motion sickness Dramamine would be in order.  Getting to experience the wonder of Machu Picchu isn’t cheap!  The bus from Agua Caliente to the entrance of Machu Picchu will run you $24USD per person round trip.  The entrance fee to Machu Picchu will run you another $46USD per person.  We opted to hire a private English speaking guide for the 4 of us at a cost of $15USD per person.  The cost for the guide was so worth it, lasting almost 3 hours.   

          I can’t even begin to describe the beauty and majesty of Machu Picchu.  Built around 1450 by the Incas but abandoned a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest.  It remained unknown to the outside world until discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.  By 1976 only 30% of the restoration had been completed.  Restoration is ongoing today and it remains as the number one tourist attraction in South America. 

          The site is comprised of over 150 buildings that stretch over five miles in distance and feature more than 3,000 stone steps.  At such a high elevation we found ourselves moving very slowly and in a steady rhythm, climbing step by step from one side of the site to the other.  In the hundreds of photos I have seen none really reflect what it is like standing on the edge of any one of the terraces.  Nothing but thousands of feet straight below to the river and mountains thousands of feet above surrounding you.  To the Inca’s this sacred place was their Ying and Yang.  Where they were in perfect balance and harmony with everything.  It truly was a moving experience.  Before returning to our bus we sat in silence for about 20 minutes just taking in what we had just covered on foot.  It was magical. 

            We began our trip back down the mountain to arrive by 2pm as our train departed from Agua Caliente back to Cusco at 3pm.  The return to Cusco was by train and bus with an arrival into Wanchaq station in Cusco at 7:30pm.  The bus portion is not for the faint of heart.  Once again Dramamine would be in order if you are prone to car sickness at all.  Although our hotel was only 2 blocks from the train station, we opted to hire a van for the transport and it was so worth it at a cost of only $20PEN – about $7.30USD for all 4 of us and all our luggage.  We enjoyed a complimentary Pisco Sour and called it a day.  Tomorrow we will explore the ancient city of Cusco.