The Machu Picchu Post

2/13/14 9.16 PM

We are staying in a hostel named Machupicchu Bed and Breakfast. The name isn't appropriate, however. We were supposed to be served breakfast (rumor has it that breakfast is a roll and jam) at 5AM. At 5.15 AM, we descended the stairs to find... no one. No bread and butter for us this morning, only dry granola bars on the bus to Machu Picchu.

Yes, today was Machu Picchu day. We set the alarm to 4.45 AM to ensure that we were up and out of the hostel early enough to buy tickets for the ruins and the bus to the ruins, and to be on one of the first buses to the site. I heard that the earliest bus is at 5:00AM. Of course, you have to buy your Machu tickets in advance to swing that one as the ticket offices don't open until 5.20 AM. 

The idea was to make it to the ruins in time to see the sunrise. The weather didn't cooperate. We woke up to rain and clouds. It was actually raining when we arrived last night in Aguas Calientes, and I suspect the rain never stopped.

Fog cover was thick as we ascended the mountain in the tourist bus. The windows were steamed up; I had no idea what my surroundings were like. On the way  back, I discovered that the bus was actually making precarious hairpin turns on a narrow road while managing not to hit other drivers coming from the opposite direction.

We disembarked from the bus and attempted the hike to Intipunku. The guidebook recommended that we hike there first to get the best view of the sunrise. 

We didn't actually make it all the way to Intipunku. The hike was deceptively long, and I was dealing with a bout of altitude sickness. I had taken the medicine I was given to help adjust to the high altitude, but apparently it just wasn't enough.

After the early rise and the exertion, we saw no sunrise.  At that point, we officially gave up on the sunrise. (I think we had unofficially given up long before and were just hiking.) We turned around and headed back to see the terraces, the mountains, and the impressive structures. Because of the fog, we hadn't seen much on the hike up to Intipunku. Every once in a while the clouds would break long enough for one or two fog-framed photos then close back in on the ruins and surrounding mountains.

Machu Picchu

The timing actually seemed perfect. As we were nearing the ruins, the sun came out and burned off enough fog for clear pictures. We participated in the photo frenzy everyone else on the mountain was involved in.

Machu Picchu

From that vista point, we took our time (I was still feeling very ill) and wanderd by the sacred rock, up past Huayna Picchu, down to Temple of the Condor, and we even saw a chinchilla (at least that is what we decided that rabbit-squirrel creature was.

Machu Picchu

We finished in the early afternoon and were able to catch a bus back to Aguas Calientes not much later.

After resting some in the hostel room, we ventured back out for a late lunch. We managed to find a restaurant serving fixed price meals, including vegetarian options. Even better, the restaurant offered working, if spotty, wireless internet. While I have a bit more internet work to catch up on (correspondence, school work, etc.), I definitely made a dent in what I had to do. 

After lunch, we headed to the covered market stalls next to the train station. Essentially, all sellers offered the same goods, but it was still fun to walk through the colorful grid of shop stalls. We each left with treasures to commemorate our time in Peru.

The remainder of the day was uneventful  I worked on the blog and got some school work done. Alli wrote some postcards and got ready for our trip back to Cusco tomorrow.

An early night, Alli is already asleep, and I hope to be asleep soon as well.

Off to Aguas Calientes and Ultimately, Machu Picchu

2/12/14, 7PM

At a couple minutes until seven, we are sitting on our train waiting for it to leave for Aguas Calientes (the town nearest Machu Picchu). We will arrive at 8:43 PM and make our way to the hostel, Machupicchu B&B. The plan is to get up early tomorrow to take the first bus up to Machu Picchu.

Peru Rail

To anyone who thinks that because Peru is a South American country it must be cheap, you are wrong. Peru is cheap (by our standards) for the locals, but not for tourists. The train cost about USD $55 from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. I've heard that the bus from Aguas Calientes up the mountain to the ruins is $40 and the ruins cost $45. By the end of the day, I'll be broke.

The train has left, and we are now on our way. Only a few minutes into the journey, and I'm already ready to be there. My body is worn out; we spent much of the day hiking. We had planned to see the fortress ruins, but I had a hard time stomaching the 130 Peruvian sole entrance fee (USD $43). Instead, we walked to the other side of the town to Pinkuylluna (which was free).

Although a strenuous uphill hike, the views were amazing. Unfortunately, we hadn't done enough research before we started the hike to know what we were looking at. We met a couple on the trail that told us the row of buildings that looked like houses were actually storage sheds for food. 

I have since done a little research (also known as reading the guidebook), and have found out that the buildings, seen below, were storehouses called (quollqa) at a site called Pinkuylluna. Interestingly enough, grain was stored here because the higher altitude preserved the food better. 

Incan store houses.

It is believed that the food stored in these houses came from the crops grown on the Incas' terraced mountain sides seen below.

Terraces.

By these accounts, the Incas were brilliant. I even read that they had a ventilation system for their storehouses. Not bad for 500 years ago.

Ollantaytambo