Machu Picchu

The next morning, we woke up before dawn to have breakfast at 4:30AM. It was a surprisingly solid meal including some eggs! … Which had become a rare delicacy the last few days; so many of our breakfasts were sugary and carb heavy, and not surprising since we needed the fuel to hike, but having eggs felt like such a treat! Hehe. It’s the small things in life 🤗.

As soon as we finish our breakfast, Julia and I decide to head out and begin our trek to Machu Picchu. It starts off easy, following the same road we walked up yesterday, but now we depend on our headlamps as it’s still pitch black outside. We make it to the first checkpoint, show our ticket and passport, and are ushered across a foot bridge towards the start of the trailhead. Here we go!

We climb for at least an hour and up a whopping 1,600 stairs! Haha. As if we hadn’t done enough walking and hiking already 😅🤣. But, that is the reason we are here, so why not finish strong? And tired. And sweaty. Lol.

It was no walk in the park. We went at our own pace, taking plenty of breaks and resting as needed; we’re so glad we decided to leave early. We weren’t pressed for time and could enjoy the arduous journey as best as possible. We were alone for a good chunk of the morning; I doubt too many others wanted to wake up even earlier than required, haha. But we did run into another couple of ladies huffing and puffing their way up. All of a sudden, we didn’t feel so out of shape or embarrassed by our snail pace, hehe.

Slowly, but steadily, we gradually ascended, step after step, until we could hear some flute music being played. We’re nearly there! Hehe. A man selling water and playing the flute began clapping for us as we rounded the final turn. We did it!!!!! OMG! Hehe. Sweatier than sweaty, but we arrived, huffing and puffing for breath, but we did it! 😁

We were early, so we made use of the restrooms, as there are none inside Machu Picchu. We were all set and ready to begin at 6:30, but apparently, some of our group was running late and caused a delay for all of us. We were a bit annoyed since we were so excited to get in, but when we did, none of that mattered, hehe. It’s Peru! Haha.

I had “circuit 1 or 2,” which includes the classic view of Machu Picchu, and I was with Julia and a few others from our group. We had a different guide, and he offered us serval generic descriptions of Machu Picchu, and I wish he offered more details, but it was great information overall. And to be fair, I’m not sure I could’ve retained any more facts and stories, hehe.

As we enter the archaeological site, we’re greeted by this classic view of an adorable alpaca and Machu Picchu in the background, hehe. We were trying to get ahead of the crowds, so it was a drive by picture opportunity, but well worth it!

Our first stop was a lookout point to see where the Inca Trail enters Machu Picchu. As we were talking about the immense network of trails, we saw a few weary hikers headed our way! I offered a, “Congrats! You made it,” but all I got in return were exhausted mumbles and furrowed brows, haha. I get it. I had been hiking for several days myself, but I guess we DID get to sleep in a bed and have a hot shower last night 😁🤣.

All of us, anxious to get to a viewpoint of Machu Picchu, hurriedly walk along the path, inching closer to the marvelous sight we know awaits us, just a bit further. The gasps of the group were audible and everyone immediately starts snapping pictures, although, our guide says there is a better view up ahead. We don’t care, hehe. We are setting our eyes on this magnificent site for the very first time.

We press onwards and find a space large enough for our group to gather, and our guide gave us some insights to Machu Picchu. We learned that the Spaniards never found it or even knew about it, and thats one reason they believe it’s in such good shape. Many of the “treasures,” are no longer there, as many artifacts went back to Yale with Hirham Bingham, who “discovered” it in 1911. I wish more artifacts would be repatriated back to where they came from…but that’s an entirely different rant, hehe.

There were so many opportunities to take photos, and we did not take those for granted! Hehe. Our guide was trying to move us along, but when you’ve made it this far, especially after hiking here, you take the extra moment to enjoy and let it all sink in.

It was simply magical being at Machu Picchu….the city has 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, which the Inca considered sacred. I mean, after being up there, I don’t think you could visit and not feel a sacred, spiritual energy in that place. Absolutely stunning and awe-inspiring.

Apparently, Machu Picchu was abandoned in 1540, and nobody knows the exact reason why. Perhaps they knew the Spanish were here, and wanted to protect the city, so they left it, or perhaps they were concerned the Spaniards would come and the inhabitants chose to flee to the forest for safety.

Once we’d had our fill, we began the arduous downhill journey…. Our poor knees! Haha. I’d choose climbing up 1,600 stairs over going down 1,600 stairs any day! Haha. And by now, it was HOT outside. When I say we were drenched in our own sweat….it was literally falling off our bodies as we walked, haha. 🤣

We were totally beat after reaching the road, and we still had a bit of a walk ahead of us. We tried our best to shelter in the shade, but there wasn’t much to be found. We found a nice little lunch spot, Inka Tambo, and we decided we’d take a rest here. And what do we do? Climb more steps, as if we haven’t done enough already, haha, and sit on the second floor with a lovely little balcony view. We all chose the “menu del día,” which is essentially a 3 course meal, and there are options for each course. All for a whopping 25 soles, or $7, hehe.

More of our Sexy Donkey group joined us, and we spent one last meal together, reminiscing about the previous 5 days of struggles, joys, and utterly inspirstional views. We were so lucky with the weather and to have such a great group of people to share the moments with.

After lunch, we returned to the hostel to pick up the rest of our belongings and made our way to the train station. I was so excited to take the train! Hehe. I think everyone opted for this, as opposed to walking 3 hours back to Hidroélectrica to take a 6 hour bus to Cusco, haha. We’d done enough walking at this point, lol.

The train was beautiful! And it had cut-outs in the ceiling, so we all wondered what the upgraded “Vistadome” train had that we didn’t, hehe. Good call on choosing the cheap option, because our views were stunning! It began to rain, and we all were close to being lulled to sleep by the steady but sometimes rather jerky movements of the train.

Once in Ollyantaytambo, we found our van driver and piled in for a fast and furious ride back to Cusco. I think our driver had a date because he was overtaking just about everyone he could and nearly hitting animals along the way. Haha. I was in the back and missed most of the action, but I sure felt it, being thrown here and there, and everywhere, haha.

The walk to my new hostel was quite difficult, as it’s hidden down a little alleyway, and only has a tiny little sign, hehe. But man, oh man, is it a gem! They had put a hot water bottle between my sheets to warm up the bed! Hehe. Amazing!!! I mean, what sweet luxury is this after 5 days in the wilderness, haha. AND a waterfall style HOT shower! Omg. Haha. I have no regrets booking a private room after the hike. None, lol.

I skip dinner and just lay in bed relaxing, attempting to write, but realize there is no energy left, mental or physical. So, I begin a Netflix show and quickly fall asleep. Tomorrow will be a relaxing catch-up day, jusy hanging around Cusco.