Day 5 - Machu Picchu, the "Old Mountain"

On Thursday morning the alarm went off at 5am. It was still dark out, which was the point since the early start was in effort to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu, which translates to the "Old Mountain" in Quechuan. Unfortunately, the alarm wasn't the only thing that woke us up. The rain was coming down hard. There was definitely no sunrise to be seen, so we skipped the early bus and got an extra hour of sleep.

The plan was to take a two-hour guided tour through Machu Picchu, hike the neighboring Huyana Picchu peak and then spend the afternoon further exploring the area and perhaps taking in a little sun, but unfortunately the morning rain literally put a damper on our plan.

None the less, we stayed the course as much as possible. We took the guided tour and walked the entire Machu Picchu site learning about Incan homes, farming, religious ceremonies, and rituals for honoring the dead. 

Everyone was well equipped for the heavy rain with ponchos, thick jackets, and large umbrellas...

Except us...we learned quickly that our "rain jackets" were more water resistant than water proof, and to add insult to injury, Greg's umbrella was the smallest on the mountain barely covering his head and shoulders.

As for Matt, the tour guide singled him out of the group of 20+ people as being the most soaked and therefore the most in need of his extra poncho...I guess this is what you get when you send two California boys to the Andes.

The entire Incan civilization is estimated to have had close to 10 million people at its peak, that's equal to the population of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico combined. And one of the dynasty's biggest achievements is not only the creation of Machu Picchu, which is arguably the most famous sight in all of South America, but keeping it hidden from the Spanish when they invaded in the 1500s.  The Spanish sacked Lima, Cusco, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and numerous other cities and sites, but because of its location on the top of a ridge tucked between bigger mountain peaks, the Spanish never found Machu Picchu.

There are different theories on what exactly Machu Picchu was used for, but the most popular belief is that it was a gathering site for numerous tribes of Incas to meet, exchange goods, worship, and live. The Incas eventually abandoned the city in the 1500s and it was left to be reclaimed by nature.

10,000 Incas started work on Machu Picchu in 1450 and it's believed to have taken 70 years to build.

 It's believed that one of the reasons the Spanish never found Machu Picchu is because the area is often cloaked in clouds and mist and therefore tough to see.

Machu Picchu is one of the most well-preserved ancient sites in all of South America and amazingly, it looks today very much as it did when it was created. 

Machu Picchu is comprised of an upper and lower section of houses, temples, plazas, and terraces. The higher class lived toward the top and tended to have better stonework.

Once the morning guided tour ended we decided the heavy rains were not the right conditions for hiking Huyana Pichu, the "Young Mountain." Instead we took shelter in the picnic area with some fellow travelers who were also hoping to wait out the rain.

Greg enjoying a juice box while waiting out the rain.

Even the locals were in the picnic area taking shelter from the elements.

After a three hour rain delay, the weather cleared a bit so we got back on the "Old Mountain" and finished exploring. Our patience paid off as we were able to see, experience and capture amazing images of the area. It is one of the most beautiful and surreal places we have ever been. Everywhere you looked was an amazing view. Hopefully, the pictures below give you a sense of Machu Picchu's size, architectural intricacies, engineering prowess, and how the whole site is nestled into a massive mountain range. 

The clouds began to clear in the afternoon allowing for picturesque views of the entire Machu Picchu ruin.

Greg striking the Colin Kaepernick pose on top of Machu Picchu.

Speaking of football, the expansive grassy areas throughout the ruin would have made for perfect athletic fields.

Cut with stone or bronze tools, the edges of the stones were rubbed smooth until they merged together perfectly.

The Temple of the Three Windows was used for ceremonial rites.

The Temple of the Sun is the only round structure within Machu Picchu and has two tower windows that align to the points where the sun rises on the summer and winter solstices.

The ruin was an intricate maze of walkways, stairways, plazas, rooms, and terraces.

It's still a mystery how the Incas managed to transport the massive stones and granite they chiseled from the mountain cliffs.

The stones in the walls were fitted together flawlessly like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle without mortar.

One of the most exhilarating and scary parts of the ruin was the "Inca Bridge," which is a back entry pathway to Machu Picchu cut into the side of the mountain. The Incan army would take the bridge when returning from battle.

The Inca Bridge path is about 4-feet wide and winds around the side of the cliff face.

Living on the edge. There's no rail or guard on the Inca Bridge; it's just a straight drop.

Greg tested his limits; you can see that the path is not that wide and a bit rocky at some points.

It's about a 2,000 foot drop from the pathway to the valley floor.

Matt trying to feed the llamas, but they wanted nothing to do with him.

Greg on the other hand was a llama whisperer.

A view of Huyana Picchu, the iconic mountain peak that acts as the backdrop to Machu Picchu.

At the end of the day, I'd say we succeeded. It wasn't a homerun since it was rainy in the AM and still a little cloudy in the afternoon, but overall we explored the 15th century ruin from top to bottom, took some amazing pics, and got the full experience we were hoping for.

The last picture of the day...almost no clouds...definitely worth the wait.

We descended the mountain by bus around 4pm. We dried off and then took a brief ciesta before grabbing a bite to eat and exploring the small town of Aguas Calientes. 

While walking around Aguas Calientes we came upon a local park with recreation soccer games going on.

Dinner consisted of street meat from the local vendors outside the rec league field.

Matt went with the carne...what type of "carne" is still TBD.

Friday we head back to Cusco for a relaxing day in the Incan capital city.

Day 4 - Let the Ruins Begin

So many steps. The Incas must have been the most fit civilization in history. I think I know why they call them ruins...because anyone who walks them is left in ruins.  The high altitude just added to the challenge. And this was just the warm up...Machu Picchu, the biggest and most challenging Incan ruin is still to come. 

Despite the consistent gasps for breath all day on Wednesday, the sites and views were magnificent and worth the effort. 

A view of the Sacred Valley with the Urubamba River, which runs through the entire valley including around Machu Picchu mountain.

The group of 20 or so taking today's tour left Cusco around 8:30am. Well, most of the group left at 8:30. The two of us and our new French friend Valerie were originally left off the list.  Once the organizers figured out what happened, we had to run through town to chase down the bus. 

Once on the bus we visited numerous places - ruins, towns, markets, etc. - and I'll let the photos do the talking.

Our first stop was the small craftsman town of Pisac. It was nestled in the Sacred Valley with the massive mountain on one side and the Urubamba River on the other.

Alpaca fur is a hot commodity all over Peru and it's available on just about every street corner and market stall. As a new resident of a cold weather city, I figured I should stalk up on winter attire.

Greg was also stocking up on winter gear, but he opted for a Despicable Me Minion beanie that also matched the colors of his shirt.

While in Pisaq we stumbled upon an empanada guy - not a restaurant or cafe - just a dude and his son with a real-deal wood-fired oven and massive spatula making tasty cheese and onion empanadas. 

Fresh empanada dough waiting to be tossed into the oven.

Now that the tasty empanadas have wet your appetite, have you heard of cuy? It's Spanish for roasted guinea pig and it's a popular Peruvian dish that we've been wanting to try. Greg and I were on board until we saw this...real live adorable guinea pigs that looked like the pets we grew up with. This "guinea pig den" was all of seven feet from a massive oven giving us the impression that these little guys' time was limited.

Pisac is one of the most well preserved Incan ruins in the area. It served as an Incan military post and grew into a ceremonial and residential center. 

Incans used the circular terrace style design to grow crops and other agriculture on steep hillsides.

Awwww...

Another stop we made was at Ollantaytambo, a living Incan town with locals continuing ancient traditions such as their farming methods. People have lived in this town since the 13th century.

Greg doing his best Rocky Balboa impression after climbing the many steps of the Araqama Ayllu fortress in Ollantaytambo.

The Ollyantaytambo ruins is one of the finest examples of Incan stonework and shows that they were masters of architecture, especially building within the confines of the mountainous environment. Look closer and you can see Greg at the top of the fortress.

Matt taking a traditional Incan shower.

Llamas or Alpacas? We still can't figure out the difference, but both are very prevalent in the Sacred Valley.

The BMW wasn't cutting it, so Greg picked up a tricked out tuck-tuck, the real Ultimate Driving Machine.

The all-day tour wrapped up in Ollantaytambo at 4pm. We then jumped onto the Inca Rail train to Aguas Calientes, the small town at the bottom of Machu Picchu mountain. The two-hour train ride was by far one of the most scenic train rides we've ever taken. On one side of the tracks was a rushing river and on the other was beautiful mountains with endless green wilderness. It almost felt like Disneyland's The Jungle Ride. Only if the conductor came on the loud speaker and said, "Remain seated please; permanecer sentados por favor."

Our chariot to Machu Picchu.

All aboard!

Sites from the train. 

The Inca Rail train ran along side the Urubamba River.

The train tracks ran along the Sacred Valley floor.

More scenic views from the Inca Rail train.

We pulled into Aguas Calientes around 6:30pm just after sunset. The entire city is about one square mile, so it was easy to find our hostel. We settled in and got ready for dinner.

With such an exhausting day and an early start on Thursday, we decided to keep the night time mellow. We grabbed a quick bite and a digestif with a few new friends from today's tour and called it a night.

The plaza in Aguas Calientes welcomes visitors with statues of Incan chiefs and warriors.

The Urubamba River ran right through town with massive mountains on either side.

The hostels, restaurants, cafes, etc. of Aguas Calientes were all built into the side of the cliffs.

Aguas Calientes is a tiny town with the Inca Rail tracks acting as the main "street." The tracks were lined with cafes, restaurants, and hostels.

Tomorrow is plain and simple...all day at Machu Picchu trekking around its peaks, vistas, and sister mountains. It should be a good one.

Oh, also, Greg and I have both managed to avoid altitude sickness. We've had lots of water, a few altitude pills and numerous cups of the coca tea that locals prescribe, which may or may not have leaves from the same plant that produces cocaine.