Aguas Calientes
I awoke in the wee hours of the morning, promptly at 4 AM. Reluctant to get out of bed, I realized that today was different. Today I was about to embark upon journey through time, transporting myself to the most famous ruins of the 15th century Incan civilization.
I was taking Peru Rail on a bus+ train combo to Aguas Calientes, leaving Cusco at 5 AM to arrive in time for my 10 AM entry ticket. The path to Machu Picchu involved 4 transportation modes, starting with a taxi from my hostel to the bus station in Cusco, a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo (Sacred Valley), and finally a train to Aguas Calientes. Once in Aguas Calientes, I still needed to buy another bus ticket to get to the actual ruins. After driving through the twisted roads across the peaks and valleys of surrounding mountains, we finally reached Machu Picchu. (Sigh of relief).
Upon arrival, there were hundreds of people finding their tour groups and other lone guides looking for travelers without tours booked. I didn't book any tours in advance, because I was told by many friends that I could find a guide when I got there. So that is what I did. Eventually I found a guide and coupled up with a legitimate mountaineer (who was actually a PhD candidate at Duke, but had camped around the Incan trails for the past 5 days). Finally, we were off!
When we initially entered Machu Picchu, we stood in awe for about 3 minutes, just taking in that first breathe taking view. In the backdrop, the dominant Huayna Picchu peaked high into the heavens. Sprawled out in front of us was the remnants of an ancient civilization, with buildings, temples, and houses all constructed with the timeless (but sturdy) stones that were cut so tight, nothing could penetrate the cracks between them. Among all of this were the terraces. Absolutely incredible on their own, there are around 700 green terraces (which honestly looked like steps from afar) from the top of the mountain, to what looked like an endless abyss below. Our guide, Piero, took us through each of the structures and grounds, explaining the purpose and use behind the architecture. In addition to understanding all the complexities of building the miniature city, I was truly fascinated by the history and that the reason why Machu Picchu remained to this day.
Perfect setting to gaze out into the Peruvian countryside.
The beautiful ride on Peru Rail
Machu Picchu is perched above the Urubamba River, on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountain Range. It was constructed and populated during the mid 1400s, most likely used as the royal abode for the Incan King. It also contained residences for other elite citizens and workers who tended to the crops. The high altitude of Machu Picchu also served as an excellent place to monitor the area and spot invaderes from afar. According to theory, Machu Picchu was occupied for about 100 years and was still under construction when it was abandoned. No one really knows the reason why Machu Picchu was left hidden behind the clouds for hundreds of years, but the most likely reason is due to the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500s. In 1532, the Spanish invaders landed in Peru and slowly dismantled and crushed the Incan empire, destroying most of the architecture and reducing its citizens from 10 million to under 1 million. But fortunately they failed to uncover Machu Picchu, which was found only by those knowledgable of it. This city became one of the many lost Incan cities, but was eventually recognized in 1911 by a Yale Expeditioner, Hiram Bingham. He, with help from a team of experts, worked with a village nearby who passed knowledgeable of Machu Picchu from generation to generation. Eventually after 30 years of excavation, they were able to salvage and finally reveal Machu Picchu to the world.
The rest of the day was spent gallivanting around the ancient grounds and making friends with other explorers. By the time I reached back to my hostel it was 11 PM and I was wiped from the exhausting day. Upon reflection, Machu Picchu is still seared into my memory as one of the coolest historical sites I've ever seen. But my travels were to continue. The next day, I was making my way to one of the regions most famous for their wine-- Mendoza, Argentina.
