After we had hit up the Peruvian Amazon, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, we hopped on a train to Aguas Calientes. You may not have heard of this town before, but in order to see the magnificent views of Machu Picchu, every traveler must go through the small, very very touristy town of Aguas Calientes.
The view from my bed in Aguas Calientes - check out the face in the mountain.
This is the Hairless Peruvian Dog, loved and adored as a pet since pre-Incan times.
You can't be in Peru and not have a Pisco Sour...
The drive from Aguas Calientes up the steep mountains was nothing less of frightening. We awoke before the crack of dawn. Squeezed onto one of the many buses shuttling tourists up to the entrance of Machu Picchu and held on for dear life.
The road is made of dirt, very narrow and literally clings to the side of the mountain side. Driving at speeds around 40-50 mph, the drivers felt no need to slow down when approaching and passing oncoming buses. Here's one of the hairpin turns...
Having safely made it to the entrance of Machu Picchu, we unloaded and stood in a looong line. Fortunately, once you're inside, the vast area engulfs the hordes of people and it's quite nice and quiet (if you can get away from the tour groups).
The moment when we turned a corner and the iconic scene of Machu Picchu came into view, it took my breath away! Standing in front of this, all I can think is "WOW, am I REALLY here??" It makes you appreciate all the planning, hard work, cost, travel time, and logistics it took to get to a place like this. I know some people may think it's overrated, but it was seriously such an incredible feeling to be standing here.
This is the original entrance to the town of Machu Picchu. The end of the journey for the many, many Incans and current-day tourists who have hiked the Incan Trail to reach this magical place.
This is a view of the farming area of Machu Picchu. These houses were used to store food and were used by the farmers who supported this small town.
The Temple of the Sun maintains the only rounded wall in all of Machu Picchu. On the winter solstice, the rising sun will align just perfectly to come up through the "V" in the opposing mountain side (see second picture below), will shine through the window on the right of the room, and will hit a marked spot on the ground within the room. And on the summer solstice, the same thing happens - the sun will rise through the Incan Trail entrance and shine through the window on the left side of the room. It's so incredible the very detailed intricacies the Incans built with - everything with a specific meaning.
One thing you'll notice about Incan stone work is that each individual stone has been molded to perfect fit the stones around it, without any mortar or cohesive binder! The use of a lego-like technique was often used to keep stones together. But how they were able to get the stones so perfectly together is still only speculation.
Our tour guide swore by the concept that they used harder stone to break pieces apart and then course rocks/stones to grind them down, and then lastly a sandpaper-type technique to smooth each block down. Others, of course, say it was extraterrestrial. :)
And you'll notice in this picture below that every doorway, window, or wall was built with a 35 degree angle to replicate that of a human stance. You can compare it to the idea of how easy it is to push someone over when they're standing with their legs close together vs when they have a spread stance. More stability is offered with this technique and has proven it over the centuries and many earthquakes.
The Incan cross is representative all over. Below, you'll see a stone carved into the shape of half of an Incan cross. The Incans believed in symbolism and didn't stop here... You can see the shadow the sun is casting on this stone - it completes the full Incan cross. This symbolizes bringing together the heavens and the earth.
This is part of the Temple of the Condor. The Condor is one of three sacred animals - Condor, Puma, and Serpent. The Condor represents the heavens and the gods, the Puma represents the current world, and the Serpent represents the underworld. In the Temple of the Condor, you can see the extended wing (in the picture below), and then further down, the head of the condor carved into stone in the ground.
A trip to Machu Picchu just can't happen without hanging out with the Alpaca!! Meet our friend Doris (see second picture below). :)
On Day One of Machu Picchu, Katie and I hiked to the top of Machu Picchu Mountain which is a large mountain on the back site of the Machu Picchu ruins. Saying there were a lot of stairs is a GREAT understatement. After a couple hours, we reach the top, with the reward of some of the most incredible views I've ever seen! Machu Picchu ruins below, beautiful and very dramatic mountains surrounding us and an awesome rainbow flag - representing the heavens.
After a long day up on the mountain, we enjoyed a lovely night cap of Pisco Sours and other yummy drinks...
Day Two of Machu Picchu included a hike to the top of Huayna Picchu - the backdrop of all the famous Machu Picchu pictures you see. According to our guide, the high priest and the local virgins the top lived at the top of this mountain. Every morning before sunrise, the high priest with a small group would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day.
And I do have to commend that daily walk, because the trail from Machu Picchu to the top of Huayna Picchu is nothing less of treacherous. There are stories of many people having fallen off the trail to their deaths. So needless to say, Katie and I clung on to the side of the mountain pretty closely. Once we were to the top, you could see the entire valley, across the Machu Picchu ruins to the peak of Machu Picchu Mountain which he had climbed the day before. Beautiful!
Here you can see the small road that winds up to the entrance of Machu Picchu.
It was hard to do, but eventually we had to say goodbye to Machu Picchu and head on to our next adventure. Here's to meeting again!!
The stone work is awesome. What was the perspective in the photo of the four of you above the city ruins? It looks like Peggy is hanging onto Bethanne for dear life... it must have been a steep drop behind you? And did you take the bus one day and walk to the same place the second day? Is there more than one walking trail up the mountain? Do people still farm the land near Machu Picchu? How long did it take to get there by bus versus by foot?
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