Land of the Incas - Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes

The next step of our journey took us to Aguas Calientes - a stepping stone on to Machu Picchu.  We arrived in late at night in the dark and were met at the train station by our guide.  He took us on a mystery tour of this tiny town through narrow, windy streets and empty markets to our hotel for the night.  

We had just settled in when we heard a really loud roaring noise as if a tsunami was heading right for us! Mum opened the door to the balcony and in the light of the moon we could just make out a very swollen and fast running river right outside our door.  There had been a lot of rain and some flooding in the weeks before.  The noise was incredible and I was pretty glad I'd brought my ears plugs!

The next morning we were up before dawn and headed to the bus station where we boarded a bus heading up through the mountains to the lost city of the Incas - Machu Picchu. It had been my dream for a long time of someday visiting this ancient city high up in the Andes mountains so it was a very special day.  As the bus winded its way up through the trees and mist further into the mountains I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn't all a dream!

Myself and Ruth above the Urubamba river

At the entrance to the site we met our tour guide, Ernesto, and we joined our tour group for our 2 hr guided tour of the city.  One of the most unforgettable moments of the trip was as we stood looking over the city, the thick blanket of mist swirling around the ruins began to lift and we caught our first glimpses of Machu Picchu! It was an amazing moment: one minute we stood in a white cloud, the next there the city was, spread out in front of us and far below us the deep ravine through which the Urubamba river flows all the way till it meets the mighty Amazon river!

Ernesto showed us the most important parts of the ancient city such as the temple of the sun (the Incas worshipped the sun and moon gods) and the temple of the three windows as well as where the rich nobles lived and where the ordinary folk lived.  Most of the ruins are made out of huge pieces of stone many weighing 3 or 4 tonnes! I could hardly believe that they dragged the enormous stones up the mountain from a quarry far below all by manpower. They built terraces to stop soil erosion and protect the city from earthquakes and they farmed yucca, potatoes and coca leaves.  Without a doubt the Incas were a very advanced race.  The disappearance of this civilisation only serves to preserve the mystery and fascination surrounding them.

Machu Picchu emerging from the mist

Ernesto explained that, because of the amount of work it took to build just one building, its no surprise that Machu Picchu is an unfinished city. Whatever made the Inca people flee their beautiful city we'll probably never know but their ruins allow us a glimpse into their life and culture many centuries later.  Some people think they left in a hurry because of the threat from the Spanish army that had destroyed other Inca cities: they wanted to wipe our their culture and race and replace it with their own. In leaving their homes behind the people of Machu Picchu protected a very precious part of their culture and because of their actions it is still there for us to explore today. (thank goodness for that!)

Ernesto explained that Machu Picchu lay abandoned for centuries till an American called Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it while looking for the lost city of the Incas - El Dorado - or Utopia.  He mistook Machu Picchu for the lost city and brought it to the attention of the world.  Well, if it was once lost, it is certainly lost no more! Even though we visited in the rainy season when there are supposed to be few tourists, it was pretty busy!

The narrow path above the ravine

After our tour ended, we had a few hours of free time to explore.  We watched the llamas and alpacas who live among the ruins, we took some photos of the city and sat taking in the amazing view.  Its really hard to explain how magnificent this place is.  Its somewhere you just have to see for yourself I think.  We then decided, on the advice of Ernesto, to walk to a bridge along a trail through the jungle that surrounds the city.  What he didn't tell us was that the track was a very narrow path clinging to the rock face thousand of feet above a deep ravine! yikes! It actually turned out to be a lovely walk. We saw butterflies and hummingbirds although we didn't cross the narrow bridge at the end of the path.

One of the few llamas living at the site

On our way back we heard thunder in the distance and saw dark clouds on the horizon and decided it was probably time to head back down to Aguas Calientes. We boarded the bus down the mountain and left Machu Picchu behind in the mists of history.  During a relaxing lunch in Aguas Calientes we watched the rain pour.  Boy were we glad we made it down on time!  The rain was actually a welcome sight for me since, living in Lima, I hadn't seen rain since I'd left Scotland 3 months ago.  This is something I thought I'd never say but its true, I miss the changeableness of the Scottish climate!

That afternoon we wandered through the markets buying some last minute souvenirs before catching the train that would eventually take us back to Cusco. So ended our day in Machu Picchu: one of the best experiences I've ever had and a day full of memories I know I will never forget.  I only wish I'd had had more time to hike the Inca trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu on foot.  Maybe next time...

Me above Machu Picchu - living a dream