Much like the ancient ruins themselves, our tour of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu was shrouded in mystery. It wasn´t even really a language barrier, we just didn´t know what to expect (because no one told us), but most of it turned out to be a pleasant surprise!
We boarded a bus in the early, early morning in Cusco to head up to Kilometer 104 along the Inca Trail , where we were supposed to meet our guide, Reynaldo. Yes, that was the only information we were given, along with a bag filled with styrofoam boxes, which we guessed contained some food. When we got off the bus after an hour and a half, we were told to get on the train (which was through a maze of street vendors selling anything and everything). We figured out where our seats were and thankfully found someone who could explain to us how long we´d be on the train until Kilometer 104. After about another hour, the train stopped in the middle of nowhere and they announced, "Kilometer 104!", so we got off. There was no station; we just stood next to the train, literally 4 feet away from it as it pulled away, and found our guide, Reynaldo, waiting for us. We were the only people who got off the train. It all seemed a bit strange.
Once we were united with someone who knew what they were doing, we felt a lot better, well, maybe not completely better, but we were on our way. In case some of you may not know, the Inca Trail is at a pretty high altitude (21oo meters where we started), and we walked pretty much straight up for the first 3 hours of our hike. For Chris and Jen, it wasn´t too bad because we had been dealing with the high altitude for over a week being here in Peru, but for Sue it hit pretty hard. She was a trooper though and managed to gut it out through the long 6 hour hike, with some help from Reynaldo and his magic bag of medicine. It was well worth it. The views and other Inca ruins we saw while hiking were absolutely amazing and when we reached the "Sun Gate" at the end, we had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu, at sunset. It was spectacular! We were all so glad that we did the hike to be able to get our first look at this amazing place from up above. Way better than arriving by bus and seeing it from below. We all would highly receommend it (yes, even Sue).
We spent the night in Agua Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu and then got up before sunrise to go to Machu Picchu before the tour buses showed up. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain, so we had to wait it out for about a half hour. But, once we got out there and saw it amidst the clouds, it was awesome. Reynaldo guided us around for an hour and a half, and then we had the rest of the day to ourselves. After an hour or so, the sun came out and we had some spectacular views. It is such an amazing place to see in person. It´s hard to believe that the Incas built this entire city on top of a mountain. And to see some of the construction and what the different buildings were used for, was so impressive. They were really very smart people, way ahead of their time. What a great experience to witness all of it!
We hope that this inspires some of you to visit Machu Picchu! We´re off to the Galapagos Islands tomorrow where we may or may not have internet access for the next week. We promise to post tons of pictures when we get back to Quito next week! Enjoy!
Jen and Sue check out the locals.
Smile!
Another "Green Screen" for Tom.
8 comments:
Llama!
wow! that looks awesome. llama llama llama
From what I know about llamas (learned mostly by watching cartoons), they like to spit at you. Next time you see a llama, you should run up to him and spit in his face. Strike first! That's my motto!
(oh, and needless to say- those of you not doing the spitting should make sure to get video on this)
Amazing. I've always wanted to see Machu Picchu.
Have fun in the Galapagos!
Boring.. Where are the drunk pictures? And don't try to tell me there isn't any footage of Chris throwing down with the locals. We all know he has some temper.
Also, I should compliment you on the subtle photoshopping necessary to pull off that first llama photo with Jen & Sue in the mid-ground. Very professional!
hey guys! i hope you are having an awesome time and can continue to provide us with a steady stream of ridiculously awesome photographs. please note that being away from the blog several days really raises the bar for photo quality, so i hope you are prepared. anywho, i was just reading this article: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/11/05/071105fa_fact_khatchadourian.
it is very long so i would think you won't have time to look at it until you get home, plus the first half is about a zany environmental activist, but it has a lot of very interesting and compelling stuff about the galapagos. so i thought i'd pass it along in anticipation of your trip. i hope you guys have a wonderful time there! and now to conclude been the longest blog comment ever.
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