Amazing Machu Picchu

The pinnacle of any tourist's trip to Peru is a visit to Machu Picchu, and I guess we're no different.


Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham III 100 years ago, Machu Picchu continues to be the enigmatic symbol of the Inca Empire. Historians and archaeologists still don't agree on what it was exactly. Was it a self sustaining mountain top city? A defensive outpost? A kind of religious center or monastery for the high priests? A summer home for the Inca ruler?


Whatever it was, it brings 2500 tourists a day from all over the globe to take in the sight of the 500 year old, unfinished masterpiece of the Incas set against an amazing backdrop of mountains and sheer cliffs.  To get to MP, you must either hike there by or catch a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and catch a bus up the 6 kms of switchbacks to the site.I'm pretty sure we'd have had a mutiny if I had tried to get Courtney and the kids to do the Inca Trail--so for us it was the train/bus option. 


MP must be worth tens of millions per day to Peru in tourism dollars. Anything associated with getting to or visiting the site is marked up by a factor of 5 or more. I guess when you've got something really special you know that folks will line up to pay for it, regardless of the price.

All the guidebooks say to get up early to see the site at sunrise and to beat all the other tourists.  To do that you need to spend the night in the town of Aguas Calientes, the sleepy village cum boomtown at the base of the hill.  Aguas Calientes is one part midway from a county fair, one part typical Peruvian town and one part resort. Even with the constant come-ons from touts, the place kind of grows on you.  The best part for me was the total lack of cars or motorbikes. Imagine that, a thriving town with no noise and air pollution! Quite a contrast to other towns here.

Since Anna had been sick the night before we decided to split into two groups to make the assault on MP--Hal and I would go early and meet up with Anna and Court later. Unfortunately, everyone who spends the night in the town also has the same idea to get up early and beat the crowds. Still, even with hundreds of fellow tourists in-tow, MP doesn't fail to impress.


While we were by no means the first there, Hal and I got to the site around 6:30 and in time to see the sun come over the mountains and have a good look around without too awful much company.  The site is actually surprising in that it's relatively compact but has lots of nooks and crannies to absorb the throngs of tourists.


What was most amazing to me was the setting. The ruins are set on the top of a ridge above sheer cliffs overhanging an oxbow in the Urubambu River. In many ways it reminds me of Zion National Park--only with subtropical vegetation and Inca stonework. From a perch just above the site you can, in one view, see the amazing handiwork of the Incas with snow covered peaks above and jungle and river below. Sitting there taking in the view I decided that its all too perfect to have been anything other than a summer retreat for the top-dog Inca. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

We met up with Courtney and Anna and wandered around for a few hours admiring the different temples, baths, houses and terraces.  Anna was most impressed with the small herd of llamas that they use to cut the grass and spent much effort trying to get them to look up from their munching for a mug shot. Hal took some time to sketch and watercolor the views. After Anna and Court were ready to go, Hal and I hung around a little longer to sketch, hike and take in the view. It was an awesome visit.


Back in Aguas Calientes we all hung around waiting for our train and killed time drinking pisco sours, checking e-mail and people watching.  At one point we were sitting in the town square watching locals prepare for some sort of celebration. Local bands led a procession down the street and into the church carrying a religious float. Others worked on setting up a bamboo structure for a fireworks display.  Hal was sitting on a step sketching the scene when a crowd of uniformed school kids gathered around for a look.  It was quite a picture--Hal in the middle sketching with an arch of  20 eight year old kids in matching blue and white uniforms peering over his shoulder. And me without the camera!

We are now back in Ollantaytambo for a couple nights before heading back to Cusco and then on to the Amazon Basin and Manu National Reserve.