Khivan and I both wrote our accounts of the day we visited Machu Picchu. I’ve heard that Khivan’s posts are more interesting than mine, so I’m posting her version a day after mine so that there’s a chance that some people will have actually read mine!
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So Machu Picchu is one of the Wonders of the World. And if we weren’t already convinced the Inca were engineeringly and architecturally gifted, MP would certainly convince us. While it was definitely one of the most physically strenuous vacation days I’ve ever experienced…. I wouldn’t change it.
We woke up at 4:45 to get dressed and get down to breakfast. We had to check out that morning so we packed up, planning on leaving our backpack at the hotel and taking just the hiking backpack with us. Breakfast was nice and filling and I made some sandwiches for later in the day. We got in line at 5:30 to take the bus, and the line was already so long we couldn’t actually see the buses. About an hour later, we finally got on and started driving the switchbacks up the road.
The valley was foggy but there weren’t many clouds in the sky. Seeing the fog settle on trees and mountain edges was really lovely, particularly in the early morning sun. I got some nice photos during that drive up.
Then we got there and went to stand in line to get in (lines everywhere at Machu Picchu even at 6:45 am!). You’re allowed 3 entries per ticket, and this would be our first one. We walked to the platform that gives you those first classic views that everyone has photos of. Lots of people. It was amazing how quickly the clouds came up and hid Huyana Picchu from us, but we got our shots and headed up toward the Sun Gate to start our hike.
The weather was already warming up so we removed our sweatshirts and quickly bug repellent sprayed ourselves.
We had tickets that allowed us to hike Machu Picchu Mountain (aka Montana). I hadn’t been able to get us entrance to hike Huyana Picchu, which is incredibly popular and tickets gotta be booked 6 months in advance. But Montana was supposed to be a good and easier hike, so it seemed like a good fit for us. We checked in, writing our names and start times in the book at 7:05 am, and off we went.
Off means starting to go up the Incan stone steps, not always level, not always smooth, and frequently slippery. The altitude, while one of the lowest we’ve been at in Peru, combined with the stairs made for slow climbing with lots of breaks. Not much later, our second layers came off, and I was down to a tank top and shawl w/ my pants rolled up. The shawl really helped with the bug bite prevention. And on we hiked. Onward and upward. Upward and onward. So much upwardness. And onwardness. During our breaks, we’d turn around and see Machu Picchu town get smaller and smaller. We ran into a French guy who said it was another hour. I was about ready to turn around. Then Daman saw the rainbow flag and that was so encouraging, I was totally ready to turn around and give up until we saw the flag.
So more upwardness and all of a sudden, it flattened out and we were there! We saw the guard hut and the flag and the sign and we had made it! We took our photos then sat down to eat, Machu Picchu town way way way under our dangling feet. The best surprise was all the butterflies! Flitting about everywhere, they were so charming.
After a bit of a rest and some food, we felt fortified enough to start our descent. It was about 10 am, and we had our tour set for 11 am, so we had to get going. It was still a slow downward slog, mostly affected by the unevenness of the stairs and many many more people heading upward…sharing those routes was a bit unnerving at times given how narrow and steep and close to the edge of the very high mountain we were.
At this point, my knees were pretty achy and my right thigh was sending very unhappy messages. We took breaks and sat, ate snacks and caught our breath, but knowing we had an appointment to be at kept us going.
8 Trips in 8 Weeks 