Machu Picchu

The adventurous tour to Machu Picchu starts early. There are several ways to reach the ancient Inca town - Inca Trail and PeruRail among the most common.

In January, 2010, heavy rains destroyed the beginning part of the railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, and still years later busses are used to replace the connection.

As our travel agent did a schedule miscalculation, we missed our train. We had to negotiate to get in the next Vistadome train, to which we had tickets, but luckily there was space for us.

In the luxury version of the train, you are offered some refreshments and entertainment, and souvenirs are available for purchase on board, as if on plane.

The wild Urubamba river.

The train ride is just beautiful, albeit a bit scary as it runs on the verge of the river bank.

Aguas Calientes.

Aguas Calientes, a village deep in the valley connects the ancient ruins with modern world.

To arrive to the site the following journey was required from Bogotá:
2 flights. 4 car/bus rides. 1 loooooong train ride. 10 minute hike.

After 15 hours of travelling we've finally reached the goal.

We've reached Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu, pronounced in Quechuan language [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu] (translates to "Old Peak"), is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres above sea level. It is an icon of Inca civilisation and it is believed that "the lost city of the Incas" was originally built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472).

The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

(Source) 

The clever architecture and different innovative solutions used in Machu Picchu were ahead of their time.

Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and was voted as the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

Machu Picchu is vulnerable to threats from a variety of sources. While natural phenomena like earthquakes and heavy rains can play havoc with access, the site suffers from the pressures of too many tourists. In addition, preservation of the area's cultural and archaeological heritage is an ongoing concern.
As Peru's most visited tourist attraction and major revenue generator, it is continually threatened by economic and commercial forces, and there is a growing concern over the hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting the site every year.

(Source)

The site was never on my must-see list, but now, after seeing it I can tell that it is a remarkable, impressive piece of history that leaves one speechless. Yet, I am still not convinced whether it is worth the money or the hazzle.

Going back to Aguas Calientes, we did not want to use the seemingly dangerous Hiram Bingham Highway used by tour buses to and from Aguas Calientes, so we decided to hike down.

Back in Aguas Calientes, from where the long journey back to Cusco - train, bus, taxi - started at dusk.

The Sacred Valley

Valle Sagrado (the Sacred Valley of the Incas), also known as the Urubamba Valley, is a valley close to the town of Cusco in the Andes of Peru.

We got to know all the historical places also known as the Urubamba Valley, below the ancient city of Machu Picchu, during an all-day bus tour combining many sights worth seeing near the Inca capital of Cusco.

The first stop was at a local handicraft market. Boy, these Peruvians know how to sell! [Read: Push! Force! Buy!] Even after a couple of hours in Peru it was too much to handle. I think the funniest moment was when an old, toothless lady who probably didn't even know how to read was selling wind chimes in English.

"Wind chimes! Wind chimes!" [Imagine a Kimi Räikkönen accent]

Of course, their only other option for making a living is farming which is why many depend their livelihood on the many tourists.

Oddly enough, we heard pan flutes just once or twice during the trip, which is nothing considering it is the most symbolising instrument of Peru.

Pisac

Pisac is a village located 33 km from Cusco. The reason for our first longer stop in the village was that the area is perhaps best known for its Incan ruins, known as Inca Písac, which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. Dating back 500 years, the Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which had a triple purpose functioning as military, religious, and agricultural structures.

The terraces preserved the cultivation at a temperature favourable for example for the growth of choclo (white corn), but they also helped the villagers to see possible attackers coming from below and protect their most valuable matters, the cultivations. The terraces permitted farming on otherwise unusable terrain; they also allowed the Incas to take advantage of the different ecological zones created by variations in altitude.

The graveyard of Pisac

There are about 10.000 graves in the graveyard, which can be seen as holes in the wall. The people from the villages were buried each in their own hole; for the most important persons a separate grave apart from the "regular" people. According to our guide Marisol, it is the biggest known graveyard in South America.

Pee in a hole!

Making Silver

After checking out yet another village and how they make silver jewellery, it was time to continue the drive to have lunch.

Our buffet lunch was served at the Alhambra restaurant.

This scarlet macaw said 'Hola!' to me.

During lunch we were able to admire the llamas, alpacas and vicuñas as well as the macaws (parrots).

Peru's national animal, vicuña, is relative to llama and alpaca.

Scarlet and blue and yellow macaws

Llama having a siesta.

Eucalyptus tree is not a native to South America.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site located at an altitude of 2,792 meters in the province of Urubamba. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center.

Nowadays it is an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca buildings and as one of the most common starting points for the three-day, four-night hike known as the Inca Trail, for which we unfortunately did not have enough time.

The architecture dating 500 years back was remarkably ahead of its time and means of construction.

On the side of the faraway mountain used to be the early "refridgerators" - storage rooms for food. The clever ventilation system due to increased wind and the higher altitude of these storage rooms kept the food good for a long time.

Centuries old brick wall.

Lukas standing in front of the Wall of the Six Monoliths.

Chinchero

By the time we reached the last visit of the day, the village of Chinchero, it was getting dark. Chinchero's most precious, though very scary sight was the church filled with handpainted pictures. The paint they used to paint was made from nature's own ingredients. Unfortunately, it was not allowed to take photos in the church.

After seeing Chinchero, we headed back to Cusco. A long day outdoors was consuming our energy so after dinner at an Italian restaurant we decided to get some sleep in order to be good the next day. The adventurous journey to Machu Picchu awaited!