Machu picchu and more

So here we are in cusco, resting from the adventures of Machu Picchu, and what an adventure it was! Our journeys began as we boarded a train to the town of Aguas Calientes (the gateway to machu picchu). The train is really the only way to get to machu picchu and they make you pay for it dearly. However it was worth it and we both enjoyed watching the mountain scenery go by while listening to the clicking of the train of the tracks. After about 3 hours on the train we pulled into Aguas Calientes at about 11AM where we were met by a hostel liason who brought us to our hostel.

Realizing that time was short we headed off quickly on a hike over machu picchu that had been recommended to us. What a hike. I should start by saying that Aquas Calientes is nestled in beautiful jungle clad mountains. We felt like we were on the set of Indiana Jones as we hiked up our trail which included numerous sets of long, high and steep rickety ladders that stretched on and on. The hike left us somewhat short of breath but our reward was worth it as we crested the mountain to see Machu Picchu spread out in the mountains before us. We snapped a few pictures and headed back down to the natural hotsprings to rest our weary legs. Finally after some good food we headed back to our hostel for a few short hours of sleep before our big day.

Our machu picchu experience started bright and early as our alarm went of at 3:45am. The reason for this craziness is that there is a hike above machu picchu that is only open to the first 200 people(as another 200 are reserved). So rather than waiting for an expensive bus to take us up we hiked up the thousands of stone stairs that take you to the entrance. The experience was worth it as we headed off under a beautiful moonlit sky hemmed in by the silhouette of the mountains all around us. We climbed up the stairs and switchbacks with the light from our headlamp and what an exciting experience. It was an exciting hike and we were feeling pretty good as we got to the gate and realized we were within the first 20 people there!We relaxed and waited for the gate to open(at 6am) and then ran to get our tickets for the Huaynu Picchu hike. The view of Macchu Picchu almost stopped us in our tracks, it was absolutely beautiful and after getting our tickets we headed up to the guardhouse (view point) to sit and watch the sun crawl down the mountains and light up the city.

Machu Picchu isnt really that huge as it was only a retreat center for royalty, probably hosting only a few hundred people in peak times. However the natural setting mixed with the ingenious building make it a sight to behold. They say that 60% of machu pichu is underground, providing a flat base in the mountain to hold the buildings as well as provide drainage for the city. What is above ground is an impressive use of stone to provide a naturesque feel to the city. It is truly fantastic.

After spending a few hours exploring the bottom half of the city of a maze of buildings and stairs. It included the temple of the condor, living quarters, and agricultural terraces. We set off on our climb of huaynu picchu, a mountain overlooking machu picchu. We braced ourselves for a tough 1hr. hike and were quite surprised when after only 40 minutes we were standin on top with out too much effort. We took in the panoramic view and explored the few buildings and guard house on top before dropping back down to finish our tour of the upper half of the city. The top half included the royal housing, the temple of the sun (the place where they believed the sun was tied too) and other sacred areas. I should add that the selfguided tour book liana bought me for Christmas proved an awesome guide as we worked our way through the maze of stone buildings. Finally, we said our sad farewell to machu picchu and hiked back down the thousands of steps to aguas calientes to wait for our train.

So here we are in cusco and it looks as though it might stay that way for a while. There has been some conflicts in the jungles of peru regarding oil, taxes and borders. This has resulted in numerous clashes between police and natives. There have been quite a few mortalities and although this is in the north of peru there have been solidarity marches all over. These are quite peacefull and well controlled however both the bus station and airport have been shut down for cross border transportation. There is a chance we will get through tonight but everything is up in the air. If we cant get through we may try to get to Puno, which is close to the border, alongside lake Titicaca. We will keep you posted on how this goes.