The Lyons Diaries: Chapter 3

Machu Picchu

Puno, Cuzco and Sacred Valley

Machu Picchu

The Amazon

Peru home

After several cups of cafe con leche, we were ready for anything! Even the switchbacks that take the train out of the city and up over the ridges into the Urubamba valley toward Machu Picchu. Just imagine a winding road or trail twisting back and forth across a steep mountain face. When you get to a switchback, you make a sharp turn and head in the opposite direction. Now, imagine that the corner is so sharp that you can't turn. So, what to do?

The engineers who built the train tracks heading out of Cusco towards Machu Picchu came up with an ingenious solution... simply extend the tracks a few hundred meters and put in a switch. The train goes to the end of the track and a switchman (what else? ... you were expecting a switch-person?) hops off and switches the rails so that when the train backs up it takes a different set of tracks and heads higher without having to turn around. At the next switchback (now you know where that term possibly originated) the same thing happens. After four of these the train has gotten high enough on the mountain to go over a pass and into the next valley. On the return journey, the exact same thing happens in reverse to get the train back down to Cusco level.

We were in the first train car and since each car has its own motor, and there is no "engine" out front, we had not only the views from the side windows but also from the front! Those who had video cameras appreciated this "head on" option, especially Jim and our new friend Dale, who quickly hopped into the two front seats. Except for a lot of fog on the front window for the first hour, we had an unbelievable box-seat view of the entire trip.

The 3-1/2 hour ride took us through spectacular scenery. Although this rail line is narrow gauge, the journey was much better than the previous one from Puno to Cusco which was built on standard gauge. Everyone who visits Peru wants to go to Machu Picchu so the tracks are relatively smooth and well cared for. In fact, Peru is presently upgrading the tracks with new welded rails which will make the ride even better in coming years. This is evidenced by the price of the ticket as well.... about six times what it costs for the Puno to Cusco ride, but well worth every penny and more!

There were a couple of brief stops, but the one at Ollantaytambo was later referred to as the "Doll Stop" because the vendors (ladies and young girls) with costumed dolls to sell were out in force that day. Dolls flew in the windows and soles flew out. A number of backpackers joined and departed the train at this point as well ... however, they got on the train in the normal way, unlike the dolls.

Ollantaytambo (remember all the wind we experienced when we visited the ruins late in the afternoon) was unbelievably serene and still, which made the hectic scrambling to sell and buy dolls that much more ethereal. This is also the head of the most used part of the Inca Trail between Cusco and Machu Picchu. It is about a five-day hard walk from 'Tambo to Machu Picchu. It is also possible to get off the train at other points and make four, two and one day hikes into the ruins. The trail does a lot of very steep climbing and dropping, and especially during the rainy season can be exceedingly trying. We talked with a number of hikers while at Machu Picchu--all but one were happy to have completed the hike, but none of them were anxious to do it again. One young fellow of about 65 did indicate he'd be ready to give it another go after a couple months of recuperation.

The great thing about the trail is that you arrive at Machu Picchu above the ruins (at what is known as the Sun Gate), thus you are actually able to first see the spectacle from one of its most scenic aspects. The train follows the Urubamba River and stops far below the ruins within a very steep valley where it is impossible to glimpse even the lower ruins. It is then necessary to take buses from the valley up 21 switchbacks to the ruins. In earlier days, the buses had to do exactly like the train coming out of Cusco, and back up every other section between switchbacks. They have now been able to widen the turns so that "modern" buses can actually swing around at each switchback and keep going forward. Even so, a couple of the corners are almost as exciting as a ride at the county fair. Jim talked with one older driver and, if their mutual murder of Spanish translated correctly, the driver said he enjoyed the old way of going up and down since it gave a break from just driving forward all the time.

At one time the train stopped at a tiny station named for the town of Machu Picchu. From there, buses took tourists directly up the switchbacks to the ruins However, we arrived about 9:30 am at Aguas Calientes station (Hot Waters, named for the local thermal springs), the small village about a mile upstream where the train now stops. The only apparent reason for moving the train stop is to increase the number of tourists stopping in Aguas Calientes. Since we were staying overnight at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, located just outside Aguas Calientes and quite near the station, we walked the quarter mile or so to the hotel and deposited our small bags before catching the bus and heading up to the ruins. This move also gave the day trippers a chance to get ahead of us. Those who come to Machu Picchu only for the day must move fast in order to see everything since the train departs for Cusco at 3:00 p.m.

Our observation is that if you are going to spend the money to get to Machu Picchu, then spend a little more and stay overnight. If we ever get back, we will spend two or three nights there. Since hotel rooms are limited, it is imperative to have a reservation during the dry season. There is also one campground right at a bend in the river just where the road from Aguas Calientes crosses the Urubamba and begins its climb to the ruins. Many tents were pitched there the day we arrived, but most of the campers had departed by the time we left.

To get to the buses that transport visitors the last 8 kilometers up that steep switchback road, you must "run the gauntlet" through a series of vendors' stalls. Invariably we would lose one or two of our group to the shopping god. Each bus going up, at this time in the morning is filled to capacity. Any local who must get up to the site for work climbs up and sits on the top of the bus where there is a rack for luggage. These racks are used when the Inca Trail hikers come down after their days on the trail. Their Quechua sherpas depart, happy to be escaping all that excess baggage brought by the hikers, leaving the hikers with a pile of rucksacks to be sorted and put atop the busses along with any local workers going down.

Finally we are on the last leg of our journey to the fabled Machu Picchu! Ruth Marie can hardly contain herself. Jim says she's like a kid getting ready to go to Disney World. The 20-minute bus ride up all those switchbacks is quite exciting in itself. There is something new to see around each turn (or, perhaps, we should say each wild swing through 180 degrees) while we then head pell-mell in another cloud of dust. We heard from various guides that there is talk of putting a cable car from the small town up to Machu Picchu but we hope it never happens. The bus ride allows the anticipation to build tremendously and the cable car seems to be, in my opinion, just too modern and too fast. Treasures such as this need to be visited slowly so that the body and mind can acclimate to their surroundings. The majority of people who visit Machu Picchu will do it only once in their lifetime. Taking time to observe and learn leaves a lasting impression.

As the buses near the top, it's possible to catch glimpses of the lower terraces and a few fleeting images of stone walls. However, there is no real lessening of anticipation. For that reason, once we stepped inside the control point for the site, and the actual extent of the site becomes evident, it becomes overwhelming. All the pictures in the world cannot do justice to this magnificent place and our words will not do justice to it either.

Machu Picchu actually means old peak, so Machu Picchu is named for the old peak that is located to the southwest corner of the ruins. Really, Machu Picchu was named after the small town of Machu Picchu that used to be located at the base of Machu Picchu peak, which of course was named after the old peak itself... but you get the idea. In the Andes, when you find an old mountain, usually there is a Huayna (pronounced why-na) or young peak nearby. So, you won't be surprised to learn there is a Huayna Picchu located at the northeast corner of the ruins.

The ruins sit atop a high saddle, between Machu and Huayna peaks, which forms a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Urubamba River. Since the Urubamba was (is?) sacred, it is easy to understand why a spot of land almost enclosed by the river would also be considered sacred. The location is, to put it simply, spectacular. The valley walls are precipitous, the peaks verdant and soaring, the sky (whether brilliantly clear or brooding with weeping mists and clouds) overwhelming. Jim, who has traveled much of the earth, was stunned by the sheer breathtaking beauty of the location. It is hard to imagine that anyone would not be struck by Machu Picchu's undeniable aura. We glanced at each other and nodded. Walking into Machu Picchu gives the same sense of holy presence as walking into Saint Peter's in Rome. You don't need to be Catholic, you don't need to be religious, you don't need to be spiritual to feel the power from those stones and plants that now mark the ruins and their setting... you only need to be alive.

The archeological site is divided into two parts, the agricultural and the urban. The urban area is further divided into the Hunan or upper, and the Urin or lower sectors. Whether you enter by the tourist gate from the buses or from the Gate of the Sun on the Inca trail, you are in the agricultural part, so called because it consists mostly of terraces used to grow crops. The only buildings in this section are several "caretakers" houses and the "resting place," which were probably originally a guard house or watch tower. Since the agricultural area is mostly terraces, there is little to block the view and one has a spectacular vista overlooking the ruins and on to the unbelievable Andean peaks serving as a backdrop.

We spent approximately two hours before lunch and two hours after with our guide. The main points of interest are the: The Temple of the Sun with its closely fitted and rounded walls which was used as an astronomical observatory. Temple of Three Windows with its marvelous vistas and finely finished stonework. Intihuatana (hitching post of the Sun) which was used n determining solstices and equinoxes and establishing the calendar. The fact that the Intihuatana was not damaged is considered proof that the Spanish Conquistadores never discovered Machu Picchu. Every Intihuatana discovered by the Spanish was broken. The Sacred Rock, which is a huge slab of granite lifted upright by the Inca and shaped to mimic the outline of the Andes mountains seen behind. Qolqas (granaries), where surplus grain was stored. In the case of Machu Picchu which probably could only produce a fraction of the food necessary to support its inhabitants, the Qolqas were probably used to store most of their imported supplies. House of Three Fronts, which more importantly, had three levels. Condor's Temple where a sculpted granite rock on the floor is shaped to represent the head of a sacred condor, and naturally occurring rocks are shaped like its wings. The Mortars, which are circular stones or mortars that probably were used in the grinding of medicines. There were different sizes and shapes of mortars used to grind grain, inks, etc. Also, some circular stones in the floors of buildings were used to make astronomical observations. Each of these are worthy of a long discussion, but we'll spare you.

One of the most interesting aspects of Machu Picchu is contemplating its purpose for the Inca, how it was constructed, and why. The worked stones that compose the buildings and terrace walls were for the most part obtained at the site itself, although some of them probably had to be transported up from the valley or from more considerable distances. However, for the people to actually be able to grow crops in those artificially created terraces, all the soil had to be carried in baskets all the way from the shores of the Urubamba river, or even from other valleys. Fortunately, there does seem to be sufficient naturally occurring water (either rainfall or water imported) through the Inca's astounding waterworks and "fountains"

After our guided tour, we were given the option of remaining in the area on our own, or returning to our hotel. Of course, we stayed. All the day trippers had left several hours earlier to catch the train back to Cusco and now by 4 p.m. most of the other visitors had left as well. Taking both the video camera and my small camera, Jim practically sprinted up the pathway to the guard house where the classic photo of Machu Picchu is always taken. Except for a group of six new age/spiritualist travelers working with a shaman on the opposite side of Plaza III we were the only ones there. Ruth Marie sat to commune with the last rays of the sun as it settled behind Huayna Picchu, and to listen to the faint strains of flute music coming from the new age group.

It is impossible to describe the peacefulness of this place. One feels suspended in time and space and wishes the moment would never end. But end it did. Jim returned, scampering down the stone steps even faster than he'd run up them since we needed to catch the last bus of the day. The last bus leaves at 5:30 p.m. and if you don't catch it, you have to walk down 1,200 steps, or so some said. Neither of us was willing to take a chance on having to count them. The only thing that made it easy to get on the bus and leave was the knowledge that we would be coming back early the next day.

As we boarded the bus we noticed a young Indian boy chatting with the driver. He was dressed in a tunic of ethnic fabric with a strip of the fabric tied around his head. When doing research prior to the trip, I had read about young boys who "raced" the buses down the mountain. Well, we sped out the first stretch of straight road, took the hairpin turn, then charged back. Here we discovered that the boy was our racer. He was waiting by the side of the road, yelling and motioning for us to hurry around the curve. Each time we came to where the road, swung back underneath the ruins there he was! Some passengers keep peering out of the back window looking for him, expecting that he was running along behind us, but of course, he was not to be seen. You see, there were all these stairs carved into the wooded sections between each switchback and he was flying down those stairs. Even tho' he was using the stairs this does not take away from the feat of being able to beat the bus down the mountain. It is still a very difficult thing to do and this young lad was definitely "fleet of foot!" He met the bus just as it crossed the river and hopped on board to collect his due for keeping us entertained as we ended our first day at the ruins. He told us he was 9 years old and that he and another boy did this numerous times a day. He usually averaged 5 to 10 soles per busload, depending on how many hikers and Europeans there were, since the hikers and European tend not to tip.

The Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel deserves a paragraph. Composed of numerous "casitas" built up the hillside, it is set in a tropical garden. Each "casita" contains three or four rooms for a total of 50 or so. The grounds are lovely with bromeliads, orchids, ginger and various lush plantings. There is also a small chapel on the site. Made of adobe brick with red tile roofs and wooden beams, the rooms are comfortable and inviting. The grounds are dimly illuminated with small lights at night which is fortunate, as there are stone steps and irregular walkways that must be negotiated to find one's way. The lobby and dining room are well appointed and the lobby staff was quite attentive. The two meals we had here were quite good although the service was less than efficient and we had to ask three times to get bottled water and twice to get coffee after dinner. Breakfast, which was a self-serve buffet, went better.

The other hotel is located right at the ruins and is not so picturesque but has the advantage of being very close. Many people who aren't as interested in the ruins prefer to stay in Aguas Calientes since there is a minimal level of "night life" and a pizzeria or two for late snacks. Also, the Pueblo Hotel is definitely superior to the Ruinas Hotel up at the ruins. However, if you're more interested in spending the maximum amount of time exploring and "experiencing" the upper ambiance, you would probably be advised to trade some creature comforts for convenience and stay at the Ruinas Hotel.

Arrangements were made at dinner time for those who wanted to breakfast early and take the first bus up to the ruins. Nine of us made up the group accompanied by our guide. Our first destination upon arrival inside the ruins proper was the guard/rest house atop the agricultural sector. This is the location from which all the famous photos are made of Machu Picchu. As we were going up the path, we encountered several Quechua porters along with several hikers who were making an early-morning finish to the Inca Trail hike. It is amazing the loads these small young native men carry. They are the new-world sherpas.

After reaching our destination of the guard house, six, including Jim, went with our guide to hike up to the Sun Gate which is where the Inca Trail officially arrives at or departs from Machu Picchu. Ruth Marie decided to explore on her own within the ruins themselves since the site was practically deserted. Her wandering led her to a natural rock seat where she spent almost an hour in the quiet of the early morning. The only other life in the area was four llamas who passed by, climbing to higher ground to graze. The total serenity of the area was overwhelming, actually bringing her to tears. Machu Picchu is indeed a place of great spiritual aura.

The journey up to the Sun Gate is an easy climb and almost anyone in reasonable shape should be able to complete it without problem by taking it slow and easy. It's best to climb early in the morning because of heat and also because it can become crowded by mid-day. While it is interesting to climb all the way to the Sun Gate, it is also worthwhile to go only part way since there are spectacular views of the ruins and surrounding peaks from several observation points. Not only that, but Jim added six new birds (to his life list), including the Inca wren, in about an hour. If you go, take plenty of water since it can get quite hot and dusty on the trail... unless it's raining, in which case it can get rather wet and muddy.

If one desires a semi-painless way to experience the Inca Trail, the best hike is to start at the ruins, walk up to the Sun Gate, then complete the one-day hike to where the trail meets the Cusco-Machu Picchu train. In that direction you only need to gain about one half the elevation as opposed to going in the opposite direction, since you can take the busses up to the ruins rather than having to do all the climbing yourself. Of course, if ones wants to... there are always those 1,200 steps....

When Jim returned from the Sun Gate we revisited parts of the ruins before heading down for the train back to Cusco. The train trip gave us time to talk with others about their impressions, share peanut M & Ms we'd brought by passing the bag back and forth among our fellow travelers.... we even sang songs as we headed down from the pass leading into Cusco. Everyone was in high spirits and our return to the city was heralded by a rising full harvest moon

Once we returned to Cusco, there was just enough time to freshen up before heading to dinner (and another folkloric presentation with two more versions of El Condor Pasa). The remainder of the evening was spend getting the bags packed for the very early morning departure to Lima. Since we were again taking minimal luggage to the Amazon and leaving the remainder at the hotel in Lima, everything had to be reworked. The jackets, etc. that we needed at night in Machu Picchu would not be needed on the Amazon River!

Once in Lima we met up with 20 more travelers from the area surrounding Denver. They were joining our group for the Amazon part of the trip (since the boat holds 40 passengers). Then when we headed back to the U.S. they would do the part of the trip we had just completed. We had a delightful buffet lunch in one of Lima's outstanding restaurants, followed by a tour of the city with an amazingly quick stop at the gold museum. (We took thirty five minutes to drive to the museum, had twenty five minutes there, followed by a forty minute ride back to the hotel.)

Tomorrow, it's on to the Amazon and the last leg of our marvelous journey!

(Previous chapter: Puno to Sacred Valley)       (Next chapter: The Amazon Journey)