WOW

Monday, August 10, 2009
June 13

We awoke bright and early to catch the train. We opted for the Vista Dome, even though it was more expensive. It was an awesome train ride. Seats were arranged in groups of four with a table in between. This was especially helpful when they served breakfast, but also aided us in playing games during the three hour ride.

We passed through lush countryside, farm land, and sheer cliffs before we arrived at our destination. This turned out to be a dirt patch next to the tracks. The five of us alone clambered off the train, stepped away from the tracks, and watched the train roll on. A fellow appeared out of nowhere and led us across a bridge to a shady spot to wait for the rest of our group. We sat next to the river and drank in the tranquility.

When, at last, the others arrived, we were ready to go. Our guide, Silverio, gave us Coca leaves and demonstrated how to offer them as sacrifices to the Gods to give us safe passage. He gave us more to chew. The flavor is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, although it does make your tongue numb! We embarked on our journey up the hillside.

There were plenty of switchbacks leading us up through lush forest, climbing ever higher until our breath ran short. We stopped often for air and water and to drink in the beauty of the scene laid out before us; trees, mountains, and a river way down at the bottom of the valley.

We arrived at our lunch spot just before noon. Silverio led us to some ruins nearby and talked about the different architectural features. To a great degree, these speeches lose me. I am just in awe that people without beasts of burden and steel tools could manipulate these rocks into the forms they now exist in. They have stood for centuries like silent sentries among the trees.

Lunch was lekker! It was prepared by a couple of fellows who had lugged it all up on their backs. In fact, everything at the lunch site had to be hauled up by hand. This included beer coolers, stoves, ovens, cement, and all the fixtures. There were plenty of people around as this was the last stop for those who had chosen to take the four day hike over the thirteen thousand foot pass (called Dead Woman Pass!). There was even a canteen where one could buy chocolate and cigarettes or rent a towel for the hot showers.

Once we had eaten our fill, we pressed on. This time the trail was fairly level, following the side of the mountain. The trail was actually a highway of sorts, being built by the Incas to get around. Rocks had been set into the dirt to solidify the path. There was a sheer rock wall up to the left and a near vertical drop through undergrowth to the right. Zachary was happily oblivious and kept trotting up and down and back and forth, much to our chagrin.

We walked for nearly six hours that day. One part of the hike included “The Gringo Killer”. This was a set of fifty some odd stairs set into the mountain that we had to climb in order to proceed. These things were made all the more daunting by the fact that we were well above 9,000 feet when we did them. Finally, we arrived at the Sun Gate, overlooking Machu Picchu. It was glorious! We snapped off pictures, drank our water, and cracked jokes. We descended into the high valley where the village is located around five in the evening; just in time to catch the last bus into town.

There are no cars allowed at the top. One must hike in or take a bus. The road in is one switchback after another. We were all tired, but very happy with the day’s work. I dozed on the bus, content in the knowledge that I had made it to this wondrous place.

We stayed that night in Aguas Calientes; a small town built mainly for the purpose of accommodating tourists. It was clean and well kept and very quaint. There were plenty of pizza parlors and artisan shops, but we left those for later. We opted, instead, to eat dinner and sleep early. We had all agreed to wake up around five to catch the first bus to the top. This was arranged to allow us to get tickets to hike to the peak of Huaynu Picchu, the hill directly behind Machu Picchu. Limited numbers of people are permitted to climb this hill each day and we wanted to be among them.

MJR