Day 19: Machu Picchu

WOW!

Welcome to the 21st century. We are sitting on our Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley after visiting Machu Picchu. We have an hour and a half ride, so I grabbed my netbook to write something after seeing this wonder of the world nestled in the Andes Mountains built centuries ago. The Incas didn't have technology like we do today but were able to build something magnificent in one of the most remote places on the planet.

What can I say that can convey the magnitude of Machu Picchu. Some pictures would help but Ilana and I agree that no picture we've taken can capture the view. Situated 8,000 feet above sea level, dramatic green mountains jut straight up into the sky, as clouds roll amongst them. How the Incas were able to build this is beyond me.

To sum up our journey we caught a three hour train from the town of Poroy which is 20 minutes from the town of Cusco (where we were staying). Trains used to run straight from Cusco but were discontinued when they found out that we where coming, but that didn't stop us. The train rolls at about 30mph the whole way through valleys, and the tracks run for the most part of the trip right along the Urubamba River. The base town that leads to Machu Picchu is called Aguas Calientes (hot waters), named after some of the hot springs that can be found in town. After getting off the train, you are forced to scramble through a market with no signs for an exit to find not just the main street but the ticket booth (for entry to Machu Picchu) and the bus station to take you up to the site. Aguas Calientes certainly feels like a frontier, last stop kind of town. The river roars through here, restaurants and shops are abundant on this virtually one street town, all focused around the attraction of Machu Picchu.

Some history on this part of the world. The Spanish in their conquest to conquer the world tore this region apart back in the 16th century. They massacred the Incas and built directly on top of their towns working towards domination of the Americas. Most of the towns in this area (Cusco region) were "found" by the Spanish and were altered in some fashion but Machu Picchu went untouched until the beginning of the 1900's when Hiram Bingham looking for another site and came across Machu Picchu (stories seem to vary about whether a 10-year old boy or grown man showed him the site). Hiram Bingham died thinking he indeed found this lost city but as it turns out evidence indicates the contrary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_picchu

I don't think anyone can visit this place and not be thoroughly impressed by the setting and the amount of work it took to build this small town here. It appears to us that there are still levels that archeologist have yet to uncover. There is also another site about 2 miles from Machu Picchu that was recently discovered in these mountains and they are starting to unearth what was found.

To those thinking about visiting Machu Picchu at some point, I would recommend to do it in the near future. I was impressed by the freedom visitors are allowed to roam amongst the ruins. I can't imagine they will allow this forever. Either way, it certainly is an amazing sight to see.

And if I may add, Ilana can climb up a stone staircase in the Andes Mountains like nobody I've seen in my life.

FJ