Take Me Wit-chu to Machu Picchu!!

Ever since the new list of the Seven Wonders of the World came out, I made it my goal to visit them all, and I've already been to Colosseum, so the fact that I was going to Peru and Machu Picchu had me super excited.

We've all seen pictures of Machu Picchu, with it's terraced slopes and massive mountains in the background, but how many of us have actually SEEN it? Well, as of 2003, over 400K people, according to Wikipedia. And now I had the chance to be one of them.

Our day started incredibly early, as I mentioned before, with us meeting in the lobby of the hotel. We packed ourselves some snacks for the trip and all headed down to the bus stop at the base of the hill by the railroad tracks. The buses run from about 5am til about 9pm, every 10 min at times. We piled on the bus and settled in for the half hour trek up the hill. The bus took off, crossed the river and started the ascent.

Back and forth we went up the mountain side, terrifying drops awaited anyone who was brave enough to look out the window when their side of the bus was overlooking the edge. Hairpin turns allowed the bus to zigzag up the mountain and the roads were just barely wide enough for another bus to pass. Eventually we made it to the top and gathered as a group to await Barbara's instructions.

We were told that sunrise was at about 6:30, but considering the skies were already blue we figured we'd missed the good time of day to see the famous site. Barbara told us not to worry, and handed out our tickets. She led the way to the gates where we gave our tickets to the attendants and then continued our way up the hill.

We were greeted by a fork in the road. One pathway went straight up, with the word "Long" on a sign with an arrow. The other pathway went straight, with an arrow pointing down the hill. All of a sudden we started on the vertical path up, with it's ominous looking arrow.

Up and up and up we hiked, huffing and puffing and complaining about how difficult it was to haul ourselves up the hill. Pretty sure I remember hearing a few of the group mention how there wasn't much chance of us doing the Inca Trail if we can't even do the stairs up to overlook Machu Picchu.

Eventually we reached the top and it was completely worth it. The view of the ancient site was unobstructed and the clouds were drifting past just enough to give some depth to the scene. There were llamas atop the hill as well, presumably to be posed in pictures (and here I thought they just photoshopped them in!) for the tourists. Barbara pointed the way to the Sun Gate, location further up the hill, about a 45 min hike away.

The group of us ran around taking pictures, taking in the view and just generally being in complete awe of the fact that we were indeed at Machu Picchu! The sun was shining and despite our worries, it came up over the mountains while we were there casting an amazing light over the whole city.

We had to head back down the mountain to the fork in the road and then back to the gate to meet our guide. The way down was almost as scary as the way up since the rocks are slippery and steep. Once at the bottom we all gathered for a photo overlooking the city before heading to meet our guide. Just want to mention - this was all by about 7:30am! Amazing what can be accomplished before 8am!

Our guide,Wagner,  was waiting for us at the gates at 8am. He took us back up the hill to the fork in the road and this time instead of going up the monstrous hill we went down the stairs towards the ruins themselves. We stopped in the shade and he started to explain the site to us. There are 2 main areas, the agricultural section and the urban section. The part that most people see from the photos is the urban area.

Some of the interesting points Wagner told us are as follows:

• there are more than 5000 steps in the ancient city
• built on top of a mountain to avoid landslides - on the east side of the mountain the terraces are for agriculture, on the west side they are just retaining walls 
• the bricks used throughout the city were created by chiseling the naturally occuring granite, following the lines of the rocks and grinding them down with water to make them smooth.
• Incas built all their buildings to withstand the frequent earthquakes by using trapezoid shapes. 
• The Temple of the Sun is an accurate calendar showing the winter (June 21st) and summer (Dec 21st) solstice. Unlike our Gregorian calendar, which has to be adjusted every 4 years, the Temple of the Sun is accurate to 14,000 years.
• Machu Picchu was one of 4 ancient cities (Ollantaytambo and Pisac are others) that have been discovered. They are still searching for the 4th. 
• The Incas domesticated potatoes - they figured out how to breed the alkyds out of the potatoes so they were no longer poisonous. Scientists today still do not know how to do this. 
• There are over 3000 types of potatoes in Peru 
• Incas and Andean people live on a mostly carb diet - potatoes, corn, grains - due to their extremely active lifestyle. (Believe me, all that hiking you'd need lots of sustenance!)
• Andean culture nowadays is very similar to those of the Incas - the only difference is that some of the knowledge (like how to breed potatoes) was not passed down after the Spanish took over. 
• The Spanish brought disease to the Incas - prior to them arriving there was very little sickness. The Incas would send the men out of the communities at 17/18 years old and they would move to another community. By moving the people around, there was no incest and stronger bloodlines.
• The Incas taught the Spanish how to find gold and silver - things that were mostly useless to them. Their treasures were the seeds to their plants. 
• Machu Picchu was home to approx 800-1000 people though they could not possibly grow that much food on the land they had. They would instead harvest fruits etc from the nearby jungle, dry it and trade it with other nearby villages. 

After the tour, which was fantastic (I highly recommend having a guide at such a facinating place, since you will get so much more out of the experience), some of the group stayed behind to do the Sun Gate hike while the rest of us went back down the hill into the town to find something to eat. 

As we arrived back in Aguas Calientes, the skys opened up and it started to rain. A group of us decided to go for Mexican food at a cute spot long the railway tracks with outdoor seating and a nice awning While we were sitting there a band happened by to play us some live music. We sat back, listened and discussed the amazing things we'd seen that morning. 

Once completely stuffed, the group split up. Some of us went to check our emails while others went to shop in the markets surrounding the train station. All in all we just killed time until our train from Aguas to Cusco that departed at 5:30 

The train ride was about 3 hours long and we didn't get back to Cusco city until nearly 10pm.... it felt great to be back "home" in a familiar hotel. Showers and repacking commenced. Some people went out but the majority just hung back to get a good nights sleep before another early morning - next stop, LIMA!

** Just want to mention - while at MP myself and a few others got eaten by Peruvian black flies (or something similar) - so be sure to use serious bug spray or wear long pants. A week later and my legs are still insanely itchy (23 bites in total on my legs) and I have yet to find something that really makes them stop. 

Train to Aguas Calientes

After leaving the homestay and saying our goodbyes, we took off in our bus to the town of Ollantaytambo, a small town from which we were going to take the train to Aguas Calientes (which is a very new town created to host the tourists going to Machu Picchu). It's too bad we only drove through, as the town itself seemed great for travellers. Along the way we also passed Pisac, another Inca archeological site. Later we learned that Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo and Pisac were all cities that made up 3 of the 4 areas in one division of the Inca Empire. Since each division had 4 cities, they are still searching for the 4th city - maybe one day we'll hear about the discovery of a new ancient city!

Once in Ollantaytambo, we waited around for the train. After being at the homestay for 2 days without running water or flush toilets, I think it's safe to say we all took full advantage of the amenities! The train arrived around 3:45 and we all boarded. The ride was to be about an hour and a half long, even though the destination was only about 50km away.

The train itself was really nice, and if you've read my other stories you'll know how I generally have bad luck with trains. The seats on this train were comfy and pretty roomy, and the carriage itself had lots of big windows along the sides and curving over the ceiling so that it was possible to see the mountains without too much difficulty. Not too long into our journey we were given a snack of salad and a tart (and, like all the food we ate throughout our adventure, it was amazing)

At km 82 along the tracks you can see the entrance to the Inca Trail, where the travelers with much more time and much more guts than any of us start. The Inca Trail can be hiked in 2, 3 or 4 days. After all the hills we climbed at the homestay, I honestly can't imagine doing the trail. A note to anyone wanting to do it - make sure to allow yourself at least 3 days in Cuzco to get used to the thinner air at the higher altitude. The Inca Trail is a bit lower in altitude than Cuzco, but after breathing the thinner air you'll feel like an athlete on the trail!

Eventually, after inching along at what felt like a snails pace (max 35km!) we finally arrived at Aguas Calientes. We filed off the bus, gathered our things and headed through the market to get to the main area of town. We climbed up the hill on one side of the raging river with the intention of crossing one of the bridges. However, when we reached said bridge we found it was out, so we had to walk all the way back down the street to a bridge close to where we started. Back up the other side of the river we went, on a 45 degree angle. Eventually when we reached the top we were totally exhausted. Luckily the promise of a soak in the hot springs that the town is named for (those fluent in Spanish would have noticed that Aguas Calientes literally means hot waters). We dumped our stuff off the hotel (but not before climbing 4 flights of stairs!) and put on our bathing suits and headed towards the spas.

Along the walk (still up the 45 degree hill) we picked up some towels for rent (3 or 4 soles, getting more expensive the closer to the entrace you went) and got to the gates. A surly looking man at the gate informed us that even though there was only an hour left til the hot springs closed we would have to pay S/10.00 each. Carolina, with her fluent Spanish, tried to convince him to cut us a deal but he wasn't having any of it. He also didn't want to break anyone's 50 notes. Sigh.

After deciding that an hour was still enough to soak in some hot mineral water, we continued the trek to the springs. We assumed that we were close. We assumed wrong. The walk from the point of entry to the springs itself was easily a 5-10 min walk, depending on how fast you went. For some reason, even after being in Peru and hiking up all the hills, my body still seemed to insist on going at it's normal walking speed, which is fast even in Canada. In Peru it was heart attack inducing.

We arrived at the hot springs, dropped our stuff off at the entrance, practically ran down the stairs to change and went to stake claim on a spot in one of the pools. We picked the least busy looking one and got in.

The ground was sandy/rocky, something like the bottom of one of the great lakes. And it smelled funny. And worst of all, there wasn't anywhere to sit along the edges anywhere! We found spots to sit/crouch along the outside while we waited for the rest of the group to find us. By the time they joined us, we had also realized why this particular pool wasn't as busy as the others - it wasn't very hot at all!

Once the rest of the group was in the water (all but 3 of us from the whole tour decided to venture to the hot springs) we decided to move to another pool, one that hopefully was warmer. It took a few tries, but we finally found the pool that was actually what any of us would consider to be "hot".

Despite the odd smellingness of the water (which, thankfully wasn't sulphur but some other odd smell) and the rocky bottoms of the pools, I think we all enjoyed ourselves. The water was soothing after days of roughing it at the homestay and working our way up steep hills with our 30lb backpacks on our backs.

Around 8 we decided to head back to the hotel. We'd planned to shower at the hotsprings but realized soon after arriving that there wasn't any proper showers there. The plan was to shower (so that we'd smell awesome instead of strange) and meet back in the lobby in half an hour to go find something to eat.

We'd been warned that Aguas was much more expensive than Cuzco, so we set out looking for a deal. We walked down the hill (going down was almost as hard as going up, since the sidewalks were somewhat slippery from rain that had fallen). About halfway down the hill and not finding anything that really caught our eye we decided to go back up the hill so that we didn't have to walk all the way back up from the bottom. Some of the girls wanted a woodfire pizza and we remembered a place that had 5 for 1 drinks right by the hotel so thats where we decided to go.

We wanted to sit on the balcony, so we went upstairs and found a table in the corner long enough to accommodate 9 of us. We ordered drinks and pizzas and made ourselves comfortable. What we didn't realize was that our particular table was right beside the chimney for the pizza oven and before long the smoke coming out of it had a couple of the girls fleeing to the other end of the table.

It took forever for our pizza to arrive, and it turned out that 3 thin crust pizzas were not enough for 9 hungry women to share. However, since it took almost an hour for those 3 pizzas to show up we decided to call it a night and go back to the hotel. We had a 5am wake up call awaiting us so we didn't think we should be up all night.

To our rooms we went, and I checked under the blankets - yup, hidden under the deceiving bed spread was at least 2 llama blankets. How I would go home to Canada and sleep without the weight of a full animal on my chest, I didn't know.

Set my alarm for 5am (GROSS!) and fell asleep quickly, even though my hair had the distinct stench of  campfire on it.

Turns out I didn't need my alarm, however... at 3:45 am I was awoke by someone banging on a nearby door telling them to wake up.Then, at 4am, I was awoken by not one but two roosters outside the window. They continued their wake up calls every 5 to 7 minutes until 5 am finally rolled around.

Erin and I got ourselves up, I got dressed and attempted in vain to do something with my hair, and packed my things up. We took our bags downstairs, gave them to the front desk and settled in for some breakfast. Apparently my stomach doesn't wake up at 5:30am and I wasn't overly hungry. I forced down a bun with jam and some tea or coffee, I don't even remember now. Because I knew the food would be scarce at Machu Picchu, I also packed a bun and jam for the road, as well as a banana. Into the backpack the snacks went and off to the bus we went to drive up to Machu Picchu.

Outline of Peru Trip

It's getting close now - only about 4 days til I'm on a plane and heading to some warmer weather!

So that everyone knows where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be doing, here's my itinerary:

November 26 - Depart Canada

Leaving Toronto at 16:35pm - will be spending the entire day at Pearson though - so glad they now have free wireless!

November 27 -  Arrive Cuzco

Arrive in Lima and then transfer to Cuzco. The G.A.P guide will meet us at the airport and then take us to the hotel. Lots of time to unpack and relax before a welcome dinner in the evening.

November 28 - Cuzco

After breakfast, you’ll have the option to either do a horseback riding tour outside of Cuzco to nearby ruins or you can take park in a mountain biking tour if you think horseback riding is too tame. Overnight in Cuzco.

Thinking I might take the horseback riding option, since it's been ages since I got to ride a horse and perhaps I can take some fun pictures that won't result in me wiping out and breaking bones.

November 29 -  Cuzco / Ccaccaccollo

Free morning. Then, at midday, transfer to Ccaccaccollo and meet families. In the afternoon, volunteer at a project in the community.  Overnight homestay.

Don't know the specifics on the homestay but I'm pretty excited about this!

November 30 – Ccaccaccollo / Aguas Calientes

Continue volunteering with the community in the morning. In the afternoon, transfer to Ollantaytambo for the train to Aguas Clientes. If time allows, you can visit Machu Picchu in the afternoon on your own or you can just take in the thermal baths of the areas or even do some shopping in the local market. Overnight in Aguas Calientes. 

Ooo... market shopping... guess where everyone's Christmas presents are coming from this year!

December 1 -  Machu Picchu / Cuzco

Rise early to take advantage of viewing Machu Picchu in the early morning light. This is the best time to view the ‘Lost City of the Incas’. Our local guide will provide a detailed interpretation of the Inca history before the majority of other tourists arrive at midday.  For those looking for a bit more adventure, you can also choose to climb Wayna Picchu, an arduous hour climb that offers a spectacular bird’s eye view of the ancient site.  We’ll head back to Cuzco in the afternoon. Overnight in Cuzco.

Pretty sure "early" is tour-code for 4am. Hiking Wayna Picchu sounds like a good idea, since I really should be able to claim I've done some sort of hiking in Peru!

December 2 – Cuzco

Free day in Cuzco to do as you please.  We can help arrange a whitewater rafting tour if you wish, a city tour, a visit to our community project in Cuzco or maybe you just want to take in a cocoa tea at one of the sidewalk cafes surrounding the Plaza de Armas. Overnight in Cuzco.

So many options! Whitewater rafting would be amazing... but I do love a good cafe!

December 3 – Cuzco / Lima

After breakfast, you’ll transfer back to the airport for your early morning flight to Lima at 0900, arriving in Lima at 1025.    You’ll be met at the airport and shown the sites of Lima by our local guide.  With a population of over 10 million people, Lima is a bustling metropolis that has a lot to offer.  Many people think, “who’d want to stay in Lima?” . There is great shopping, a beautiful coastline, wonderful restaurants, museums and nearby ruins.  We’ll end the evening with a farewell dinner at Huaca Pucllana.  This restaurant is famous in Lima as it overlooks the ruins of the same name and makes for a perfect location for our farewell dinner.

December 4 - Depart Lima/Arrive home

Departing from Lima late at night and arriving back home to Toronto midday.

Where to Next? Peru with G.A.P!

I started this blog for a few reasons, one of which is to chronicle the adventures I get to go on because of my job as a travel agent. Every so often a great opportunity will come along that I can't help but take and in this case that opportunity is heading to South America with GAP Adventures at the end of Nov.


This will be my first trip to South America (or anywhere south of the USA, for that matter), since most of my travels have been to Europe or the South Pacific. Rich in history, I can't wait to learn more about the Inca civilizations and get a chance to take pictures at one of the New 7 Wonders of the World!, Machu Picchu (I've already seen the Colosseum... next stop Egypt?)


Before going off to a place, I do try to learn a bit about the place I'm going - widely spoken languages, temperatures to expect, and since I'm big into food - what are some local dishes one absolutely must try? So today I've been doing some research in Wikipedia...


Peruvian Cuisine - I should probably try ceviche, and pollo a la brasa...and maybe even guinea pig?
And, since I like to learn how to say "cheers!" in every country I go to, maybe I'll cheers with a Pisco Sour, which is apparently the national drink.... and probably try a bottle of Cuzqueña, one of the country's beers.


I'll be visiting quite a lot of places in a relatively short time, though I'll still get a good feeling about the country. Horseback riding to some ruins outside Cuzco, exploring Cuzco itself, Lima, Machu Picchu, an overnight homestay and volunteer project in Ccaccaccollo, exploring Aguas Clientes amoungst other things.


Stay tuned for updates!