(Aguas Calientes, Peru)

After returning from the Sun Gate (see previous post), our group reunited at the entrance to the site and met our Machu Picchu tour guide.

A lot of people have heard of Machu Picchu and a lot of people have it on their “bucket lists”.   I knew that it was hidden away on the top of a mountain but I certainly didn’t appreciate just how remote it was…or how huge it was.

It was quite an ordeal just to get to Aguas Calientes, the town from which buses full of tourists depart on a 30-minute climb to the main entrance of the site.  From Aguas Calientes, you absolutely cannot tell that there is a city above you.  You can only see these huge, jagged teeth-like mountains rising up almost vertically on every side.

My first thoughts upon walking into Machu Picchu were “this is unbelievable” and “these people must have had thighs like Olympic speed skaters”.  The entire city is terraced and you need to take very big steps in order to make any upward progress.   It is baffling to contemplate how they moved all of these rocks around without the benefit of the wheel – something that the Inca did not have.  But why did they build such a massive city here?

The exact reasons may never be known, as the Inca had no written language and the Spanish conquistadors never found Machu Picchu (fortunately for us, as their usual practice was to destroy Inca sites).  Machu Picchu was so well-built that 90% of it is still intact, even 500 years after it was built (and even though it was abandoned for 4 centuries).  One thing is clear:  despite the ridiculously remote location, the city was self-sustaining.  The location was picked because there was a source of water; a massive irrigation and watering system is evidence of this.

Even though the pictures of Machu Picchu are awe-inspiring, the true miracle may be invisible.  It is estimated that between 60-70% of the required engineering is beneath the surface.  The city receives a lot of rain, so both irrigation and drainage were necessary to prevent the city from sliding down the mountain.  The systems still work today.

The city has managed to withstand earthquakes for all these years – again, the Inca knew what types of construction could withstand such intense stress.  The site has been studied extensively by Japanese engineers in an attempt to improve that country’s ability to withstand earthquakes at the other end of the Ring of Fire.  The Inca knew what inclines and angles would be strongest and how the “energy” of an earthquake could best be diverted from the buildings.

It is startling to consider that the Inca empire only lasted about 100 years.  It collapsed due to war and disease flowing from the Spanish conquest, but the record of achievement far surpasses most other empires that lasted for centuries or even millennia.  What was so different about it?  Perhaps it was the meritocracy:  talented children were identified at an early age and these children were then groomed to be “the brains behind the operation”.  The child’s parentage was irrelevant.

I could go on and on about the sheer scale of this city and the unimaginable effort that was involved in its construction.  But I think I will take the easy way out and just say that it is the most impressive historical “ruin” (I use quotes because it really is intact, except for the thatched roofs) I have ever seen.  It truly is something to see and  I hope the pictures capture at least some of its majesty.  On top of it all, the views of the surrounding mountains are great too!

Stay tuned – there’s lots more of Peru still to come!

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(Aguas Calientes, Peru)

July 2 was a travel day to Aguas Calientes (the gateway town to Machu Picchu), but I have decided to record my observations of the town in a later blog entry.  Today’s post will focus on the first part of my July 3 visit to Machu Picchu and more particularly the hike to the Sun Gate.

The Inca Trail is a notorious 4-day trek (camping only) from near Ollantaytambo to the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu.  The idea is to reach the Sun Gate at sunrise on the 4th day for the most dramatic first impression of Machu Picchu.  A guide (and permit) is required to hike the Inca Trail and the number of permits is strictly controlled.

While it would be an unforgettable experience, my tour dispensed with the Inca Trail and instead transported us by train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calietes and then by bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu itself.   A guided tour of the Machu Picchu is included, but we also had quite a few hours to explore the site on our own.

The other members of my group had done a lot of advance research on Machu Picchu and it was decided that we would hike to the Sun Gate and back before going on the guided tour.  This would allow us to see what the Inca Trail hikers see when they arrive, without some of the discomforts of the 4-day hike.  We also thought that walking to the Sun Gate first thing in the morning might be a better strategy given the intense mid-day sun that often shines over Machu Picchu.

On paper, it looked like a great plan.  However, our map did not show elevation.  While the guide at the Machu Picchu museum described the Sun Gate trail as “flat”, it was anything but.  The reality is that the hike to the Sun Gate was a demanding slog up a trail that ranged from slightly uphill to nearly vertical steps.  We were still 2800m above sea level, so the altitude also played a role.

Nonetheless, upon reaching the Sun Gate, we enjoyed a feeling of tremendous accomplishment.  The views were astounding and we were able to rest and rehydrate in the shade.  We also saw hikers arriving from the Inca Trail.  Interestingly, when we asked them about the hike, they simply said that it was “long” and looked very tired.   Given their reactions, I must admit that I don’t feel sad that I skipped the Inca Trail.  I also wondered how much they would be able to appreciate the site itself after such a demanding hike.  Machu Picchu is not built on flat land and requires a lot of climbing to get around.

After reaching the Sun Gate, it was time to head back to the entrance and take the guided tour.   We had to take the same trail down; the people we passed on the way down looked more exhausted than we did when we were on our way up.  The heat was clearly taking its toll on people.

Even if I were exhausted, however, I still would have been thrilled by Machu Picchu.  Stay tuned for the next instalment of my visit to this incredible place – I’ll explain what it is and why it is so incredible.