Machu Picchu: Time to check it off the bucket list

I dont even know where to start. Machu Picchu was incredible. It was better than I could have ever imagined. But trip there was a different story.

Friday morning we work up at bright and early and snagged some breakfast at Mcdonalds (in our defence it was the only place open). afterwards we headed to the travel agency and waited for what we thought was going to be a bus. An hour lately a small white van with a cracked windshield rolled up and puttered to a stop. Yep, that was our ride. We got into this grapped little van with 9 other people and headed off. The start of the trip wasnt too bad. We drove through some plains and then decended down towards a valley through the cloud line, which was incredible. as we went down we saw some white capped mountains peaking out of the ocean of clouds like icebergs. At that moment we realized that the scenery for this troup was going to be breathtaking. But while the scenery was breathtaking, the road was nauseating... as we decended we started winding back and forth through the mountains. This road was the epìdemy of a ¨"Long and Winding Road." It go to the point where it felt weird to go straight for more than a second. Ashlee was struggling to say the least. She had a bitter look on her face and thought she was gonna throw up for about 6 hours, but she pulled through.

When we finally got to the drop off point, we stepped out of the car into a light drizzle of rain of and a chilled breeze that felt refreshing in comparison to the van that didnt have working windows. From where we were standing we could look up and there were mountains that towered all around us and nearby we could hear the roar of a river. As we began our 3 hour hike to the base of Machu Picchu we passed the backside of Machu Picchu Mountain and Wynapichu Mountain which stand at 9,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level. These mountains literally had a cliff on the backside similar to the sandia mountains. Because of this, I can understand why the Incas built where they did.

It was starting to get dark when we finally got into Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. As we walked in I started seeing little flickers of white light in my vision, but when I looked at them they went away, so I began to think I was getting light headed from the altitude.But, turns out their is a species of firefly there that flickers with a florescent white light that looks like a star. It was breathtaking to see them light up all around us. I had never seen anything like it before. As we walked into the small town we quickly realized how much money was going into this little economy. There were incredible hotels rising all around us and the resturaunts were all top dollar. As we passed through it all we finally got to our hostal. It wasnt nearly as nice as many of the buildings around it, but it had hot water and a real shower, so we still felt like we were living like kings.We ate some dinner at the hostal and then crashed early so that we could be ready for the next day.

Machu Picchu at sunrise!

The alarm clock started ringing at 3:50 am. Breakfast was at 4, and the gates for Machu Picchu opened at 5. We were on a schedule. I was dragging my feet cause I was a little tired but as soon as we got to the gate, I felt like a little kid waiting to get into disneyland. The tropical plants sprinkled around this large gate blocking a bridge crossing a huge raging river. It reminded me of the entrance into Jurasic Park. As soon as 5 hit, the gaurds opened it up, and believe it or not, we were some of the first people to enter. As soon as we crossed the bridge, the trail turned into a stone staircase that was fully of switchbacks straight up the mountain. The mountain, as I said earlier was extremely steep and this was no cakewalk. We had to stop a few times to catch our breath, but an hour later we finally made it to the top. The sun was just now lighting up the sky, but since we were surrounded by huge mountains, it wouldnt peak into the sky until 9am. It was truly incredible to be waiting at the gaits to enter into machu picchu. everyone up there was breathing hard but we all felt like we accomplished something great...until the buses full of people started showing up. The common nickname for the busses was the lazy bus because instead of hiking people could pay 9 dollars to get a quick ride up. Its good that they have this option for the elderly and younger people, but it still takes a little bit away from Machu Picchu. It would be like is they made a bus that went to the bottom of the grand canyon, or one that went to the top of Mount Everist. Anyways, as soon as the gates opened, we were again some of the first people in and as soon as I saw the city my mouth dropped. This place was incredible.

We spent 30 minutes sitting on a wall that looked over the city just in awe. There was a chill in the air and the dim lighting puts you in a trance that really makes you realize how incredible this place was. not only was the city amazing, but the mountains all around made for the best view that I have every seen in my entire life. After time passed, we started our tour and went around to all the structures. I had read a book on it previously so it was interesting to hear the tour guides theories on how some of the buildings were made. after the tour, we went around on our own and revisted some of the architecture. I wish that I could right pages and pages about every single temple and every single building, but I wont bore you. Instead Ill just mention a few of my favorite parts. at the highest point in the city, there was a rock called the Intiwatana which was used as a sun dial for the Incas to determine when to harvest their crops. It is also believed that this sacred rock gave off good energy to anybody that touched it. A few local people were standing around it with their arms stretched out and their eyes closed hoping to get some of the energy. unfortionately it is blocked off and had 3 gaurds standing nearby, so you arent supposed to touch it, but that didnt stop us. As soon as they werent looking we reached in and put our palms on it for about a second. We heard a few laughs from some of the older women that were meditating, and immediately after they all touched it as well. They got yelled at, but Im sure it was worth it for them.

Inca architecture is natourious for its perfect stone masonry. The bricks literally fit together so well like puzzle peices that you couldnt fit a peice of paper between this. And this is even after multiple earthquakes that have shaken the city. The walls are build at a 5 degree angle so that they would stay standing, and sure enough they are still there today. I imagine the architect that designed these walls would be so stoked if he saw his walls were still standing 500 years later. One rock in the walls is specifically famous because it was carved to have 12 sides. The perfection that went into putting this stone is place is incredible.

My final favorite part of machu picchu was a rock called the funerary rock. It sat up above the city, and it is believed that this is were funerals were done for those who passed away. Around this rock are tons and tons of little rocks laying on the ground. At first it was believed that these rocks were naturally just laying there, but it was soon discovered that all these rocks originate from all over Peru. Turns out, when pilgrims visited machu picchu, they would bring a stone from their homeland and leave it by the funerary rock. It truly is incredible that a collection of rocks from all different Incan cities and towns were sitting around. It goes to show how important machu picchu was to the Incan people. Sadly when the spanish invaded peru in 1532 Machu Picchu had to be abandoned so that it could be saved for future generations. The Incans were in the middle of working on building more and more of Machu Picchu when they left, so it really would have been interesting to see how much bigger the city would have been if they didnt have to abandon it so early. There are buiildings there that are only about a foot tall that had to be stopped.

Machu Picchu was truly amazing and I am glad that I was old enough to appreciate not only its beauty and its architecture, but its mystery as well. there are so many things about it that they are still trying to learn, and I hope to someday revisit to see it again before I grow old.