Machu Picchu: Biking, Hiking, Bug Bites, and Wonderment

Surprisingly, historians estimate that Machu Picchu was built around 1450 A.D. 80 or so years before Pisarro would take advantage of the Incan civil war, kill one of the Inca kings, and conquer the Incan civilization. Machu Pichu was also constructed around the same time, few hundred years after, as another man-made and natural wonder -- the stone temples in Siem Riep, Cambodia - Angkor Wat.

Like Angkor Wat, part of what makes Macchu Pichu spectacular is the stone work in the middle of a green verdant biome. The other part, unique to Macchu Pichu, is to see the stone foundations, buildings, and trails on top of and in the middle of the astoundingly steep Andean mountains. Breathtaking!

The most famous way to enter Macchu Pichu is via a 4-day trek along the Inca Trail. To preserve the Inca Trail, the amount of visitors who can hike the trail is limited by permits that can be sold out 6 months in advance. We were unable to secure a permit to hike the "Inca Trail" so we opted for an alternative trek to get to Machu Picchu -- the "Inca Jungle Trek" a mixture of biking, hiking, and the options to get a few extracurriculars such as rafting and zip-lining.

The three of us (me, Wilson, and our great friend visiting from CO- Greg) started our trek on the 4th of July. We ended up crammed in the back of the shuttle bus with two other Americans -- college students from Pennsylvania (Ronnie) and Washington (Mason). On our shuttle, we also met a very self-posessed 19 year old German (Tim) who had been a foreign exchange student in South Carolina. The America connection immediately created a bond between the six of us.

The shuttle buses took us (and our new friends) to the top of steep mountain pass where it dropped 40 or so tourists and guides off. It was spitting rain and we careened down more than six thousand feet of paved switchbacks. We started flying down the road and loved it -- it was cold, dirty, and pretty easy since it was paved but it was still an adventure avoiding the small amount of traffic, slightly racing around the corners, splashing through the streams that crossed the road, and looking out on the powerful and steep Andes.

That night and the next two days were filled with group meals, hiking, learning about the area, gorgeous hot springs, clubbing in our dirty exercise clothes, and itchy fly bites. During this time, we met some other cool folks from Germany, Mexico, Israel, Switzerland, Chile, France, and Monaco. Monaco only has around 6000 naturalized citizens. So with 7 billion plus people on the globe, there is literally less than a one in million chance of meeting (and liking) a Monacan.

 

With our group, we hiked through farms and coca leaf plantations, small towns, and on dirt roads. However, the highlight was hiking on one of the actual Inca trails. The original Inca trails provided a transportation network throughout current day Peru and many other countries in South America that encompassed the Incan empire at its peak. Some of these well-built trails have lasted for at least 6 centuries and seemed like they could last another 6 centuries.

On the 4th day, we woke up at 4 am to hike to Machu Picchu. We climbed 1767 stairs and waited until the gates opened at 6 am. Once inside, we climbed up more stairs and entered at the top of one of the lookouts within the ruins. Entering at that point, we were surround by and within the ruins and faced the iconic peak of Hayna Picchu in the early morning light. The quietness combined with the impressiveness of the natural and man-made beauty of Machu Picchu were transformative.

We were stunned and subdued by the beauty and scale of this sacred place. Although the Incan religious practices don't mesh with our own secular beliefs (cult of the dead vs. cult of the living), it was impossible not to feel a connection in these ruins. The sun slowly made its way up the valley, eventually creating a halo over the steep peaks to the east of Machu Picchu. Then, in a surprising moment in its speed and the instant warmth, the sun basked us and the ruins. It is a moment I won't forget, one of the most powerful of our travels.

The rest of the day, we wandered around the ruins, made our way to the Incan Bridge and the Sun Gate, the latter with expansive views over the valley. As we spent more time in MP, small gems of construction and differences revealed themselves. The intricate water works, or the clever combo of natural rocks and impressive construction in the Temple of the Condors. There are many ongoing debates around the original and purpose of the ruins, and it was fun to play armchair archeologist.

 

It was a very long day, starting so early, but we never felt tired. Rather we were continually energized by the sun, the wonderment of the ever inspiring ruins and good people. Oh yeah, and a well deserved nap after a lunch feast at the Sun Gate.

Postcript: The Inca Jungle Trek takes 4 days and 3 nights to reach Machu Pichu and ranges in cost depending on when you booked it, where you booked it, what you wanted to include, and how well you bargained. Online, we saw this particular tour cost as much as $495. In Cusco, the day before the tour, we paid $195. Other prices that we heard on our tour ranged from 200 something euros (so around $300) to $170. Some of the more expensive prices did include more activities such as hiking the mountains at Macchu Pichu (Hayna Pichu or the mountain of Macchu Pichu) but others seemed to be more expensive simply because the individual booked online in advance. Although our price wasn't the lowest, we felt that $195 was a good deal because it included food, lodging, transportation, bike equipment, an english speaking guide, entry into Macchu Pichu and the train back towards Cusco. The face value of the Machu Pichu entry and the train back to Cusco were around $95 alone.

 

Posted with Blogsy