Machu Picchu Peru

Off on the Vistadome from Cusco to Aguas Calientes which is the town situated at the base of Machu Picchu.  The Vistadome has Windows on the ceiling which adds to the three & half hour journey through the beautiful scenery.  The sun shone the whole time! 

         

       

        

                                                  

Our B&B for a couple of nights.  Cheep & cheerful but very clean! 

Exploring the town of Aguas Calientes before our early start the next day! 

             

This is the 5am queue to get the bus up to the site! It was very, very long & very cold.  I have to say we probably would wait & get a slightly later bus if we ever go back.  We got up early so we could see the sunrise over Machu Picchu but I don't think even the people at the front of the queue made it in time! Once you get up to the top on the bus you then have to queue once again to get in the gate to get your ticket & passport checked.  

Machu Picchu was built by the Incas in the 15th century.  It was later abandoned and roads leading to it destroyed in 1532 when the Spanish invaded Peru. This was done to protect the site.  They hadn't even finished building as you can see where terraces have begun but not been finished and piles of stone lie around waiting to be carved into bricks.  Once abandoned it didn't take nature long to grow into a blanket covering all know access to the site and the site itself making it very difficult for the Spannish to find.  Machu Picchu is said to have been rediscovered by the American Hiram Bingham in 1911.  It is said upon its discovery he took many hundreds if not thousands of artefacts including mummies and gold, back to America where they remain to this day much to the disappointment of the Peru government who are to this day constantly trying to find ways of retrieving them.

Machu Picchu has survived many an earthquake due to the ingenious building techniques of the Incas.  All bricks interlock with each other.  The bricks & buildings are said to dance during the quakes and once over they just slot back into place like a jigsaw puzzle!!  There are also doorways built at a triangular angle to ensure stability.  Those Incas were pretty smart builders back in the day!  

Passport & ticket checkpoint. There is now a 2,500 person cap on the amount of visitors into Machu Picchu daily and tickets are no longer sold at the gate.  Purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended as this cap means tickets run out even faster these days.  

      We did get the very last of the sunrise!

These are a couple of the many llamas that live on the site & keep the grass pruned & tidy.

               

                  

                                  

           

              

           

            

                                              

            

This is the view from the back where you can see terraces that have been started but not yet finished due to the abandonment of the site. 

             

        Josh found a new pal! 

Some more of the llamas and their family happily hanging out with the visitors looking for a free nibble of a cereal bar or two.

   

The Incas used these converse bowls to do stargazing, using the reflection to view the constellations.

               

           Llama at work!

There are lots & lots of steps at Machu Picchu.  I would recomend just taking your time as the altitude can play havoc with your breathing.  Have plenty to drink & take plenty of rest breaks & just some time out to sit & enjoy the view from the many angles and heights of this fascinating structure.  You are not permitted to bring in any food or drinks although we didn't see any bag searching going on so we had some water!  I think the issue would be littering.  Just be warned there are security type people dotted about the site with whistles to catch you out if you are thinking of having a ful on picnic or intend climbing on some of the ruins or if you go the wrong direction.  Your ticket gives you access to the ruins three times in one day, which is great as the cafe, restaurant & toilets are all located outside the entrance. Between 9am & 5pm at the gate you can also stamp your own passport with a special Machu Picchu stamp!! 

        

                              

Like this little old dear who has found a nice shaded area and is taking some time out to finish her knitting! 

          

This is the Inca bridge.  It was at one time the only access up to Machu Picchu.  It was a drawbridge & the locals used it to keep out unwelcome guests!  It's a 15 minute walk along the side of the mountain on a narrow path & you must sign in & out to ensure no one gets left behind at the end of the day.

       

             

It really isn't a surprise the Incas chose here to build, you can see for miles & it is truly a beautiful setting surrounded by majestic mountains everywhere you look.  I certainly wouldn't mind waking up to this view every day! 

                  Steps, steps & more steps!!!!

        

Back in the town on train street. 

This is the bridge you cross if you want to hike up to the entrance to the site.  It takes up to 1 & 1/2 hours to get there & is pretty hard going with many uneven stone steps & also walking along the switchback bus route.  The adjacent one is the road bridge which the bus takes before heading up the mountain which takes about 20/25 minutes! Don't look out the window if you have a fear of heights!!!! Busses leave the town every 15 minutes.

               

One of the local schools was holding its science fair in the square on our last day.  There were some great experiments & fascinating science going on.  Everything from solar, water & wind powered contraptions to a greenhouse made of recycled bottles & a watermelon filled with red jelly!  Very impressive it was.

             

There seemed to be an abundance of sculptures around the town with many still being made.  They were beautifully made & provided some fascinating walks through the town. 

        

                            

Another train load of visitors.  

Proving a popular holiday destination with foreigners & nationals alike. 

        

If you look very closely in the below picture you will spy silver cemicircles.  We were told by the train crew that this was actually a hotel!  They were held up by huge stilts & no matter how closely we looked we couldn't work out how you actually got to it as there were no signs of any roads!  I'm not sure I would be brave enough to stay there!!

We had the festival cow/sheep who knows, perform on our train on the return journey.  There was music & dancing & it finished off with a fashion show of some alpaca jumpers & coats!  Slightly different to the train journeys back home but it did help pass the three and half hours!

Machu Picchu was one of the highlights from our original must see on our trip & it certainly didn't disappoint.  The setting is just beautiful & the city itself is just amazing.  How perfectly formed it is and how well it has lasted with the very limited tools & experience these people had is just jaw dropping! Some of it has been restored & some rebuilt but a great deal of the structures are as they would have been hundreds of years ago!  Definitely should be on everyone's bucket list for sure!