Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 4

So today we woke up at 3:45 in the morning to be one of the first three groups at the gate which opens at 5:30 in the morning. While we grumbled a bit at the early morning rise in the pitch black, we were very grateful in hindsight. Matt and I ran the last part of the trek in 45 minutes which normally takes 1 – 1.5 hours to walk to get to the Sun Gate. From there we had to wait for the rest of the group to catch up so we could go to Wayna Picchu to get tickets. Only 400 people are allowed access per day to the soaring mountain which rises over Machu Picchu and gives stunning panoramic views of the ruins and valley below. This would be the one of the highlights of the trip!

We were racing against the masses of people who would be taking a slightly easier route and catching an early bus from Aquas Calientes, a neighboring town, up to Machu Picchu. They would be getting there around 7am so we were trying to get there in that timeframe so we could get one of those magical tickets. We must have looked like quite a circus show running into Machu Picchu; all harried, unshowered and unkempt with exhausted gaunt, sunken eyes bestowing the pain of waking up before the sun and carrying our bags for the last 4 days. Some of the other tourists who took the bus appeared rather refreshed and springy in their dapper sweaters resting over their shoulders and crossed in front, and glanced at us with a mixture of awe and interest. Perhaps it was more shock and disbelief. I prefer to believe that they were inspired.

So after all that running we got to the WP ticket counter and got the 392 to 400th ticket. I got the LAST ONE! It was crazy, I actually felt bad because a couple of the guys had walked through Machu Picchu and they missed out on tickets to Waynu Picchu. Wow the euphoria of getting the last ticket was like winning the lottery. Despite my calm demeanor and even keeled personality, I don’t think I would have stood up well to being number 401 in line.

Half way up Waynu Picchu, I was starting to wonder if it would have been better to be number 401. My legs were burning like I had just run a marathon with a 50lb bag on. The effects of the three day trek and waking up early were getting the best of me. I was getting light headed and had to lean heavily on the steel cables that lined the steep mountain walls. This mountain was steep, at some points only had space for one person to cross, and did not have cables in some sections. At the top, we had to crawl under a huge rock for about 20 feet on our hands and knees through some water which was only big enough for barely me to fit. I have no idea how a large unathletic person managed this natural obstacle course. We emerged on the other side of the fallen rock where after climbing up another flight of steps we arrived at the top of the mountain, which was a huge pile of enormous boulders. It was really cool to run around on top of huge rocks overlooking the valley and Machu Picchu, until you realize that there are no cables up here. That it’s raining and the rocks are slippery. And that this is probably where that tourist fell of the mountain about 9 months ago. Then it gets realistically scary rather quickly. After slowing edging our way around the precipitous boulders, we edged our way down and properly explored Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is as amazing as everybody says it is. I’m not going to bore you with superlatives which you can read by googling Machu Picchu. Just know that if you haven’t been already you should go. I would rank it on par with the Great Wall, Ankor Wat and the Forbidden City in terms of awesome man-made beauty and engineering. It should be on everybody’s bucket list.

Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 4

Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 3

Along the trail today we got to visit a couple Inca ruins as well as see some hummingbirds. The weather wasn’t spectacular as it rained extremely hard for parts of the trek resulting is some heads down concentration on the rocky steps. A highlight of the day was looking forward to our last campsite where we would be able to take a hot shower for 10 soles or 3 dollars. When we arrived late at night, we discovered that there was only one shower for men and one for women for over 300 people on the trail. At that point we were so tired and we would have to be up at 3:45 the following morning in order to be at the gate at 5:30, that we decided to just go to bed after dinner. Interestingly enough, for a large group of people who haven’t showered in 3 days, nobody had any offensive odors. Perhaps it was the rain, cool weather, or just a lot of deodorant. Or perhaps we just got use to the scent.

We had to be up uber early on the fourth day of the trek because you want to be one of the first three groups in line when the gate opens so that you can run down the trail for about an hour and get access to Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is a mountain which nestles up against Machu Picchu and has amazing soaring views of the lost city. Only 400 people a day are allowed access to the mountain for the privilege to tackle the steep and precipitous climb in order to get the coveted panoramic view of Machu Picchu. At times the steep trails are exposed with little protection other than a steel rope embedded in the side of the mountain. While Wayna Picchu is normally a difficult and precarious climb, when raining the trail can be extremely slick and treacherous. In the past 9 months, a tourist fell off the mountain and passed away. So while we were well aware of the genuine risks, we were excited to climb the mountain and gaze down upon Machu Picchu. This is why one wakes up at 3:45 in the morning.

Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 3

Cusco, Peru - Day 4

Today we took a tour of the Sacred Valley visiting Pisaq and Ollantaytambo. The archeological ruins of Pisaq are in the Sacred Valley about a 25 minute hike up rich green terraced mountains along the Urubamba River. The modern town of Pisaq has a extensive Sunday open air market and the only church in the world to hold mass in Quechua, the native Incan language.

Ollantaytambo was a complex, extensive archeological site which was rather well maintained. It was an important place for the Incas and served as the Incan capital for a short period of time. Ollantaytambo was also the starting point of our Machu Picchu trek the following day.

Cusco, Peru - Day 4

La Paz, Bolivia - Day 2

Today was a tour of Tiwanaku a pre Colombian archeological site that has been named a UNESCO site. It has significant importance as precursors to the Inca Empire, flourishing as the ritual and administrative capital of a major state power for approximately five hundred years.

They have these stone megaphones that you could speak into that projected your voice across the archeological campus to the other side where someone listening into a similar stone piece could hear you. They built this approximately 1,500 years before Christ. I wouldn’t be able to build two stone voice projection devices right now if you paid me. Perhaps two styrofoam cups with a string, maybe a long long string.

La Paz, Bolivia - Day 2

Hoi An, Vietnam - Day 2

Today I rented a motorcycle and drove out to My Son (prounounced Mee Sun), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I got extremely lost on my way there and a 25 minute trip turned into a 2 hour trip. I had to stop multiple times to ask in pointing sign language to figure out how to get to this national monument. While it wasn't fun to be lost in the middle of never ending rice fields and villages in the scorching sun, in hindsight, the experience was a rewarding one as I enjoyed the open road and time on the bike. I eventually got to my destination and wow what a let down. I had just come from Cambodia where the temples of Siem Reap were awe inspiring. My Son was about half the size of the smallest temple in Siem Reap and in much worse condition. It was also very architecturally similar so it was rather disappointing.

The rest of the day included a trip to Denang about an hour away to visit the Marble Mountains, a really cool mountain full of temples and nooks and crannies to explore.

Hoi An, Vietnam - Day 2

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2

Amazing, Stunning, one of the Highlights of my trip. If you haven't been, GO!

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

I had a buddy Jason fly down from Korea to go temple climbing with me at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1