Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Inside the house

We broke camp at 4:30 a.m. and joined the throngs of people in a queue to gain entrance to the park. Once inside the gate, we were still about six kilometers from the legendary citadel. Fatigue didn't seem to be a factor and we quickly picked our way to Intipunku.

Machu desconocido

The sun gate was anything but sunny when we arrived. We were completely socked in, which made viewing the Inca city from above impossible. Still, arriving via the ancient portal was unique and memorable.

Cuidad Inka

After fifty kilometers and four days on the Inca trail we got our first rewarding glimpse of Machu Picchu. Included in the trek was a guided tour, which we joined after storing our packs at the main tourist entrance. Following visits to the agricultural sectors and all of the temples, we made our way up to Intiwatana and relished the view from the astronomical observatory.      

"I was not expecting that."

A farewell meal in Aguas Calientes and a trip to the hot springs wrapped up our time as a group. We were the only duo that chose to stay the night and return to Machu to explore further. Despite waking up to a flooding hotel room at 2 a.m. we rested well, free of our oddly designed six foot long tent. With beautiful weather we reached the summit of Wayna Picchu in the morning. Some onlookers were startled when we emerged from a tiny cave on the unconventional loop near the top. Bones 2.0 cut thirty pounds from Montevideo to Machu to squeeze through small openings like these.  

               

Amantes del trek

The expedition saw minor bits of adversity but overall, we were well prepared and had an incredible experience.

Gringo Killers

In defiance of their reputation, the "Gringo Killers" didn't cause us any problems. We threw caution to the wind and scampered to the top. The excitement of finally reaching the pinnacle took over and helped us temporarily forget about our dinged up bodies and limbs. 

   

Wayna Picchu

Reluctant to leave any stone unturned after visiting the amazing Wayna Picchu, we forced ourselves to climb the smaller, neighboring peak which in turn rendered a unique angle to view the sprawling ruins. This path was much less travelled and we enjoyed the hike and stunning views alone which was shocking for the downtrodden "Disneyland of Peru".

Entrada a las Tres Portadas

Under the hot sun, we returned to the main site to take some photos that were not possible just a day earlier. Still unsatisfied, I ran out to the Inca bridge, accidentally scaring a few folks along the way. 

Plaza principal

Llamasutra

After a full day at Machu Picchu we took a night train to Ollantaytambo town. Unfortunately we had to rely on a collectivo from there to Cusco. A blend of unparallelled ignorance and slow reflexes made that ride the most dangerous of the entire trip. We rolled in at midnight feeling quite ill. Ten more blocks on foot got us to our hostel. The heavy sleeping bags and outdated foamies given to us were overkill but we managed to use everything in the hardly justifiable twenty kilo pack. 

Twenty thousand dollar photo

22 hours on Oltursa's finest took us from Cusco to Lima. Two days in the capital turned out to be ample and before we knew it our 123 days in South America had come to an end. Perhaps we will return some day. We sign off saying thanks for reading. It's been emotional.