Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu: Part 2

Part Two: Machu Picchu

It’s a rite of passage for any traveller to Peru. You must go to Machu Picchu whether you want to or not. The challenge is to do it without getting trampled and then buried under a pile of cameras.

It all starts at Aguas Calientes. 99% of Machu Picchu (the name means "old mountain" in Quechua) pilgrims arrive on the tourist train from Cuzco, the rest walk in (Inca Trail people walk straight into Machu Picchu, everyone else walks through Aguas). Once in Aguas Calientes, the choice is to take the tourist bus up to the gate, or again, hike up. Being pseudo-purists, we figured we should hike up before dawn and therefore realize some sort of advantage over the masses arriving by the bus load. Problema: the first buses in the morning arrive at pretty much exactly the same time the hikers do. So there we were, hot, sweaty, and exhausted after the 300-m climb, in line at the gate with every other showered and fresh-as-a-daisy tourist sporting their finest khaki safari-travelling outfits.

Despite the humanity, once inside, Machu Picchu lives up to the hype. It is a marvel unlike any other. Even the most anti-gong-show person (i.e., me) cannot help but be impressed with an ancient stone city balancing on a sharply defined ridgetop deep in the middle of the most rugged and impressive mountain terrain imaginable.

Unearthed in 1911 by an American explorer named Hiram Bingham, it remained unknown and camouflaged in jungle foliage throughout the entirety of the 500-year Spanish invasion and occupation of South America. In other words, the Spanish never found it. It therefore escaped the default ransacking and pillaging bestowed on other Inca sites. It is this small and somewhat random fact that makes it what it is. It is simply one of the best (if not the best) and most preserved examples of Inca civilization on the planet. Being perched on a high ridge in the insanely mountainous jungles of interior Peru give it the “WOW!! ” factor.

The more you read about it, the more you learn that no one really knows why it was built and what it was used for. The Incas didn’t have a written form of language, and given that the Spanish didn’t know about it, there is no historical documentation of the city. Theories are plentiful, with the leading recent theory appearing to be that the city was a summer palace for one of the Incas (the word Inka is Quechua for “ruler”, meaning that the ruler or emperor of the empire was the “Inca”). Others say that it was probably an important administrative, religious, and political center. Regardless of its purpose or use, no one disputes its significance. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

One of the most striking features that no one misses, is the intricate stone work. Incas were masters of stone architecture. Stone walls, buildings, and roads were built and fit together without mortar in a way that would be impressive even if done today with modern equipment and power tools. Like the statues of Easter Island, how exactly humans without modern tools and equipment were able to cut and lay individual stones weighing several tons, each fitted precisely to the next so that not even a knife blade can be inserted in between the joints, is unknown. Again theories are plentiful, but no one knows for sure.

Another big feature of Inca architecture is that nothing is random. Everything seems to be aligned with the stars, the heavens, cardinal directions, the winter solstice, the summer solstice, and every other pagan symbol of importance. Around every corner we turned there was a tour-guide explaining in infinite detail to a group of camera-ready tourists how this wall, or this stone, or this corner was somehow aligned with the universe.  They were also big sacrificers, as in human. The stone alters where such events took place, along with other religious ceremonies, are also prominently placed. Apparently a lot of blood was spilled to please the gods back in the day.

After a good look around the place, we took yet another hike up to the top of Cerro Machu Picchu  – a peak overlooking the city and the rest of the world. While we had reservations about the exhausting nature of such an activity (another 600 m climb), it was a fantastic experience. First it is only climbed by a small number of people, since most hikers opt for the opposite peak Huayna Picchu (the iconic peak in the background of every picture you have ever seen of Machu Picchu, including ours). Huayna Picchu however, has also succumbed to the permit system and requires advanced planning and reservations which we didn't have. We therefore opted for the higher and more difficult peak requiring no advanced planning of any kind J

While views along the climb are outrageously stunning and reveal the insanely vertical nature of the terrain (unbelievably rugged), the cooliest thing about the route is that it follows an original Inca road. Cerro Machu Picchu was used by the Inca as a lookout and therefore a permanent and well-built Inca road leads to the summit. It’s obvious to anyone that the Inca were serious about their endeavours and built things to last forever. Provided the Spanish don’t invade again, that trail will be there forever. Very cool.

So back to Aguas by mid-afternoon for a well-deserved cerveza, and of course, more pizza followed by happy-hour drinkie-poos. We said good-bye to the area the next day and opted for the tourist train back to Cuzco (we could have hiked out...but enough is enough). While outrageously expensive (by local standards), the train was exceptionally relaxing and enjoyable. It was fun to be brushing shoulders with the rich tourists for a couple of hours. The route back is through the “Sacred Valley of the Incas”, which made for good perspective and views.
All in all, a highly successful mission. Machu Picchu: done.

So now, back in our Cuzco base, we’re taking a few days to regroup, repack, and contemplate reality. Next mission: cycling up the altiplano to Lake Titicaca and onto Bolivia! But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. More on that soon. Adios.