Machu Picchu

Peru, the land of Pisco, the Cordillera Blanca, Amazon but mostly the Inca and the city of the great Inca empire, Machu Picchu.

First stop for me after Lake Titikaka was Cusco, a 12 hours bus ride away. Cusco turned out to be a revelation for me. I didn`t expect anything of it. And that I figured is the best approach to a new place. Yet here it was with cobble-stoned colonial streets, it`s gorgeous Plaza del Armas, museums and churches. Even more fun are the countless travel agancies, bars, restaurants and clubs in this fairlysmall town. Hence walking down the streets of Cusco you are guaranteed to be stalked by a multitude of vendors.

This one time I had just wokeup and as usual we headed to get some breakfast with Liv and Jess, an Australian couple I met on the bus. We were harassed by various guys but this one guy cracked me up. We had just woke up. Not looking good after a night out. It`s like 9 in the morning, Cusco is crowded with people. So this one guy goes up to me and offers breakfast. A couple of seconds later, after having declined his offer he goes on ...sniff sniff...hehehe. Seriously I do look dodgy and am approachd often, but at 9 in the morning after his first offer was eggs and bacon...come on.. i think he deserved a medal for that...hehehe.

First night turned out to be an unplanned really late , really wild night. Couple of days recovering and discovering Cusco and the sacret valley. We visited several Inca ruins with Sacsayhuaman stealing the spotlight. Just 2 km away from Cusco, the 20% left of the ruin isquite amazing with stones weighing over 300tons and it`s zig zag structure it is quite magnificent. A bonus was a baby condor we saw on our second visit.Then came the day for our Machu Picchu adventure.

Being abaondoned by the Australian couple at the last minute, and having abandoned the Inca trail due to it`s popularity and price( around $400 ), I headed alone to Agua Calientes. The cheapest way to get to MP turned out to be a 2 day trek through the sacret valley, the small villages of Santa Maria and Santa Teresa. On the first day I visited the Inca ruins of Pisac, stopped in Urubamba and then the ruins of Ollantaytambo from where I got a night bus to Santa Maria where I ended sleeping on the corridor due to overbooking..not very good. But finally I got to Santa Teresa , had breakfast and headed to the natural springs in the village. And what a relief. Looking more like a spa, yet all natural hot water, alone for a good 2 hours and having payed 50c for the entrance, this was the best way to unwind from my ordeal so far. Unfortunately I had to leave the springs to get a last 1hr combi to Hydroelectrica from where I then trekked 3 hrs tofinally get to Aqua Calientes, the gateway to MP.

The Inca empire started round about the 12th century but only towards the 15th century did the 9th Inca Pachacutec give the empire it`s first bloody taste of conquest. The height of this mighty empire only lasted round 100 years ended by the the civil war between the 2 sons ofthe 12th Inca and accelerated by the Spanish conquest who found this war handy in conquering the Incas.

An early night to get in a good rest to enjoy the next day at MP. By 6am I was at Machu Picchu. Honestly I was a bit let down by all the hype that surrounds the Inca civilisation and the ruins we can visited so far, keeping in mind that at the same time Michaelangelo had finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, nontheless all these thought faded away at the sight of the lost city of the Inca, Machu Picchu. Situated atop of a summit guarded by the cumbre of Huayna Picchu, the mystery surrounding this magical place is truly captivating.

At Machu Picchu I met Kim, a sweet Swiss/ Dutch 26 yr old girl with whom I spent the whole day going round the ruins. We also trekked Huayan Picchu rewarded by magnificent views from the summit. Another eary night because the next day for me meant 8 hours of trekking back to km 82 on the rail tracks to get a bus back to Cusco. It`s not the 30km walk but the fact that it was on the tracks making it 10 times harder.

I got to km 82, the beginning of the Inca trail at noon, thus walking 6 hrs yet on the way i crossed the Inca trail a couple of times and rewarded by some lovely sights.Needless to say when i got back to Cusco i was exhausted and slept a good 13hrs at the charming Hostal Torcasa. But once again I had survived, so it`s all good.

From Cusco I headed to Lima where I only slept a night in Miraflores at a lovely place called Casa del Machilleros. Lima is another big city and I felt lost and confused after having been in Bolivia and Cusco before. So I headed straight to Huaraz, the gateway to the Cordillera Blanca.