Turns out there is a four-thirty in the morning - yup we find our alarms waking the dead at this unspeakable hour in time to shave and dress for our scheduled pickup at 05:15. And we’re not the first, there are three ladies on the bus already. We pick up a family of three and we’re on our way to the train station at Ollantaytambo - the nearest place the region can muster, in a huge floodplain known as Sacred Valley. It’s a 95 minute drive here, then we swap to the train for a 90 minute amble alongside the river Urubamba to Machu Picchu town.
The road journey is fine, mostly bumpy, occasionally very bumpy, fraught with traffic and a landslide, lots of interesting towns, cities and countryside. As we munch on the hotel’s packed breakfast we firstly climb up an extra 1,000 feet, making 12,500 ft to exit Cusco, before dropping down to the railway at 9,600 over a distance of 37 miles / 59 km.
The railway is lovely, magnificent views all around as we continue to drop, to 6,800 at the station. As we go we’re invited to the bar / observation car to watch some local entertainers dancing and playing with wild abandon, a great show especially in the confines of a bouncing lounge-car. This is only 27 miles / 45 km.
It turns out there are three Machu Picchu’s - the one everyone knows about of course, the tiny spa town which also has a proper name of Aguas Calientes which has grown extensively out of the popularity of tourism, the final one I’ll cover later in my narrative.
At Machu Picchu town we meet Joel, our guide for today, surprisingly a private one as the others from our bus are nowhere to be seen. He takes us down the high street to the bus stop where we board the third section of the outbound journey, a small bus. Another 25 minutes and we’re finally at the gates of Machu Picchu ahead of schedule but it’s not long to 10:00.
Our first view is just a fraction of what is to come, but what an amazing start, and as we continue around the views just get better and better.
Dating back to C15, the Incas took over fifty years to build this astonishing royal country estate in what remains now an inhospitable place, imagine the challenges they faced then? Incredibly it was only inhabited for another forty years, as news of the conquering invasions of South America by the Spaniards spread the continent. Whereupon, the emperor decided to abandon, first ensuring nothing of value or use was left for the advancing marauders. In fact the Spaniards failed to find Machu Picchu, and time and the jungle reclaimed the abandoned city.
Fast forward in time to the early C20 and an intrepid explorer Hiram Binghamfound and started to document the ruins, and some other nearby. This where the third name gets a mention - he didn’t know what to call this site so he referred to it in his notes after the nearest mountain, Machu Picchu - hence the place we all recognise is actually miss-named in the eyes of locals and many archaeologists. As the Incan people didn’t write, no-one really knows what it’s given name is, but it is more likely to be that of the smaller mountain - Huayna Picchu.
Our exploration is extensive, with Joel’s knowledge we learn much about the site, the people and how this amazing small city operated. We also learn a lot about politics, the blockade, some amazing bees, and what it’s like to live in the modern town below.
Interesting fact: Machu Picchu is twinned with Howarth in West Yorkshire. Joel takes back along the tracks and up the hillside a little, to one of the town’s five-star hotels for lunch - which was excellent - then we have time to wander the town for a while before catching the train.
The journey is just as beautiful in reverse and we get more dancing, if needed, plus a fashion-show by the hospitality staff. OK so it’s just an attempt to part us from our money but great fun nevertheless. The return coach is very slow, traffic dreadful and that landslide has got much worse - we end up driving over the moraine which now has engulfed both sides of the carriageway. We’re back in time to quickly shower then dress for dinner, finishing off with a pisco sour to complete a fabulous but exhausting day.
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