Two Days in the Andes
Almost everyone in the U.S. has heard of Machu Pichu, the great remains in the Peruvian Andes of the Incan civilization. And now all the bones and muscles of Marge and myself also know the heart center of each large and small cut granite block of its pathways that we walked. On our first day we walked approximately 100 flights of stairs and on our second day we climbed up and down another 140 flights. We didn’t count them, our iPhones took care of that, but we can feel them.
We entered the area on a 1.75 hour comfortable vista dome train journey from Ollantaytambo to the rail station at Aguas Calientes complete with music and dancers on board to entertain us.
Then a wait with about 100 other people for a bus to take us on a half hour trip winding up the mountain with many hairpin turns to the entrance of the archeological site. Everyone must have a timed ticket in advance and show their passport before boarding the bus and when entering the site. Each visitor is only allowed to stay for 2.5 hours but they guards don’t seem very strict about this restriction, perhaps because most visitors are tired after a few hours of climbing. Local workers are everywhere, to fix the roads, to direct traffic, to provide security, to stamp and review all documents, and to repair the ancient stones and it all runs very well. With an average of 4600 of visitors every day, I assume the national economy probably depends on this revenue at about $100/per person (plus 60 cents for use of the bathroom at the entrance).
Until fairly recently, there were fewer restrictions and now everyone is assigned one of four “circuits” to follow once inside the citadel site. On the first day, we were fortunate as it was not raining but slightly cloudy. Marge and I, as the oldest and slowest members of our group were sent off on Circuit 3 together with one of the tour coordinators and her companion and our own guide. So, basically, we had a very good private guide for our entire visit, providing significant information to us and, most importantly, lending us a hand for support while ascending or descending the very uneven, very high stone steps with no bannisters. We went up to the terraces once used for raising cocoa leafs and used for trading during the active life of this site from 1450 to about 1550 AD. There we experienced the beautiful vistas over the jagged mountains and the reconstructed remains of the houses, temples and storage areas that once formed the basis of the community.
Only 4 people from our group opted to visit Machu Pichu on the second day, requiring catching a 5:30 AM bus from near our hotel in Aguas Calientes. This second day, we were assigned Circuit 1, the highest path which goes straight up and then across the top of the site with magnificent views of the mountains and the archeological remains below with snow covered peaks in the distance. And we were exceedingly lucky as today there was bright morning sun, bathing the grey stone in warm light, very unusual for this time of year. Although this pathway was described as “straight up” it actually was easier than the day before as there were flat spaces between 2-3 steps and some stairs with bannisters and they were not quite as high as the previous days challenge with steps which sometimes came up almost to my knee and higher for Marge! We could not have managed on either day without our hiking poles.
But we managed to get up and down without mishap, although I was off balance a number of times but was able to correct myself. A young man from Saudi Arabia began talking to me and when he found out my age and how many countries I have been to, he videotaped me for . . . something. I may have gone viral by now.
My two days at Machu Pichu were punctuated with some excellent meals, (think organic vegetables with quinoa and avocado), and some necessary nourishment I brought along for myself (think unsalted U.S. peanut butter, round U.S. Lundberg rice cakes, and local banana). The experience both exceeded my expectations, namely the vistas and sense of history at the ruins, and was disappointing, due to the great number of tourists and the piles of goods everywhere for sale, some of good quality and some cheap manufactured products. But, unlike at many of the other great wonders of the world, all of the shopkeepers and workers everywhere seemed polite and helpful and not in the least aggressive. I hope this stays this way for Peru’s future.
