Machu Picchu

Our day began at 4:00 am, as we awoke, gathered our things and met our group downstairs in the hostel entrance for 4:30am. We would be walking for about an hour, mostly up stairs to the entrance of Machu Picchu for sunrise. Our guide would meet us there and hopefully we would beat the crowds by arriving so early.

Our climb up was tough, especially at 5am in the morning but just when you felt like quitting, we heard the sounds of joy from above. We were almost there! We could have taken the bus but I think the road to Machu Picchu is a journey, it was for the Incas and it seems fitting that you earn the right to see this beautiful place. We have all seen the photos but when you are standing there... the vibrant green of the grass, the dark lush mountains in the background, the bright blue sky, and the untouched city nestled in between. All I can say is that it is breathtakingly beautiful. More than I would have imagined it would be.

Our guide spent about two hours with us, showing us the main features of the city and then we had the day to ourselves, to explore and enjoy this new Wonder of the World. Ramanan and I had already gotten permission to climb Huayna Picchu, the 2720m mountain behind Machu Picchu. Only four hundred people are allowed to make this trek up daily, one group at 7am and the other at 10am. So we lined up at 10am (yes there was a line-up) and began our climb up. We reached the summit in about 45 minutes, stopping at various spots to take photos of the stunning views of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu Mountain. When you begin the the climb up, you have to sign in, including your nationality, age and time you began and end the climb. We met an elderly Japanese man at the summit, incredibly agile and fast for his age. When we climbed back down, we check how old he was. He was 73 years old and had kept pace with us.

Later in the day, we walked to the Sun Temple which took us about one hour and to the Inca Bridge, another 20 minutes. It wasn't an easy day for our feet! The views of Machu Picchu from the Sun Temple were beautiful. As for the Inca Bridge, well lets just say I have seen many “Inca Bridges” in Canada!

After a final glance at the point where we first arrived, we bid Machu Picchu a farewell. We took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes at 4pm, to meet our friends and have a few drinks before taking the night train back to Cusco. What an amazing day!