22nd April- Machu Pichu!

22nd April- Machu Pichu.

My excitement was palpable this morning. We packed an overnight bag, and a bag for today, with coats, suncream, mozzie repellent & plenty of water. Leaving the rest of our luggage behind, which will be taken to Cusco for us. It was a very early start.  Graeme started to feel unwell on route to the train station, with stomach pains, but nothing was going to spoil today. We have waited years for this adventure. 

The station was chaotic, but in a good way. "Porters" dashed from a train coming in, carrying heavy loads on their backs in bright green or blue sacks that were as big as, if not bigger than them. They ran off to collect their next groups to head back to Machu Pichu on the walking trails. 

We wished Uncle Bill a happy birthday just before we set off- he rang us & was excited to hear where we are & wanted to know if we've seen Galapagos yet, talking about his days at sea. He's 86 today.

The train journey was fabulous, giving almost panoramic views across the mountains, from the glass panels in the roof, as we winded out way alongside the river to reach our destination. As we travelled, the terrain began to change, as we headed towards the Amazon Jungle. The trees and flowers reminded me of the cloud forest in Ecuador - which already feels like a lifetime ago. We were given hot drinks and snacks of quinoa crisps, cereal bars, chocolate & coca sweets. Graeme was feeling pretty ill by this point, so I put them in our back pack in case needed during the hike later. Once we arrived, we were met by our new guide Jonatan, who checked us in to our hotel and took us to catch a bus up the mountain to Machu Pichu. It wound back & forth up the steep bank, giving fabulous views of the mountains. It takes half an hour by bus to get up the mountain. Graeme was a nasty shade of grey by this point. He managed to hold it together though, and we explored the marvel that is Machu Pichu. The weather was perfect, and the sky clear. We could literally see for miles. It was breathtaking. 

Jonaton gave great commentary about each building, the beliefs of those who lived & worshipped here & how specialist have ran tests on remains here to find that the average life span was 30- 40 years, there were 5 generations who had resided here and the families here were from different areas of the Andes- not one tribe. It is thought that important people from across Inca areas had been moved to this special site. Food was even brought here to support the people, from the agricultural terraces at Moray. Only some of the terraces at Machu Pichu were for growing crops. The others were a means of stabilising the mountain, to prevent erosion. The terraces were built in the same way as the houses and temples, with layers of different foundations, adding stability. Even some of the windows in the  buildings are filled in with stones, perfectly placed to absorb shock & stress forces and prevent damage to the buildings in the event of earthquakes. And it has worked to perfection. There are water channels running throughout the area, carved in the stone to reach each of the buildings and growing terraces, and to prevent flooding. Jonaton glowed with pride when he told us there are no recordings of the site ever having flood problems. The Incas were a very sophisticated & ingenious people. The design of the sun temple itself follows a mathematical equation.  The entire area is like a map of the heavens, with the mountains surrounding it, mapping out the pattern of the Southern Cross star formation. This is possibly the reason why this site was chosen by the then Inca King. The sun dial, also in the shape of the Southern Cross, perfectly placed to act as a clock. It casts no shadow at all during the equinox. There are even water pans, not for drinking water, but to act as a mirror of the night sky. The sun temple perfectly placed with it's windows to view the sun, which lights up the temple at Summer and Winter solstice.  It is mind-blowing. The more you look at it, the more you see. The more you see, the more you puzzle over the complexities & perfection of the build. As we began to understand the "why" behind the Incas having this place as a sacred site, the "how" still puzzled. The sheer size of it. The difficult terrain, the complexities of the mountains to navigate. I'll say it again "mind blowing". 

Jonaton gave us real VIP treatment and we were led past scores of people clambering to get photos, through a roped off area, with a nod to the staff on duty and to what he described as the very best view of Machu Pichu. There was only us there! We took hundreds of photos, that we will treasure. It was truly an awesome sight. We felt so lucky. The view was so clear, it really couldn't have been any better. It is best, if you can, to book 2 visits to Machu Pichu as some areas are restricted to only certain times of the day, to limit wear & tear on the ancient structures. Jonaton told us the order to view different areas tomorrow to ensure we see absolutely everything. We will visit without a guide tomorrow. The government restrict the numbers of visitors to the site each day too- so you will need to book in advance, or risk being unable to get in. Llama travel took care of everything for us, right down to the return bus tickets. 

I had a late buffet lunch up the mountain, which was actually very good- Graeme still unable to eat anything, could just about sip water. He was fearful of eating anything as we still had a bus ride back down to the town below. Once back, we couldn't stray too far from the hotel bathroom. We had a little wander around & I persuaded him to try to eat something, as he was as weak as a kitten and feeling very wobbly. An early night for both of us, as we have a return ticket for Machu Pichu at 6am tomorrow, before the tourist trains start running, so it should be quiet. We are hoping to see the sun coming up over the mountains.

I will sleep well tonight!

Night night,

Caroline