Conquering Machu Picchu!

Just got back from visiting the ruins of the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. This city is particularly famous because it sits on top of a beautiful mountain and is the most well preserved Incan city. When Francisco Pizarro came to Peru he succeeded in destroying much of the Incan empire. However, Pizarro and his men never found the hidden city of Machu Picchu. The city was no longer occupied some 500 years ago. Many theories exist for the reasons that it was abandoned. It wasn´t until 1911 that an Englishman ¨re-discovered¨ the lost city with some tips from some of the local farmers living in the remote area of Machu Picchu. There are many ways offered to get to the ruins. We chose the jungle trek because it was the best fit for our time situation. First we took a bus 3 hours out of Cuzco to a mountain pass roughly 9,000 ft. above sea level. From here we got on mountain bikes and rode down-hill for 5 hours to an elevation of around 3,000 ft. I could feel the temperature rising as we decended from the snow-capped peaks to what are the fringes of the Amazonian basin. The scenery was beautiful and the ride was great. I was heading full speed down the valley for most of the time. Through the mud, the rivers, and the passing cars I did my best to keep concentration and avoid Peruvian road rash. Finally we arrived in the small city of Santa Maria where we took a mini-bus to another city closer to the ruins. Being in Peru I have come to realize that roads can be built anywhere! We clung to the side of the mountians as we bounced our way to Santa Teresa. Here we spent the night and got up early the next day for our hike to Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes is a city built at the base of the Machu Picchu Mountian specifically for the many tourists who visit the ruins. The surrounding moutains and jungle give the place a real ¨Indiana Jones¨ feel. After a nice lunch I headed up to the peak of Puticusi Mountain. This peak has a great view of the ruins from across the valley. The climb up was steep but well worth the views. The trail I used was an Incan trail from hundreds of years ago. It is amazing that the same trails are still used today by backpackers throughout Peru. The next morning we woke up at 3:50 AM to climb the steep trail up to the ruins. We left in the dark so that we could be some of the first 400 people to enter the ruins. Only the first 400 have the opportunity to climb the peak of Winay Picchu behind the ruins. This peak is the small mountain head that most people recognize from the most famous pictures of Machu Picchu. I will be sure to post my pictures as soon as I can. The climb up Winay Picchu was steep and slippery becuase of the many misty clouds and light rain. Although sunshine would have been desirable, the mist and low lying clouds made the mountain and ruins feel alive. After tackling my 2nd mountian in 24 hours it was time for a 3rd! Soon I found myself huffing and puffing up the peak known as Machu Picchu, where the ruins get thier name. Machu Picchu means ¨old mountain¨ in the Incan language of Quechua. I was feeling like an old man by the time I got to the top an hour later. Normally the peak offers great views of the ruins and the surrounding area. However, mother nature allowed me to see about 50 ft. in each direction at best. The mist and rain blanketed the entire landscape. I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed with the weather during our day at the ruins. This only gives me a reason to come back again! I need to see the place with some sunshine! Despite the mist I would not have changed a thing. Not many people get to see the ruins with the mystical surroundings we were granted. We just got one of the two days that it rains during Peru´s dry season! After taking the bus d0wn around 4 that afternoon (scaling 3 mountians in less than 24 hours allows me the luxury of modern technology to get down! ) I devoured a nice meal before we caught the train for Cuzco. Last night we had a nice meal and celebrated my birthday by drinking Peru´s finest Inca Cola and then passing out after our long day. Today we are catching a night bus to Lima for our flight tomorrow night. Peru has been great and of course the trip went by way too fast. My spanish is greatly improved, I surfed and kited more waves in 3 weeks than I have in my life, I hiked the world´s deepest canyon, slept on an island on the world´s highest lake, rafted a beautiful river, saw amazing ancient wonders, ate llama, took a bus with over 5 different species of animals, and had a great trip my first time in South America. I have a feeling this will be the first of many times. I will post my pictures in the next week. Hope you enjoyed reading about my trip. Until the next 0ne!