Machu Picchu had never been visited by the Spanish conquistadors. Even for 400 years, it was not founded to the world. I am going to find mysteries and theories which have surrounded Machu Picchu.
I want to take the train, but it is expensive. I see the price of Tour Company. It is around 130$. I also see the price that I go by myself. It is around 100$ but looks hard. So I choose the tour company. The picture is taken around Ollantaytambo town.
Snow Mountain
It is really narrow road.
There is rocky going ahead.
We stop for lunch.
It is so surprising that how much water is coming from the middle of the mountain.
The car can’t go anymore. We write down our information of ID, and start walking.
We follow railroad.
Go up bit
Cross the bridge
Keep walking to Machu Picchu
I have to walk on rocks most of the time.
Behind train
I want to take the rest, but there is not enough time.
We have the big problem because of tour guide.
We lost guide and waited long time in front of the town. Aguas Calientes which is the name of the town means Hot Water. But our hostel doesn’t have water. To wait dinner takes two hours. (I realize that our hostel is only one which doesn’t run water. )
Around 10 pm, the owner of hostel and restaurant and guide lie that they can’t buy ticket of Machu Picchu because it is sold out, but there is other way to buy ticket that people have to pay more for it. I already book Huayna Picchu which must need booked so that I get ticket from them. But it is the problem to other person. There is long story that I can’t write everything. We fight with guide until midnight, then other people get finally tickets.
The next day guide must have come before 5 am, but he doesn’t show up. I can’t have breakfast which is included my pay. It takes 15 minutes to Machu Picchu by bus, but 9 $. I decide to walk with other people. It takes over one and half hours so that I couldn’t wait guide.
The town is located 2,000 m (6,561 ft) above sea level and Machu Picchu is located 2,430 m (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is really hard to climb the mountain. I have to arrive before 6:45 am to meet guide. So there is not enough time to take the rest. We are lucky that we arrive on time.
And then I see the most amazing city in the world ever. I will never forget what I am looking. How amazing city they built? How come it was built on the summit?
Spain could have never found Machu Picchu, and it had not founded for 400 years to the world. It was the most secret place in the world.
Actually we should not call it city of Inca, but city of Quechua. Inca is King, but he didn’t live here. He lived in Cusco which was capital of the Inca Empire. Quechua means citizen. Around 1,000 Quechuas lived here, but they escaped to amazon later.
Machu Picchu, Cusco Pablito Alvarez, then 11 years old, guided Hiram Bingham towards the ruins of Machu Picchu; in the photograph, taken in 1911, poses in front of the Temple of the Sun.
It is totally different from when it was founded.
In 1911, when he found the hidden city, there were two Quechua families living.
Snow Mountain is covered by cloud.
I can’t believe how they built the city on the cliff. I imagine that many people were falling from cliff to build the city and dying.
This is the entrance of the legendary city. I am lucky that I choose speaking English guide so that I don’t need face bad guide who is liar. To understand English depends on whom I listen from. My guide is perfect to me that I can understand everything what he says. He prepares dates for us. It is the perfect guide to me!!!! Love it!!!!
He explains how they were building house.
Between rocks, it was consisted of fur of llama.
It is home to Quechua.
It is a bathroom.
One asks how guide knows about everything of Machu Picchu. Guide shows us other date that there was one guy who was mixed blood. He recorded Inca culture.
It is a guest room.
I guess that the capital of Inca Empire looked like it. If Spanish found Machu Picchu, we might see the grocery at here, not ruins in 21c.
This is not Quechua’s home. How do I know?
Look at the rocks. It is well organized and polished. It might be priest’s house.
I upload this photo on last post. It is the home of Inca so that it is the best rocks.
Chinchilla
The lost city has a waterway.
According to archaeologists, the urban sector of Machu Picchu was divided into three great districts: the Sacred District, the Popular District to the south, and the District of the Priests and the Nobility.
Guide helps me to understand what happened to hidden city.
Sacred Place
This is the temple at the top of Machu Picchu. The windows signify the body (Puma), mind (Snake) and spirit (Condor).
It is totally the same shape as the mountain. It means they adored the nature.
Sundial
I keep walking to understand Quechua culture.
Guide says llama is like a lawn mower. They take care of ruins as eating grass.
It is Condor.
Terraced Fields in the upper Agricultural Sector
Machu Picchu means Old Peak and Huayna Picchu means Young Peak. The mountain Huayna Picchu overlooks the ruins of Machu Picchu and I have to climb there because I booked it!
Maybe I can see tower on the top.
I must be back to the town before 1 pm so that I don’t have enough time. I hurry to climb, but it is very steep.
I feel so dangerous in Huayna Picchu.
View of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu, showing the Hiram Bingham Highway used by tour buses from the town of Aguas Calientes (The left one, zigzag road)
It looks the opposite site has another ruins.
How could they build it on the top?
I am too scared and nervous. There is no handrail. I have to go down on the dangerous stair (the right stair on the above picture)
I think it is not necessary to climb Huayna Picchu because it is the same as Machu Picchu.
How many cameras he has? When I go back to the town, I take the bus.
WOW. He holds more cameras.
In Machu Picchu If you see the man who is on the middle of the picture, you must follow him to get ticket. He is liar so that if he is your guide in Machu Picchu, you have to be careful. He and owner of hostel and restaurant are impostors. Also if hostel doesn’t run water, you check other place. Owner of hostel will lie that it will be just for three hours, but you will never see water in your hostel.
The train leaves at 1:30 pm, so we arrange to meet 1 pm on the park. But he shows up around 1:15 pm then says “hey ticket is sold out…………….. just kidding”
He never apologize what he did and now he even say strange jokes.
What a strange guy in the world.
(Other traveler whom I met on the tour car got a ticket yesterday already.)
Anyway I come back to the tour car by train.
Amazing!!!
I sit on a passenger seat to see amazing viewing, but it is scary
Fire..
Amazing Snow Mountain
I should not sit on a passenger seat, because we drive beside cliff, and it makes me too scared.
The next day, when I give back lent backpack to tour agency, I just see the whole situation.
‘B’ tour agency hands ‘C’ company tourist. Even ‘B’ tour agency doesn’t know my tour guide’s face. It is lucky that ‘B’ tour agency is not bad tour company. But ‘C’ company is the worst one that ‘C’ company never apologizes. ‘B’ tour agency does apologize to me and give back some money.
(I think the most of companies run like this way in Cusco. You will see when you take tour car, every people’s tour company is different.)
Anyway I will never forget when I found Machu Picchu in my life.
It was really hard road to get there. It is needed 200 tons of stones to build. It was home to Quechua. They lived in hidden city.
Who knows there is other hidden city which we don’t find yet? Never knows.
====Information of Machu Picchu====
1. Huayna Picchu (Machu Picchu is around 50 $, Huayna Picchu is around 10 $// you can get discount if you are students having an ISIC card.)
You must book to climb Huayna Picchu before three or four days.
Book at here : http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/
To climb Huayna Picchu is very hard that it is too steep. (One way, 40 minute or one hour)
I don’t recommend the senior to climb.
(Yellow one is the road for a train and Red one is the road for a car. Cusco is on the right side and Machu Picchu is left side.)
2. Train ticket
It was expensive on October 2012.
Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes : Round trip is around 100 $
Hidroelectrica) – Aguas Calientes : One way around 15 $
Book at here : http://www.incarail.com/ , http://www.perurail.com/en/
3. The way to get to Machu Picchu – Inca Trail (Imitation around 180 $/ Real one around 400$)
The road on which Inca (King) used for visiting to Machu Picchu is real one and the imitation is just similar trail. The real one is run by the government so that it has limited visitor. You must book to do it. It is around 400 $. Imitation is around 180$. The schedule will be like 3 nights and 4 days and you will sleep in the tent, and guide will cook for you.
4. The way to get to Machu Picchu – Train (Around 170$)
Cuzco -(bus or taxi, 3h, 6$)- Ollantaytambo -(train, 4h, 50$)- Aguas Calientes -(bus, 15m, 9$)- Machu Picchu(Ticket 50$)
/There are two ways to go to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes, by bus (9$, 15 minutes) or by walking (free but takes one and half hour. Also it is hard.).
5. The way to get to Machu Picchu – Tour car (Around 130$)
– They will pick up people on Cusco.
– People will go to Hidroelectrica by car and it would take over 7 hours.
– Hidroelectrica-Aguas Calientes by walking. It is flat but too hot and takes two hours.
– sleep one night in Aguas Calientes
– If one wants to walk to Machu Picchu, one has to start walking around 5 am.
/There are two ways to go to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes, by bus (9$, 15 minutes) or by walking (free but takes one and half hour. Also it is hard.).
– Must come back before 1 pm. – Take the train to come back to Hidroelectrica
– Take the car and go back to Cusco. Arriving in Cusco around 9 pm
6. The way to get to Machu Picchu – oneself (Around 110$)
– Take the bus to Santa Maria. (Around 10 $, 6 hours)
– Colectivo taxi to Santa Teresa- Hidroelectrica
– Hidroelectrica-Aguas Calientes by walking. It is flat but too hot and takes two hours.
– sleep one night in Aguas Calientes
–Â There are two ways to go to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes, by bus (9$, 15 minutes) or by walking (free but takes one and half hour. Also it is hard.).
(You should check the tour agency in Cusco that you can take the car from Hidroelectrica to Cusco)
7. Other information
– Dry season is June to August. Bring water proof jacket in case at rainy season.
– No bathroom at Machu Picchu, but at the entrance. Nee to pay to use bathroom.
– Ticket is for one day so that out and in is free.
– Need passport to get in.
– Water is very expensive in the entrance.
– (In my opinion) Guide is really helpful to understand history. Huayna Picchu is not necessary because Machu Picchu is more beautiful.
(If information is wrong or changed, please let me know)
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