So after 3.5 months in South America, I finally got to Machu Picchu. One of the 7 wonders of the world, it sure is worth the acclamation, and I can now tick this of my list!
I was also told to be at Machu Picchu at dawn or after 4pm, to avoid the crowd. With an entrance ticket for Wayna Picchu that requires me to be at Wayna Picchu’s entrance at 10am, I decided to be there first thing in the morning and have some time to wander around Machu Picchu before climbing Wayna Picchu.
So I woke up at 4.30am, to be on the 1st couple of buses that leaves for Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes (The first bus leaves at 5.30am).
It took about 25 mins on the bus to snake its way up the hill to the entrance of Machu Picchu. Reaching Machu Picchu entrance at around 6am, there were already a number of guides at the entrance waiting to “sell” their services.
It would probably have been better to take on one of the guide’s services, as they provide a historical description and give more meaning to the Inca ruins, rather than aimlessly wandering through the ruins. However as I was alone, I decided to just explore the ruins free and easy on my own.
Upon entering the entrance, there were a few routes that was available, and so I started with the easiest route, and walked through the passage way. Within a few moments, I came into an open space and the ruins was right in front of me!
SPECTACULAR! The lost city of the Incas was much larger than I imagined it to be. The sun has also just risen from the peak and was starting to shed its light on the ruins, while I stood there for a moment to soak in the view.
From time to time, I came across tour groups and eavesdropped on the guide’s explanation, which was extremely fascinating.
For one, Machu Picchu is not the actual name of this city that was given by the Incas. No one knows the actual name till this day, and the name Machu Picchu was given by Hiram Bingham (the guy who discovered the Inca ruins in 1911), named after the mountain located just next to the ruins.
Inka Bridge
Round the back of the Inca city is located the Inka Bridge. This route is no longer open for public access, but you can see that the passage is extremely narrow, and made of brick path around the mountain range.
On one section, this is separated purely by a flimsy looking wooden bridge. According to the guide, this was exactly the same back in the Inca days.
There is a good reason for the wooden bridge, as it allowed the Incas to remove it if they are under attack, or if someone is to be prosecuted, the person must be prepared for a few hundred metres precipitous drop!
Intiwatana
I still didn’t manage to figure out what this group of people were doing though.
Wayna Picchu
There is an exclusivity factor in wanting to go to Wayna Picchu as only 400 people are allowed each day; 200 people at 7 – 8am and the balance 200 at 10 – 11am.
I had managed to get a slot for the 10 – 11am, and made my way towards the entrance of Wayna Picchu after spending the last 3.5 hours slowly walking through the city of Machu Picchu.
Met with Bracken, an American diplomat who was working in the American embassy in Lima at the entrance of Wayna Picchu, and we spent most of the trek upwards together.
The trek was definitely not easy as there were many steep and extremely narrow stairways, and which took us about 45 mins before we reach a mid-way point where one can get a great aerial view of Machu Picchu.
Unfortunately, it was also around this point that I re-sprained my ankle – the same ankle that I had sprained about a month ago in Bariloche. Sigh… It didn’t feel as pain as the last time I sprained it, and considering that this may be the only chance I get to visit Machu Picchu, I decided to push on and continue trekking upwards.
It was a great relief to finally reach the top, however going down seemed to be the harder part.
There were 2 options of going down, one was heading back down the same way, while the other was to go through the Gran Caves, a route which was supposedly 1 hour longer.
Being the stubborn me, I opted to take the longer route, while Bracken took the normal route back as he had a train to catch.
Gran Caves
It was probably not a very wise decision as the route to the Gran Caves was through the forest and very much steeper.
Lucas, another guy I met at the top of Wayna, was kind to wait and accompany me while I walked slowly down the steep stairway. Apparently we were also the last few that were allowed to go on this path before they closed the route to other tourists.
There was even a long ladder which we had to climb down from, and with a sprained ankle that was getting sorer by the minute, I had to be extra careful!
We sat down to catch our breath and take a quick lunch, before heading back down to Machu Picchu, a 1.5hr journey on a separate route *faint*.
Lucas decided to make his way ahead first to visit the Inka Bridge before it got dark, while I slowly made my way up through long steep climbs.
My ankle was extremely sore by this time, and I had to climb extremely slowly in order to manage the pain. It was surprising though that despite the sprained ankle, I was still moving faster than some other people of approximately the same age, that we met at the cave.
While trekking back up, one of the staff (David) at the Gran Caves caught up with me. David had a self-made walking stick with him, and I guess seeing that I was alone and had difficulties walking, he lent me his walking stick.
The walking stick was a great help as it relieved some of the weight off the ankle, while on the trek. David was also kind enough to accompany me along the way, despite my slow movements.
It was definitely a great relief to finally reach the base of Wayna Picchu and get my passport stamped.
I have conquered Wayna Picchu!
Temple of the Condor
However it was still a distance back to the entrance as I limped back, and passed through the Temple of the Condor.
It was called the Temple of the Condor because of the shape that can be seen at the site. On the ground was a triangular shaped stone (body), with a white small triangle at the tip (head). The wings are the two huge boulders on the back of the body.
What was misleading about this place is the categorisation of this place as a temple. It was not a temple, but rather a sacrificial area, as there is a stairway between the winged areas which led to a sacrificial chamber.
Final Notes
When I finally got back to Aguas Calientes, it was about 3.30pm. I had a few hours to spare since my train only leaves at 6.30pm, and thus limped my way to the hot springs, to relax and also to take a shower.
Probably not the best course of action for a sprained ankle since it should be getting an ice treatment rather than a heat treatment. However I didn’t have any choice but to wait till I get back to Cusco to attend to the ankle.
So after a 1.5hr train ride and a 2hr bus ride later, I finally reached Cusco at about 11pm, almost 12 hours after I had sprained my ankle. By this time it was so sore that I could hardly move it anymore and very swollen!
I quickly popped an Arcoxia tablet to bring down the swelling and applied iced to the ankle.
Despite the unfortunate incident, I was lucky with one thing – the weather. Apparently it had always rained over the last few weeks for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but it held up for me and did not rain at all!
What a relief! I don’t think I would have been able to cope with walking in the rain with a sprained ankle!
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