Machu Picchu, Peru
- Misho Ma
- Jul 12, 2018
- 3 min read
"The Lost City of The Incas"
Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century and only discovered 100 years ago. It is believed to belong to Inca emperor Pachacuti. It was abandoned by the Inca after attacks from the Spaniards. It is hard to understand just how the Inca were able to bring up here HUGE pieces of rock to build this citadel on the peak of this mountain... without any motor equipment. This is a true wonder of the world and my dream come true!
The reason for our visit to Perú was to eventually make it to Machu Picchu, and trust me, these pictures do this place nooooo justice! It is impossible to capture the immensity of this place.
How we got there
From Cusco we took a taxi to the Poroy train station to hop on to a very scenic train route to Machu Picchu. It took us 3.5 hours to get to Aguas Calientes right below Machu Picchu mountain. Many people like to take the 4 day hike along the Inka trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu, but we did not have that much time .
The train ride was really nice, comfortable, and it included a light lunch and drinks (non-alcoholic).
Aguas Calientes
The train arrives to the Aguas Calientes train station which is the small village right below Machu Picchu. There is not too much to see in this town but, there is a small plaza with some restaurants and hotels, if you prefer to stay the night there. If you are planning to climb Huayna Picchu (the tall peak mountain you see in machu Picchu Pictures), then I would definitely recommend staying in Aguas Calientes for the night as it will probably take you a whole day for Machu Picchu and another day for Huayana Picchu.
Bus Ride up
Once we got to Aguas Calientes, we purchased a bus ticket to get us up to Machu Picchu. You can definitely make the hike up, but it is a steep climb and it took 20 minutes by bus so account for some extra time. The bus ride was pretty scary, the roads were extremely narrow with steep drops on one side and at times the bus would have to stop and let another bus, going in the opposite direction, pass by.
Walking into the Park
As soon as we walked into the park, the views were breathtaking. The clouds were so close to us and it was a view I could admire for hours. I am a little sad I forgot to take my passport to Machu Picchu to get the stamp, so if you want it, don'f forget your passport!
Walking up
We still had to have a small hike up to the top, some stairs were steep and I ran out of breath a few times but overall it was not bad! On our walk up, we encountered many Alpacas just hanging out and we took a few pictures!
Machu Picchu
Once we got to the top, it was a dream come true. Not one of these pictures do this place justice, no matter what camera you use, there is nothing like the feeling of being there in complete amazement at the magnitude of this park. The location is breathtaking and you can't help but wonder how the heck they build this so long ago!
We took a trillion pictures because we just couldn't get enough!
We were in love with the Alpacas
The Ruins
Once we enjoyed the view from the top, we walked down to the ruins. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, The Temple of the Sun and, The Room of the Three Windows.
Amazing engineering
This was by far the highlight of my trip and it will not be the last, next time I will walk the Inka trail and climb Huayna Picchu!
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