Our Great Adventure: Machu Picchu Day 273 18/06/2015

We were heading back up to Machu Picchu today to have a guided tour of the citadel. Wilfrado, Mary-Kate and Courtney met us just after 0630 and we walked the short distance to the bus stop where Karen, Peter, Lisa, William and Nick joined us. The queue for the bus was very short and we were soon on our way heading back up the switch backs. The cloud had dropped overnight and the mist was still swirling around the valleys with patches of blue sky occasionally appearing. Back at the site we had our passports and tickets checked before entering and starting our tour with Wilfrado. The Spaniards never reached Machu Picchu and as such it was not mentioned in their chronicles. Apart from the indigenous Quechuas, nobody knew of it's existence until American historian Hiram Bingham came across the overgrown ruins in 1911, guided by a local boy (you can download his book FOC from www.gutenberg.org). The high quality stonework and ornamentation reflect the importance of the sight as a ceremonial centre. We walked around the sight guided by Wilfrado, attempting to avoid the crowds as best as possible. From the entrance we climbed up passed the aqueducts to the Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock, stopping on route at a quiet spot and taking in the breathtaking views, made even more atmospheric by the mist. From here we headed back down and to the quarry where Wilfrado had previously hidden what he thought was a stone hammer. Further on we passed the Temple of the Sun which has some of the sights finest stonework. Underneath the temple is an almost hidden natural rock cave with a steplike altar. Continuing on we passed the royal palace and the Sacred Plaza from where you get wonderful views of the Rio Urubamba valley and the snow capped Cordillera Vilcabamba. The Temple of the Three Windows overlooks the plaza. Near here Wilfrado showed us what he believes to be an early compass clearly marking the four points. We climbed a staircase to the shrine of Intihuatana which lies on top of a small hill. The carved rock on the summit is often referred to as a sundial. From here you get great views of Wayna Picchu, the steep sided mountain behind the ruins. We had enquired about getting a permit to climb the peak but with only 400 issued per day we were out of luck. Descending a staircase we passed the Central Plaza which divides the ceremonial Machu Picchu from the residential area, a labyrinth of passageways and buildings. The focal point of this area is the Temple of the Condor which includes a carving of a condor head with the natural rocks behind representing the outstretched wings of the bird. By now the group was starting to flag and we headed back to the entrance to get the bus down to Aguas Calientes and lunch at a local restaurant. We said our goodbyes to Nick and after lunch to Karen, Peter, Lisa and William who were booked on an earlier train back to Cusco. We spent the remaining time wandering the streets of the town and enjoying a hot chocolate at a local French patisserie before heading to the station for our train along with Wilfrado, Mary-Kate, Courtney, Ann and Ted. The train was painfully slow and despite the impressive scenery it was soon dark so we spent the journey playing cards with Courtney and Mary-Kate. We got off somewhere on the outskirts of Cusco where we were met by a mini bus for the remainder of the journey. Back in Cusco the traffic was chaotic and it took what seemed like an eternity to get across the city to drop Mary-Kate and Courtney off before heading to the Amaru II. By now it was nearly 2130 and we quickly dropped off our bags before heading out with Ann and Ted to find somewhere to eat. The restaurant in San Blas Plaza where we'd eaten previously was only serving pizzas so we headed downhill and found somewhere open. Treated to free pisco sours we enjoyed a nice meal washed down with a glass of Peruvian red followed by some type of liquor again FOC before heading back up the hill to our hotel. We went to sleep that night reflecting on the fact that this was a fantastic trip and definitely one of our highlights of our year travelling the world.