Tuesday, 20 January, 2015 - Ollantaytambo - Machupicchu!

This morning, our guide, Oscar, was extremely well organized and our bus left first.  We were first to arrive at the Ollantaytambo train station and first onto the platform.  I told the young man I was impressed!  Allocated seating on the train made boarding easy.  We were only allowed overnight bags which we stowed near the door.  The train is designed like the gold-leaf train in Canada, with the glass ceiling so you can see the mountains above.  The train trip to Agua Calientes (Machupicchu) took 1.5hrs.  We passed a lot of farming and jungle scenery as the train followed the path of the Urubamba River.  We also saw the beginning of walking trail into MP, which takes 4 days and 3 nights and you can hire a Sherpa to carry your pack for you.

On arrival we were taken straight to the bus station for the 25minute drive to the ‘Ciudad Inka de Machupicchu’ – the Inka City of Machupicchu.  In December, 1983, UNESCO declared this area a ‘Cultural and Natural Patrimony of Humankind’, making it Peru’s first Achaeological Monument.  Along with Saqsaywaman, it is a highlight of the imperial Incan culture and serves as an excellent example of the Incans’ architectural genius.

Location: 72.5miles NW of Cusco. 13°south latitude and 72°west longitude. 

Altitude:  The Sacred Plaza sits 2453 metres above sea level.

Ecological level:  Semi-tropical land “eyebrow of the jungle” highland jungle.

Climate:  There are two marked seasons – dry (April through October) and rainy (November through March). 

Temperature:  Relatively stable, with annual lows of 6°and highs ranging from 21°C.

Geology:  Machupicchu is a part of the Vilcabamba Batolite formation, a mass of igneous rock 250 million years old.  The most common stone found in the region is a greyish-white granite, a type of rock which contains high quantities of quartz, mica and feldspar, making it relatively easy to shape.  The rock was therefore a magnificent building material for the Andean masons.

In the early 1900s, Hiram Bingham, a North American professor, came to South America to research the military campaigns of Simon Bolivar.  He met some farmers during these travels who told him about some ‘old ruins’ at the top of the Old Mountain.  The local farmers called the mountain, Machupicchu (which means old mountain).  Bingham referred to the site as ‘the Lost City of the Inkas’.  In 1912, he organized a new expedition with specialists in osteology, natural sciences, excavations and surveying to clear the site and conduct archaeological research.  Later on, the Peruvian government assumed the conservation of Machupicchu through the Regional Management of Culture – Cusco, which is the official entity in charge of the conservation of this Peruvian Cultural Patrimony.

Oscar took our group for a 2hr tour around the lower section.  He was extremely knowledgeable about the structures, their composition, how the Incas lived, re-creating a picture for us about what the ruins may have looked like and the scientific reasons for his beliefs.  We enjoyed the tour with no rain!  

Agua Calientes - Machupicchu pueblo (village)

Lunch was at 2pm and we went for a buffet lunch at the restaurant.  15 minutes later it bucketed down!  We had hoped to go back into the ruins to see more but the rain was just too heavy.  We boarded the return bus and found our way to the hotel – Sumaq – which was a beautiful hotel overlooking the Urumbamba River.  David and I spent the afternoon wandering the streets, taking photos and shopping.  The most interesting experience was going into a restaurant which also advertised itself as a ‘cambio’ (money exchange) and we gave the Senor $US40 which he took inside.  We could see him at the bar of the restaurant but then he ran out of the door!  Hoping we hadn’t been ‘scammed’ we had no option but to wait.  He returned a few minutes later with 84 Nueve Sol (Peruvian money), I tipped him 2 Sol and he seemed to be happy with that.

One statue which we photographed was Pachakutec (the Incan King) with the representatives of the three worlds (their beliefs) – a Condor from the upper world, Puma from the middle world and Serpent from the underworld.  Interesting stuff!

We were invited by the hotel staff to attend a Pisco Sour making demonstration at 6.30pm, Ceviche making also then dinner at 7.30pm.  We enjoyed a fabulous evening with wonderful food!  Then it was bed for us because we had elected to leave at 5.30am the following morning to go back up the mountain and see more of Machupicchu!