The Main Event: Machu Picchu!

We made it!! It was a journey to say the least, but after a good night’s sleep in a really comfortable bed, we headed out to make our way around Machu Picchu. We really wanted to hike up to the Sun Gate to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu, but like many other things, it was closed due to COVID. So we slept in a little bit and joined Alex around 8AM when the gate opened.

A couple of things about our time in Machu Picchu- when you reserve your entry ticket it’s for a specific time, so show up then, not before or after. Pre-pandemic the site hosted close to 4,000 visitors per day- crazy! When we visited there were probably a tenth of that, which was amazing. I can’t quite wrap my head around what that would have been like now that I’ve experienced it with so few people. Finally, Machu Picchu is BIG. It’s going to take you a few hours to get around the place.

So in we went! Our guide, Alex, was so happy to be back in his “office” which was really fun to experience too. The park rangers were super strict about masks. We pulled ours down for the pic above and were corrected and watched like a hawk the entire rest of the time there. And yes, we respected the rules and did not dare take a pic without them until outside of the gates. 

Where do I even start? The scenery is beautiful. Lush green mountains topped by fluffy clouds, rivers cutting through many feet below, and other settlements dotted around the mountain range. Machu Picchu has everything any city or settlement would have had, and yes it’s perched on top of the mountain, which is crazy. The thing I loved about visiting was that you’re able to go walk around in all of the buildings and see everything up close. It really is all an amazing sight. 

You go into guard shacks, temples, ordinary houses, palaces for visiting dignitaries, farming terraces, storage areas, resting areas, a quarry, and party/celebration areas where sacrifices occurred. We went up, down and all around, all while Alex gave us lots of information about life in Machu Picchu. 

Machu Picchu was only discovered about 110 years ago. It was abandoned back in the 1500s, but I honestly would have thought it was a lot longer ago. Like many of the other settlements in Peru there are lookouts throughout the mountains in strategic places. It was considered the lost Inka city for many years until its rediscovery. 

One thing that was disappointing was to find out that the US still has many artifacts that were discovered at Machu Picchu. The Peruvians are still waiting for their treasures to be returned, which currently reside around the world at universities (for research) and museums. Hopefully we will return things to their rightful owners or pay them for loaning them to us soon.

After we finished touring Machu Picchu we had lunch at the hotel then headed down to catch the train back to Ollantaymbo, then a car all the way back to Cusco. The next day was our departure day, but we had some additional time in Cusco, so we shopped and took Alex and our driver, Timo, to a nice lunch. From there we caught our flight back to Lima, had a few hours at the airport, then were headed back home.

Machu Picchu is amazing and I would highly recommend you go if you get the chance. Honestly, I don’t think this post or the pics do it justice. It’s truly majestic and such an expansive place. The cultural experiences and physical demands of the trip only made it more memorable and something that BK and I accomplished together. 

Where to for our next adventure? Not sure yet, but we’re watching and waiting as the rest of the world opens up, eager to explore the next place.