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Day 2
Woke up at 3AM the next day to adjust my backpack a bit in terms of what I required for the next 2 days and what I could leave with the tour operator for safe-keeping. In my hurry I forgot to properly screw on the cap of the camelbak; which I realized a few hours later. With everything else sorted out I left the hostel and waited outside on the street for the van to come pick me up.
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I had booked a guided tour through "Alpaca Expeditions" since that was the only way I was going to get on the trail in the last minute. As soon as I got into the van I knew this was going to be a good one. Our guide, Teddy along with everyone on this tour were really friendly and had no problems with the get-to-know-each-other phase. Although it was 4 in the morning, everyone was awake and super excited for the trip ahead. We had a couple more stops to pickup a few more and then we were on our way to Ollantaytambo, which is at 8,850 ft to catch the 6:10AM train. The ride to the station took about 70-80 minutes and went through the countryside and some smaller towns before reaching our destination. Our guide told us that this was the "oldest living Inca city"; which means the newer building have grown around the ruins and people are still using some of the old structures like the Incas used to. Even the underground waterways that are in use today were built by the Inca's; speaks volumes to the level of technology and ingenuity they possessed 400 years back.
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We were handed our little bags with some cookies, fruits and a water bottle. Ah, remember I mentioned my camelbak mishap before. I found out after getting into the van in the early hours of the morning that all the water was leaking out and my bag and clothes for the next day were drenched. Nothing you can do at this point, just keep moving. So the water bottle they provided us now was a good save.
We boarded the train; which had windows on the roof, allowing us to really admire the spectacular views of the farmlands and snow-capped mountains along the way. After a 40 minute train ride we were asked to get off. There was no station here. The train just stopped at KM104, which is at 6,900 ft by the side of the river Urabamba. The river is one of the sources of the Amazon river. This is basically the spot where all who go on the 2-day hike start from. The group gathered for a quick photo at the KM104 sign. The porters who were going to cook our lunch also got off here and had to trek along the tracks to KM107 from where they would hike up the mountain.
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We took a few steps down to get closer to the river and then across a rope bridge and then up to what is the starting point for the start of the classic Inca trail hike. We needed our passport and the permit to enter here. On a daily basis (except for the month of February when the trail is closed) only a maximum of 200 hikers are allowed on this trail. This location is the last stop to use the restroom and throw away any trash before we stop for lunch again. And then you step onto the very trail the Inca's used 400 years back.
"And then you step onto the very trail the Inca's used 400 years back"... let that just sink in a bit!!
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You are now walking on the same stones that were laid in place by the builders of a society that lived 400 years back, and they look like they were laid just last year. In just a few minutes you will see the first of the many Inca sites; Chachabamba. It was a religious center where the Incas performed ceremonies dedicated to the Pachamama (Mother Nature). In the middle of that construction there is a slab of rock that was carved out of a single natural marble rock that was probably used for ceremonial offerings for a good agricultural bounty that year. There used to be a connection of channels here that were used to funnel water to storage like reservoirs, used for agriculture.
The next 4 miles can be best described as climbing up a hill that is steep and narrow in locations. The trail contains steps in some locations and is quite well shaded. The views are quite magnificent as you keep going. As you reach the top you will have tremendous views of the river down below, with the train tracks running parallel to it and hills bordering it on both sides. There is a little rest stop along the way. Its like a hut built into the hill-side. We took a break here for a while. This is where
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our guide explained to us about how the ancient language of Quechua; which the Inca's spoke is still spoken quite widely in Peru, but the script itself has been lost forever. There is no scroll or tablet left that exists. As the Spanish colonization of these parts began in the 1530 s' most of the Peruvian culture and sites were being decimated. It was a matter of religious inclination as anyone who followed anything other than the Catholic ways were worshiping the devil.
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So after hiking for about 3 hours from Chachabamba we reach one of the most beautiful Incan site on the trail - Wiñay Wayna (which means forever young). You get a beautiful view of the entire site from a distance and as you come up closer you get to the see the very foundation rock that the entire site sits on. The Incas always adapted the structure of their cities and the whole site to the natural formations that were available to them. You see a lot of terraces in most sites as they were used to
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reinforce the hillside to avoid landslides. Its not just about reinforcing the hills but the Incas built drainages underneath these terraces to collect and direct the water down the hills through channels. Wiñay Wayna is also unofficially known as little Machu Picchu and is situated at an altitude of 8,700 ft.
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Communication between this city and Machu Picchu and any other city in the Incan civilization was through runners that used to pass messages - relay style. These runners carried messages from rest station to station till they reached their destination. As the runners approach a rest stop they would blow a horn to alert the next runner to start warming up for his turn. Just not messages but produce, garments, etc. used to all be transported on the very trail we were hiking on now.
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The climb up Wiñay Wayna is a bunch of steep steps that in places were lined with water fountains; again for the purpose of channeling water down the slope. Its just amazing to see how perfectly shaped they still are. We went all the way up to get a good view of the city from the top. We spent some time walking through the buildings and learning about how the shape of the door can tell you if it was a place where the royalty lived or where the other citizens lived. The most interesting fact was that every citizen worked to build the city in which they lived. It was in lieu of taxes. The cities were actually built by citizens and not slaves. The site sits on a cliff, with beautiful green mountains surrounding the area. After a short break we continued on towards our next stop the - the "palace of lunch" as our guide Teddy put it (i.e. to our lunch break, no relation to anything Incan)
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Lunch was served family style just a few minutes away from the site. We had fresh cooked lunch which consisted for fried rice, roasted potatoes, corn, 2 types of salad and the best guacamole I have ever had. This location was also used as a camping site for other hikers.
After some food and a break for using restrooms, we were on our way again to the Sun Gate. This was a lot shorter hike of about 1.5 miles. Most of the up hill climb was done by now but there were a few spots that still had some steps and steep slopes. All along the way our guide kept telling us about the upcoming 30-40 monkey steps (basically you have to crawl up rather than walk up) just before entering the Sun Gate. It turned out that he was just hyping the whole thing. Its not that serious of a challenge at all. Take a breather on the top if you want as there is a good lookout point.
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Another few more minutes and you come up to the Sun Gate. It is an altitude of 8,900 ft and from here is where you will get your first look at one of the
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Wonders of the World - Machu Picchu. Probably one of the few locations to get a complete and once in a lifetime view of the entire site. The site is surrounded by the Andes mountains, valleys and a
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river; which begs the question, how did they even build a city of such magnitude here in those days and more importantly why here? Nobody knows the right answer but the city is believed to be the estate of the Incan emperor Pachacuti (the ninth ruler of the Inca), but is now more a symbol of the Incan Empire itself. The Sun Gate is still 1.5 miles away from the city itself, but from here you can see the terraces that were built to shore up the hill and the boulders of rocks lying beneath at the foot of the city that were left unused or abandoned during the construction of this mighty city. Its quite a view from here, so we took the time to take it all in. Being a beautiful day and the fact that we had made good time so far, we could afford ourselves a bit longer.
Now onto the final stretch. 1.5 miles to go and with the easiest part of the trek remaining it was all on either flat land or downhill. We now enter the trail called, Intipunku, which is the name for the final section of the Incan trail between the Sun Gate and the city of Machu Picchu. You are now walking on the road that was used by the citizens of Inca when they traveled between cities. Think of it as a highway of sorts. The trail goes around the edge of the hill and then widens quite considerably as we get closer to the city and is made of cobblestones and retainer walls made of large blocks of stones. Just before you enter the site there is a large boulder with black markings on it, which was a burial site of some sorts. Another few minutes and you begin to see the ruins and the very first thing you see is a slab of marble rock that was used by the citizens entering the city to make an offering. They would end up bringing what was special from their town and offer it up here.
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We saw offerings that were even being made today like cocoa beans, some leaves, etc. We got there at a good time when the tourists for the day were starting to head out, so the place was not crowded and the weather still held up. We got plenty of time to take those iconic pictures and stand around
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and have an amazing view of this historic place. The city sits at 7,875 ft, but just the placement of the city makes it feel like its at a lot higher elevation.
Interesting fact: the original name of the city is actually lost, so it was named after Mt. Machu Picchu which sits to the south of the city. Mt. Hyana Picchu sits to the north of the city and these 2 mountains were used by the Inca architects to design the layout of the city.
They used these peaks to get a good aerial view of the location and then plan the location of the buildings. It was hard to tear ourselves from this spot since we all knew that its not often someone would be able to see such a magnificent site; and also that tomorrow we would be seeing the site from a different point of view - from inside it. So we made our way to the bus pickup point. The trip down to Aguas Calientes was about 30 minutes and the ticket was $12 one-way. This was our stop for the day. We arrived in the city around 5pm and went straight to the hotel that was booked for us. The city of Aguas Calientes is nestled between mountains on all sides and is in a very picturesque location at 6,725 ft. Clearly tourism has benefited this little town. The streets are littered with hotels and shops; and very clean I might say. The river that runs through the city separates the hotels and restaurants on one-side from the railway station and textile stores on the other.
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After a quick shower and laying my clothes out to dry (since they were wet from the cap incident) we went down to "Restaurant Indio Feliz" for dinner. The food was amazing and we were treated to a 3-course meal with plenty of complimentary appetizers. After dinner it was back to the hotel to go to bed early since we had to head out by 5:30am the next day to beat the crowds.
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Google Photos - Day 2
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