DAY 173
After many back and forth, we decided to go to Machu Picchu by a less traveled route mixing biking, rafting, zip lining and hiking (the jungle option). Up early for a long day of sport, we hop in a minibus, load the gear and bikes and head to a nearby mountain. We though we were done with altitude but here we are again at 4000+ meters! That won't last long though. The minibus drops us off, we gear up and start the long winding road downhill. Every now and again we stop to enjoy the gorgeous views. The rest of the time, we race downhill, overtaking a truck multiple times, fording the same river over and over at each turn of the road (yes, it flows on the road directly!). When we get off the bikes, we're down to 1800m... Quite a descent ;)
Back on the bus, we head to the next activity: Rafting! It's a category 3 and very fun. We float downriver out of the raft as an exercise and shortly after I get bumped out when we hit a rock. I didn't see it coming and the next thing I know, I'm floating down river, holding on to my paddle. It doesn't take long for the others to rescue me though ;)
Dried up and back in the minibus, we head to the next activity: Hiking! No rest for the brave! It's not long but we're slowly getting tired. To keep our spirit up, our guide makes us try the local delicacies in the way; lemons, sweet lemons, oranges and ... Termites! We pull up at the refuge, shower, eat and crash, it's only 8pm.
DAY 174
The sun and the noises of the jungle get us out of bed early. We have quite a bit of walking today and a treat at the end so we don't linger. It doesn't take long to exit the jungle and we're now hiking on an Inca trail hanging on a cliff. As they were fleeing the Spaniards, they destroyed lots of it to prevent them from finding Machu Picchu. What's left is still standing 500 years after though.
The hike is very pleasant, the views are gorgeous and we're lucky with the weather so far. The trail goes down to the river and we have lunch there, trying mangoes and cocoa. They have so many mangoes in the region, they don't even bother harvesting them, it has no commercial value! After the break, we follow the river on the river bed. There was a railroad on the other side of the river but the last El Niño caused a flood that destroyed it completely.
Finally we get the "treat" part that kept us going all day long: Thermal baths :D It's not too crowded and feels so good after a day hiking. As is tradition, it has pools of different temperatures and awesome showers where I spend a very long time (and God knows I love long showers!)
DAY 175
Program of the day: crazy Ziplining and hiking. The lines take us back and forth across a narrow valley. They have a good mix of length and speed and manage the big group very well. Once everyone has warmed up after a few lines, we're offered the possibility to do it upside down first (quite scary!) and superman style for the last one (soooo cool!). We do both of course :D Fun times!
Back in the bus for a short while, we're then dropped at Hydroelectica to begin the hike to Agua Calientes. There are only two ways of reaching Machu Picchu; the fastest one is via the ridiculously expansive train, the other one is a 3 hours walk. That's because the train company was given a monopoly and no bus can reach Agua Calientes yet. It does not make any sense of course and the train company is making a lot of money obviously. It's a con to milk the tourist...but sanctioned by the state. The hike on the train track is fun for an hour but lasts three :/ It goes around Machu Picchu but we can see very little of it. No wonder it stayed hidden for so long.
DAY 176
Today's program is Machu Picchu! We set our alarm at 4:15am and 1h15 later we're on the bus. I'm not going to rant too much about it again but these buses are yet another con. I can understand that foreigners pay more to enter national parks and monuments. After all we don't pay taxes in the country but transportation is a f@&& service. It does not make any kind of sense to have different prices for foreigners and nationals... Especially since the bus company is private. It's the same with the train to/from Agua Calientes of course.
Machu Picchu means old mountain and it's actually not the name of the city but since we still don't know its original name, we call it Machu Picchu. It's hidden in the clouds this morning but we have glimpses every now and then and it's incredible. It looks like a medieval city from a movie; perched on a hill and in a sea of clouds. The roaming lamas are adding a touch of Andean to the picture. Our guide gives us a quick tour then we're on our own. Once again we're told the very one sided version of the story with the evil Spaniards destroying the good Incas, forgetting it was a civil war more than anything else. We push him a bit and eventually he talks about it. The conquistadores arrived 5 month after a very bloody civil war about caused by a complicated succession ended. They were ruthless, opportunistic and aggressive clearly but the Incas had the numbers. Or should have had if the Spaniards had not been able to find support from the recently conquered people and the losers of the civil war.
Machu Picchu was not just a temple but a real city with terraces for cultivation, temples, housing and industry. To beat the crowd, we decide to climb the Machu Picchu mountain right away. It's only 1.6km but it's all stairs and it takes us 1h30 (cursing all the way) to reach the top. Once again we're over 3000m... We must be addicted to it ;) It's still cloudy but we have small windows from time to time to see Huyana Picchu on the other side. The city down below remains hidden though. But eventually there's a gap in the constant flow of clouds and the city appears, majestic, below our feet... Worth the wait!
Back down, I decide to go check out Inti punku, Mar can't stand more steps ;) it's 1.3km away but not steep at all so I reach it in a little more than 20 minutes. It's the exit point of the Inca trail, that's where the courageous hikers get their first view of the site; a nice reward for the effort indeed.
Machu Picchu is not an easy place to build a city. Space is scarce and there's no way to extend it. Thankfully for the Incas, they were really good with terraces and every bit of usable soil is used. The terraces stop at the edge of the cliff in a vertigo inducing manner. It's magical to wander about in the city. Most of the buildings are only missing their roof so it's very easy to imagine how it was back then. We chose a late train so we have all the time we need to enjoy this unique site.