The cheap way, the Scottish way and the German way to get to Machu Picchu. Forget the Inca trail, the alternative trails (too expensive and way too much effort), the train, my German friend Lena and I took the cheap trail.
Day 1
The bus left Cusco at 8.30am, a way more sociable time than the other options and at a cost of US$5 for the 5 hour journey, very cheap.The road wound it´s way over the mountains and over the Abra Malaga at 4315m above sea level. Dropping down the other side the bus stops and we watch a landslide in progress, cover the road with rocks and earth. With rocks still coming down the steep mountain side, people were clearing the road of debris and our bus sped though. The mountain scenery turned to jungle as the bus descended, screeching to a halt again this time to miss a petrol tanker going the other way, with a big sign on it´s roof ´DANGER INFLAMMABLE´
Arriving in Santa Maria we were surrounded by minibus touts trying to force us onto their overcrowded buses, with the threat of no more buses for 4 hours. However, after 5 hours on a bus it was time to relax and have lunch. Shortly after we were on our way again in a beat up old Toyota estate car, driver and passenger in the front, Lena and I on the back seat and a family of 4 in the boot. The old car struggled up the steep mountain road, not dissimilar to some ski field roads in New Zealand except for the 1000m vertical drop at the side. 2 hours later and US$3 poorer we arrived at Santa Teresa. The small town is surrounded by green mountains and beside the raging torrent of the Rio Urabamba, fueled by the wet season rains. The river would be our guide to Machu Picchu.
Day 2
Crossing the mighty river by suspension bridge we walked up stream past a crew of workers trying to stabilise the mountainside beside the track.
A man blows his whistle and the workers stop to allow us to pass safely. The valley sides steepened and the and the track followed the river as it crashed over huge rocks causing impressive rapids.
We had a feeling of Independence and freedom traveling through this remote land with no map and only the river as our guide to take us to our journeys end. We rejoiced in our freedom as the rain began to fall, sheltering under giant banana leaves until it stopped.
A river cascaded out from the side of a mountain high above us, it´s source a mystery. We imagined a beautiful high plateau with pristine jungle undiscovered by man. In contrast, nearby was the hydro electric station where the path ended and we would walk along a disused railway track beside the river. Disused, yeah right! Not long after a train was thundering towards us horns blaring (thanks Lonely Planet). There was no rest for the river, it was still a torrent of rapids, now surrounded by dense jungle and even higher tree covered mountains.
The railway crossed the river by a dodgy looking bridge. We stand and contemplate which route to take, the foot path with rusty loose metal plating, or on the railway sleepers, with the river in view below. We take the first option. At this point we were still not expecting to see a train coming. We thought how 'funny' it would have been if we´d walked almost all the way across on the sleepers only to have to run back when the train came....
Walking along the tracks cut into the mountainside and the river below us we spot Inca terracing on the mountainside opposite. We felt like explorers of old as we realize this is our first sight of the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu. With Wainu Picchu towering above the ruins and we are in awe of the scenery and full of anticipation for the next days hike to get there.
With Machu Picchu in view we knew it was not far to Aguas Calientes, our bed for the night. Chewing coca leaves along the way had eased our 5 1/2 hour passage though the jungle but left us with a fearsome appetite.
Holding out for cheap accommodation we walk to the furthest point in town to the Inti Wasi Hostel which for $5 a night fitted the bill perfectly.
Ouch, we bought our our entrance tickets, $40 each.
Day 3
Awake at 3.30am for the hike up to the ruins, but the rain was beating off the roof of the hostel and we thought better of it.
Instead we went to the Manuel Chavez Ballon Museum and learnt about the history and the discovery of Machu Picchu and had some time to read up on the history of the Incas. Yes I don´t waste all my time drinking beer and chasing girls, and since when was that a waste of time anyway.
Day 4
In the spirit of all things free, we decided to walk up to Machu Picchu and save the $7 that the bus ride would have cost. Setting off in the pitch black at 4am there was just some light rain to keep us company and a few other people doing the same thing. Climbing 450m along steep stepped paths we arrived at sunrise at the the top, 1 1/2 hours later. Although we couldn't´t see the sunrise as it was chucking it down with rain. We were there early to get 2 of the 400 (free) tickets which allow you to climb Wainu Picchu, but more of that later.
After thawing and drying out as the day warmed up I took a little walk around the ruins, up to the gate keepers house to get the classic M.P. photo. We were lucky the cloud cleared a little and there was a little blue sky. It´s a truly amazing setting in the mountains.
Risky Planet
The vertical sides of Wainu Picchu kind of make it look impossible to climb. Several warnings about being in good health, not suffering from vertigo, that the paths are scary but not dangerous and some of the paths will make the heart beat race of normal people did not put us off. We set off undeterred. Lena wanted to go to the Temple of the Moon, half way down the North face of the mountain, so we branched of the main path and found the first ladder to climb down, no problem. The narrow path wound it´s way down and round the mountain. The ruins of the Temple of the Moon I thought were nothing special but the setting in the jungle on the mountain side was really cool.
We guessed the unmarked path leading up the mountain would take us to the summit of Wainu Picchu. It did but not without some heart stopping moments. The Inca built paths are built on the side of steep slopes with dizzying drops to the side. At one point we were faced with a ladder climb up a vertical cliff followed by an narrow Inca stairway carved out of solid rock with only a wire rope to hold on to. Scary but not dangerous, yeah right, one slip or wrong foot would have lead to a fall into the jungle below and certain death. It was a long way back, we had no choice but to carry on. It would be impossible to be in that situation at home with so many safety regulations and for that reason I love travelling so much. I heard stories of people having fallen off Wainu Picchu and it taking months to find the bodies in the jungle. Respect to the Incas, they probably ran up these mountains without a second thought and definitely had no wire ropes to hold on to. The view at the top of the ruins of Machu Picchu was worth the climb but the route down looked pretty terrifying. It´s easy walking down the stairs in your house, but when these stairs are narrow, far too small for your feet, slippery from the rain and you can see the bottom of the valley at least 500m right below you it makes things just a little tricky. Did I once used to suffer from vertigo?
Stairs handled we were soon back to Machu Picchu. With only 1/2 litre of water and a handful of coca leaves between the two of us we´d been hopelessly unprepared for what turned out to be a 3 1/2 hour hike, but fortunately it all worked out fine.
Walking round the ruins late in the day most of the tour groups had departed. I got chance to feel the peace and silence that prevailed over the site for nearly 400 hundred years from when it was abandoned to being rediscovered in 1911. The Inca people who built this site were incredibly skilled, the stone work is amazing.
I left the site at 4.30pm feeling that I could spend another day there, there were still areas I had not seen. I think I tapped into some mystical Inca energy because after all that hiking I still walked back to Aguas Calientes instead of taking the bus (or was that mystical Scottish tightness).
Machu Picchu gets the number 2 spot in the 7 Wonders of Brainworld, with The Temples of Angkor in Cambodia still in first place. I´ll definitely visit Machu Picchu again and maybe do the Inca Trail.
Day 5
Retracing my steps along the railway line to the hydro electric station I made the mistake of taking one of the 'direct' mini buses to Cusco for $13. It ended up taking longer than if I´d taken the public buses. To add to that the driver was clearly insane, finding the smoothest part of the dirt road to drive on regardless if it was on the wrong side of the road, on a blind corner, and not slowing down for pedestrians, animals, towns or anything. Maybe this was just the Peruvian way of driving. Then there was the dead tourist on the road having just been run over by a truck going the other way. This road is used by the jungle mountain bike tours to Machu Picchu. More dangerous than than Death road in Bolivia I think. The poor tourist had not even got as far as seeing Machu Picchu, I still didn´t know if I´d get to tell the story. After 12 hours journey from Aguas Calientes, I arrived safely in Cusco.
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