Day 27 : Machu Picchu Day 2 : I made it!

After the first day, we already know that Leah is not going to hike to Wiñay Picchu (the Young Peak) - the infamous hill next to Machu Picchu (the Old Peak) - today. But both Frank and I want to do it. To hike to Wiñay Picchu, we need to get up at 3:30am and head out to the bus stop by 4:30am, because each day only 400 people are allowed to hike to Wiñay Picchu. Everyone who wants to do it would start to get up as early as possible to fight for their spots. Leah agrees to go early and wait for us while we hike. Literally, at the crack of dawn, we leave our hotel and get the bus stop. There is already a long line. I get a cup of coffee at the shop just nearby. By 5:30am, the first bus takes off to Machu Picchu, I think we are maybe on the 5th or 6th bus. We do get our spots, I am the number 322, if we go up to Machu Picchu two buses later, we would have missed the chance to hike today.

Anyway, get our ticket for hiking at 10:00am. It is 6:30am when we begin our guide tour, it is relatively quiet at Machu Picchu according to the guide, which she is really comparing to the afternoon crowds. There are at least 300 people entering the site before us. In the afternoon, however, it is when everyone and their mothers rush in for the day tour. Each day, there are 2000-4000 visitors to Machu Picchu. Our guide begins to explain this and that about Machu Picchu, honestly I can hardly focus to listen to her, not that it isn't interesting, but the scenery in your eyes, the blue and gray birds flying all over the places, the morning lighting is just perfect, we also have beautiful blue sky, and there are less crowds at that time, I just can't stop myself from taking pictures, like I can't get enough of it.

The tour lasts about 2 to 2 and a half hour. We sit for a drink and get off our "expensive" pee (1 Soles to use the bathroom, everything is expensive on Machu Picchu, the water is 10 times more expensive). After that, Frank and I head to Wiñay Picchu just around 10:00am. Turn out I am the #300 person hiking up Wiñay Picchu today (it is different than my original number because one can get the spots among the 400, and hike between 10 to 1pm). This hike is a killer! I thought I did well on the first day, and I wasn't really feeling much tired. Maybe because we wake up so early today, or the tiredness has just accumulated since yesterday that I didn't realize, I am feeling the exhaustion after hiking for 10 mins. The hike is also at moderate level too, steep and steps are high and low, some parts do not even have steps. I have to stop for many times to rest. Eventually, we make it to the top, I do not dare to look down really, worrying that I would faint. The descent is even more freaky, it's through a different path, where the steps are tiny and thin, right off the steps, it is a straight face down of hill. I am grabbing the wall besides me like I am trying to dig my fingers into the rock. I don't like that path at all. Once in a lifetime is enough, I don't want to do that again.

A side episode occurs after we get back down from Wiñay Picchu. We are on our way to meet Leah, suddenly a few llamas run over to where we are to eat grass. So, I grab my camera and start shooting pictures. And then, before I know it, a group of them just follows, I am even more excited, and wooo... llamas, keep pressing the button on the camera. Frank is just next to me doing the same. We are at some kind of door way. All in a sudden, between Frank and I, there is an extra head in the middle! Apparently, a llama decides that she would get pass between us. I am like, woow...I jump off a little bit, she get pass to where she wants to go. We continue our way back. That is a funny experience.

My legs are killing me after that hike. At first, I thought I would spend longer in Machu Picchu, but it's 12:30pm after hiking to Wiñay Picchu, it's getting really crowded, and I have absolutely no more energy to walk around, so we decide to get back down to the town and have lunch. Frank is pissed at the restaurant because they charge us tax which is not listed on the menu. At last, we still pay for it, but he isn't happy about. I like Frank & Leah actually, they are very easy to get along. After lunch, we split up to do our own thing: shopping, internet, and then meet again at the train station. I sleep pretty much two-third of the way. Back to Cuzco around 9:00pm. After a quick dinner and talking to Amanda and house mom Alicia, I plan to write a blog entries. Just start the first line, I already fall asleep. I am seriously that tired.

Machu Picchu is really the initial reason why I wanted to come to South America, so now I can finally say...I made it! Ha..ha!

Photos here: Day 27 (Part 1), Day 27 (Part 2)

Day 26 : Machu Picchu Day 1 : Hiking on Inka Trail

I am up around 5:15am, getting ready for the big day. I am supposed to be at the Plaza by 6:30am, so I plan to leave the house at 6:10am. Alicia - the house mom - prepared 3 sandwiches for me to bring along for breakfast. I am running a bit late. By 6:15am, I am still in the house, suddenly the door bell rings. Turn out it's for me. There is a SUV picking me up. This is contrary to what I was told. What if I already left at 6:10am as planned. They would have totally missed me. Anyway, I am glad that I am on my way anyhow. Get to the Plaza, waiting for my travel mates of the day, they are Dutch - Frank & Leah (lovers). They come with the tour guide, Mega, who is a girl, which is not the same tour guide giving the briefing the week before. I guess plan has changed without notice. Anyway, all these are really not important. We are on our way to Machu Picchu!

Get to the train station, it's already filled with tourists, hikers, and backpackers. Our train takes off around 7:30am, and arrive at KM.106 where we begin our hiking at 10:30am. I switch seats with an old woman, so that she can sit next to her husband, they are two rows apart before the switch. I am rather happy for the switch anyway, since I would get a window seat. But then this fat woman asks me if I can switch with her as well, so she can sit next to her boyfriend. They are actually already next to each other, but they have two aisle seats. Very reluctantly, I give up the window seat and exchange with her. Otherwise, I would have taken more pictures on the train, since we pass by some beautiful landscapes. Now, I can only steal a few shots while I am using the washroom. If people can see, they must laugh at me, this guy sticking my head out taking pictures in the washroom! Go back to my seat, and I look at them, inside I think you better hold hand or talk the whole times... but they haven't, just at the beginning. Most of the times, she is taking pictures while he is doing nothing. Bitch!

Anyway, the hike starts off tough, very steep and lots of uneven steps. I am actually doing ok maybe because walking around those Inka ruins the past 2 weeks gave me enough training. However, Leah, the dutch girl, has a really difficult time couping with the hike. She breathes really heavily and she even cries. We think that she has asthma attack, she says it isn't it. Her boyfriend ends up carrying all her loads. We make it to Wiñay Wayne (Forever Young) peak after 3 hours. On the top, we have our lunch box - cold chicken with some cabbage salad. Though nothing's fancy, it's actually very refreshing. Enya is being playing in that dining hall for campers and hikers. It's kind of cheesy honestly, like you have made something extraordinary. Briefly look at the ruin on Wiñay Wayne, We continue hiking to the Sun Gates (where we will see Machu Picchu the first time). This second half of the hike is actually much easier, until the last session hiking up the steps to the Sun Gates. It's very steep. At the Sun Gate, there it is, seeing Machu Picchu, although it's getting foggy over at Machu Picchu, and at Sun Gates, it starts to rain, and getting harder too. I have to put on my poncho. I look kind of silly in that thing, but it does keep my backpack dry.

I am expecting seeing the sunset at Machu Picchu on the first day, but clearly we won't see it. With that rain, I just want to get the hell out of the Inka trail because the rain makes the rocky path slippery. My pants and socks are soaking wet, that's the only pants I have too. It is very unpleasant actually. But when we get to the Machu Picchu entrance where we will take a bus downhill, the rain stops. We take a few shots of the Machu Picchu, with clean air after the rain. Hop on the bus, and we are heading downhill to our hotel. As we move along, we are welcomed by a double rainbow over the foggy hill outside the window. It is almost magical to see that at that time and at that place.

Although, you know, we miss the sunset at Machu Picchu, the whole experience of hiking on the Inka trail to Machu Picchu is quite entreating. If anyone is going to visit Machu Picchu, I do would recommend to go by hiking. If 4 days full Inka Trail trekking (starts from KM.82) is too long and tough, the 2 days short version is good enough to get a sense of what it is.

Photos here: Day 26