At Machu Picchu
At Machu Picchu
We got a wake up call at 5:00 We rode the bus to the train station – about an hour and a half with some really good views of Cuzco. We got on the train to Machu Picchu. It is a local train that runs just between Cuzco and Machu Picchu along a valley and a river with some absolutely gorgeous scenery. From the train station we walked to the hotel and then to another bus that took us along a series of switchbacks to get to the top of the mountain. It is a narrow, dirt road and it is better not to try to look down to see how far up you are or how close to the edge the bus is. After getting off the bus we walked even further up and up and up on multiple levels of uneven stone steps requiring walking sticks, hiking shoes and careful stepping. Incredible views of mountains and Inca ruins. Scary at times, but not impossible. Going slowly is important, otherwise you get really out of breath. When the sun is out it gets really hot really fast. When the sun is under clouds, it cools off remarkably quickly.
The Incas used really large stones which they had to move long distances without wheels since they had not invented/developed wheel technology. They had lots of manpower and it certainly must have kept them busy. The shaped the stones to fit them together, shaped the windows like tall trapezoids and built the walls to lean in just slightly. Windows were lined up so you could see through several rooms at once. There were many temples to the sun with building designed to capture the first rays of the rising sun at the summer and winter solstice. There were also images/representations of condors, snakes and pumas. We were all pretty tired by the time we got the bus back to town.
We stayed in Aquas Calientes at the Apu Majestic – a real fleabag hotel. We were warned by another group member about bedbugs. We used the silk sleep sacks that we had brought with us as a “just in case” item and the only bites I got were on my wrist and hands. Some folks got really chewed up! OAT will hear about this one. We had beer and pizza for dinner with some of the group members and then went to bed.
Helen’s Journal
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2006