Muchu Pictures

Our visit to Machu Picchu began with another early start (we seem to have had a lot of those this trip) in order to catch the 7:00am bus to catch our train. Confused? Well after we booked our trip Peru Rail sent a notification that due to potential delays caused by the rainy season (which finished a month ago) the first part  of our Peru Rail journey to Agua Calientes (aka Machu Picchu Village) would be by bus, to join the train in Ollantaytambo.

As it happened we scored the last seats on one of the rail buses - right next to the onboard dunny. Which we didn't expect to be a problem on a journey of about 90 minutes except that it transpired that the gentleman in the couple seated in front of us was evidently having a bit of a battle with Montezuma's Revenge. This was evidenced firstly by the fact that he spent about the first 30 minutes of the trip encamped in the bus's smallest room. Secondly, and more obviously, it was evidenced by the rather unpleasant smell that wafted continuously from that direction well before his visit was finished and for the rest of the trip thereafter. We had to resort to opening a window despite the brisk breeze that resulted - after all some things are more unpleasant than others.

When we reached Ollantaytambo and transferred to the train we found that the seats Laura & I had been allocated were both window seats, on opposite sides of the train, and about two rows apart. We were able to get this easily rectified but then who should we find sitting opposite us in our cosy little booth of four? Yes, you guessed it, the gentleman who had assaulted our olfactory senses on the bus and his wife. Oh well, at least we were sitting a long way from the toilet.

One the ladders up Putuscusi

Once in Agua Calientes it wasn't hard to find our lodgings, though it was a pity that it was almost at the top of the hill on which the village is situated. After checking in we set out to arrange bus tickets to Machu Picchu for the next morning and buy some lunch supplies. The latter we took with us as we set out find the start of the trail to the top of Putuscusi. This involved a very steep climb to a summit that is nearly 500m above Agua Calientes village. Part of the ascent is up a series of ladders. It was a strenuous climb but we managed it in only 80 minutes - to be rewarded with a stunning view of Machu Picchu on the other side of the valley and about 100m below us. We could also see the switchback road that climbed from the river to the entrance to Machu Picchu.

View of Machu Picchu from Putuscusi

We were feeling leg weary by the time we made it back down, which was all the excuse we needed to treat ourselves to a nice dinner in preparation for tomorrow's exertions which included not only exploring Machu Picchu itself but climbing Mount Machu Picchu  which is about 500m higher still.

Machu Picchu in the mist

And so it came to pass that at 4:30am the next morning (another one of these early starts) we were up for a pre-dawn breakfast and on to one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu, in time for the 6:00am opening. This enabled us to see the ruins of Machu Picchu emerge from the morning mist which was a magical thing. With a detailed guide book we had borrowed from the Amaru Hostal in Cusco we then made our way slowly around the site taking it all in - or trying to. The ruins themselves are impressive enough (the stone construction is amazing) but the whole setting puts it in a class of its own. Not all of what is on display is original Inca stonework of course, quite a bit of the stone work has been reconstructed, but the overall effect is still incredibly impressive. And hard to know when to stop taking photos.

After nearly three hours of exploring we climbed back to the top of the site and followed the trail to see the Inca drawbridge on a path that is somehow chiselled into the side of an almost sheer cliff.
With that prelude completed we then prepared ourselves for the most strenuous part of the day's agenda - the climb to the top of Mount Machu Picchu. It was shaping up as a hot day and I had dressed expecting cooler weather, and I wasn't sure we had enough water to complete the climb fast enough to still make our train back to Cusco at 3:20pm. But we set out anyway since this was our only crack at it. However the combined effects of altitude, the heat and being overdressed for the climb meant that I was sweating buckets and it became clear about half way up that there was not enough time and water for both of us to make it to the top. So we split the remaining water and Laura set off for the top while I waited in the shade for her return.  Laura reached the top with enough time to take a few pictures and rejoin me about 20 minutes earlier than I was expecting.

The walk back down was uneventful and we even had time to venture a little way up the Inca Trail toward the Sun Gate before exiting the park and catching a bus back down the hill to Agua Calientes. Here the first priority was to try and slack our considerable need for re-hydration. Fortunately our hostel, who were minding our bags after we had checked out that morning, were happy for us to relax in their foyer until it was time to walk down the hill to catch our train.

One of the PeruRail staff in costume

The return journey to our hostel in Cusco went smoothly enough. We were well entertained by the Peru Rail staff who put on a fashion show before coming around to sell the items they had been modelling. No Americans with upset stomachs to keep us company on the train this time, but an English couple who looked like they were too scared to touch anything that might not be 100% sterilised.

And so our visit to Machu Picchu was over. It truly is an awesome spectacle, and in the end I think one of the best views we had of it was from the top of Putuscusi - it really helped to put it into perspective. A highly recommended climb to anyone planning to visit.