Machu Picchu & Wayna Picchu

Well, we have finally arrived at the "highlight" of the trip, as Machu Picchu is a Wonder of the World, and the main attraction that brings people to Peru. But as we've journeyed along over the last two weeks, I can honestly saw that Peru has many highlights, and we've had an amazing time along the whole way.
We arrived, by bus, in the early morning (6:15am). It was raining and very cloudy, giving Machu Picchu a wonderfully majestic ambience. It was so nice to arrive before masses of other tourists.


The clouds came and went, and came and went, and there were many llamas to greet us (they are the official "lawn mowers" of Machu Picchu.


ABOVE, YOU CAN SEE WAYNA (HUAYNA) PICCHU PEEKING OUT FROM THE TOP OF THE CLOUDS... THIS WAS MY NEAR-FUTURE HIKE...
After a tour from a local guide, second-breakfast and a quick refreshment, it was time to tackle Wayna Picchu... The paths were steep, and I expected myself to be 1:15hr up to the top.




Up, up, up, I rose... the scenery was marvelous, the people great, and it was all just motivation to keep going.


And then... A glimpse of Machu Picchu, at about the same level (or slightly below) as I was. (You have to hike below M.P. level a bit, and then back up the other side to get to W.P)... More encouragement to trek on :)



And the top third was even steeper and narrower...


ABOVE, PEOPLE REST ON THE TERRACES; THE STAIRS ARE VERY SKINNY ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PICTURE.

ANOTHER GLIMPSE OF MACHU PICCHU, FURTHER BELOW

SIDE VIEW OF THE TOP THIRD



MUCH ABOVE MACHU PICCHU NOW :)

HAD TO CRAWL THROUGH A CAVE, AND SQUISH

LETS GO HIGHER...!!!


A LADDER TO THE TOP!!! AND IT WAS THE TOP - VERY SQUISHY, NOT A LOT OF ROOM FOR EVERYONE TO MOVE AROUND.

MACHU PICCHU FROM THE TOP OF WAYNA PICCHU... JUST VISIBLE UNDER THE CLOUD
The top was great! Although still slight clouds rolling by, and no sunshine for picture-perfect pictures, the experience was amazing, and I did much better than I thought... To the top in 0:50 minutes (with many photo stops). After an hour at the top, and a mini-hike down, and then back up, the backside, it was time to head down.




EEEEEKK!!!


STEEP-ASS STAIRS!!!




Reached the bottom safe and sound... They trick you by making it all downhill and just when all your sweat dries and your breath is caught, you have to hike the little part back up to Machu Picchu... Sweaty again! Cheaters! Lol.
And a llama to greet our exit:


ROGER KINDLY BOUGHT ME AN AFTER-HIKE DRINK... VERY NICE.
Then it was the train back to Aguas Caliente at 4:30pm, and then a bus back to Cusco. All in a days travel! Lol...
Looking forward to my second date in Cusco tomorrow... Stay tuned!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Machu Picchu, Peru

Hikes, History, and More Mountain Scenery

This morning brought a visit to Ollytaytambo. I didn't realize this was an actual archaeological site, let alone that we'd be climbing it, but man-oh-man was it interesting! Bobby is so informative! He knows how to give the right amount of very interesting information.


I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY MOM MISSED THE VIEW WITH THIS PIC, LOL






ALL THE TERRACES ARE AMAZING; LIKE THE MICROCLIMATES OF MORAY.



THE TOWN AND MARKET BELOW.


The size of the stone blocks they used to move back then is incredible! After carrying them to this spot, sometimes from kilometres away, they would grind them to fit perfectly together. They used these protrusions to help grip the rock, and then slid them into place by building little rock ramps and placing animal fat between the ramp and the huge stone. After the stones were in place, they would grind off the little protrusions, leaving the wall smooth, without any evidence of the "handles." We can tell that the piece above was never finished, because the protrusions are still present. Lower on the archaeological site, there are no protrusions on any of the walls, but around the top, like here, there are many. This is because the Spanish came and the "project" was never able to be finished.

You can barely see it, but in the middle stone (above), along the left side, there are Incan calendar-type shapes coming out of the rock. These people used the number five a lot, hence the five "steps" on each side of their diamond-shaped calendar. But other people used the numbers two and three a lot, so there are three of the shapes (vertically) on this stone. This tells us that at some point, two separate groups were here.


LOOKING UP THE STEPS NEXT TO THE TERRACES

After our hike we gathered our belongings and headed to the train station... But not before a bite (or three) of helado ice cream!





Then it was train time to Aguas Calientes.


ROGER & MAXINE



BEAUTIFUL SCENERY, INCLUDING BITS OF THE INCA TRAIL.


On arrival, we checked into Hotel Presidente, wandered around to see the same-old same-old souvenir stuff, and then headed for a lovely included supper. I had trout carpaccio with a mango sauce for an appy (not normally my thing, but it was surprisingly SO good!), a steak for my main, and tomato dessert (a sweet tomato blended with honey - was actually quite nice).


TROUT CARPACCIO

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Ollytaytambo to Aguas Caliente

Peru, Day 14

Well, finalized my ticket to Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu this morning... I am officially a 113 year old Australian male, with the wrong passport number and misspelled first and last name... Lmao - wonder if I can get a prize at the end for the oldest person to climb Huayna Picchu 😃

This morning we had several stops en route to Ollytaytambo. First stop was at a great Incan archaeological site, Moray, that only has only become popular with tourists in the last 5-10 years. It was way deeper than it looks (look for the tiny people at the bottom), with rings of coliseum-like terraces, each terrace with its own microclimate that was used for different agriculture crops. There were a series of water channels to divert, direct and spread water among the terraces; another example of how amazing the Incan's were.

The agave plants there are huge! (I asked why they don't make tequila if they have so many huge agave plants - Bobby says "Because we are not Mexico. We are Peru." Peru takes a lot of pride in keeping their culture, even from the Inca time.

And there was a little "Moray." ☺
Then it was on to more adventures... Next stop: Lunch!


First on the menu: soup (potato with "raw" beans and rice), with a lovely dark red/purple juice made from black corn.

Next up was chicken, rice and veg.
Then came the long-awaited special... "cuy" (guinea pig)!

Haha- tell me that looks appetizing!

Next it was a chocolate "factory" (aka- three square metres of a back porch) and then a pottery place. Very interesting! Peru has amazing 90-100% chocolate (bitter, but the highest concentration of chocolate), which they send to Belgium and Switzerland (otherwise known for their notorious chocolate. Which is actually a lot of Peru's, made into 60-70% chocolate. The hand-made pottery was great - they grind up rock into powder and add water, leave in sun for about seven days to become clay, then use pottery wheel (which is spun by hand) to form shape, then set it sun for about three days, then scratched with a rock to varnish/shine, then painted, then varnished with a rock again, and lastly, fired.
Stop #5: A local bar.
First, to learn about "chicha" (corn beer). Kids even start drinking this when they are very young, even 2-3 years old. Also comes in strawberry flavour, which is much tastier than the original.


Then to play "frog." Totally fun! They have huge competitions... It's ingenious! Don't worry, friends, we will have a table made by summer :) I even bought an original frog!



Roger and I didn't want anyone pouting, so we made sure to lose ; )


After quite some time playing, of which we all could have stayed longer, we continued on to Ollytaytambo.
We arrived to a very cute little town, with narrow cobblestone streets, many markets/kiosks, fabulous views in the heart of the mountains, and cute little hostels/hotels. Our accommodation was lovely.


Town:


(ABOVE, RUINS INT E BACKGROUND, UP ON THE MOUNTAIN)

An evening wandering and minor exploring, and then dinner, and bed :) "Looking forward to" a morning hike 😒
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cusco to Ollytaytambo