Machu Picchu: part 4

We started our trek on January 10th and have spent the past three days walking through the Andes mountains having traversed three mountain passes. It is now Sunday, January 13th and this is the day we reach Machu Pacchu!

We rise at 3am to allow the porters to pack up our tents so they can start their trip down hill to catch the train. We head to the last check point on the trek which opens at 5:30 am. It is still dark and although it rained most of the night it has let up for now. Once we clear the check point we have about two hours walking before we reach the Sun Gate.

Tired muscles and exhausted from too little sleep, we all seem to have a spring in our step and plenty of energy for the ups and downs of the trail. We have learned that this is called 'Inca flat'. It should not be surprising to find that in these mountain ranges there is no such thing as a flat trail.

We pass yet another Inca site called Intipirca. It only warrants a quick look around because we are all anxious to get to our destination. We reach the Sun Gate just as the clouds are thinning out and the sun is starting to break through. What a moment! The site looks amazing. We look down to see the largest Inca settlement with terraces for crops, housing and temples all made from stones. In the background is Huana Picchu where you have the Temple of the Moon. It is all simply breathtaking and incredibly awesome.

It was about another hour down to the site. We had the whole day to explore the area. The sun came out and then soon after the crowds started arriving. Around mid-afternoon we took the bus down to Agua Caliente where we had a late lunch and caught the evening train back to Ollantaytambo and a bus back to Cusco.

We arrived to our hotel in Cusco quite late, with a backpack full of wet and smelly clothes. But what a thrilling four days it had been. I have waited so many years to visit this place and it was with a feeling of immense satisfaction that I dropped off to sleep.