Magical Machu Picchu

One of the main reasons for visiting Peru (or even South America) for many people is to see Machu Picchu, the most famous icon of the Incas. Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguascalientes) is located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, one-and-half hours from Ollantaytambo by train (via Inca Rail). There was a definite change in atmosphere compared to our previous stop. The street-hawkers were much more aggressive in their approach and, in low season, they seemed prepared to offer all kinds of discounts to entice customers. Two-for-one offers were outdone by four-for-one offers. But these offers often came with a catch in the form of an automatically-added-tip disguised as a service tax. Almost every meal came with a discussion about “the service tax”. Jason was adamant that he needed to teach them that Australians do not tip, particularly when there is non-existent service.

Immediately, Ricky noticed another difference: hairless dogs. Many of the dogs roaming the streets were hairless; smooth as a baby's bottom, except for a small tuff of blond hair on top of their head and sporting a great nana knit to keep them warm. We soon learnt that this breed of dog is native to Peru, the Peruvian Inca Orchid, although they pre-date Inca cultures. For a moment, we thought they all had the mange.

On our first night, we decided to eat at the restaurant that was situated at the front of the hotel. When the waitress came to our table, she rabbled off a series of words that were too fast for us to understand. Ricky replied by requesting that she speak slower. She then began speaking as if she was in slow motion, with over-exaggerated facial expressions. Her voice became louder and she spoke so slowly that it was if she was teaching her dog to beg. She didn't even bother to speak to Jason. He was persona non grata. Funny thing was that we still didn't really understand everything that she said.

It became apparent early the next morning that our neighbour was unable to resist the four-for-one offers, as we awoke to what we imagined was him hugging the porcelain bowl and regurgitating last night's pisco sours. There were bouts of silence punctuated by sounds of moaning and flushes of the toilet. Good morning!

Then, it was time to prepare ourselves for the ascent of Machu Picchu. Firstly, we took a small bus, which weaved up the narrow switchbacks to the top of the mountain. The bus off-loaded all of the passengers and we set out for the Sun Gate (Inti Punku), as if we were in search of the lost city of gold, el Dorado. We had arrived at Machu Picchu on the 30 January, one of only two days in the year where the Sun does not cast a shadow on the Sun Gate. The Sun Gate was not only the gateway to the sanctuary and probably guarded by the Incan military but it served as a kind of timepiece.

We trekked along the Inca trail, clinging onto anything in our way to avoid sliding off the cliff. But like the lost city of gold, we couldn't find the sundial in the Sun Gate. After almost an hour of hiking, the weather had become overcast and the Sun had retreated behind the clouds. But the view from the monument overlooking the valley and the main complex of Machu Picchu was worth the blood, sweat and tears. There were a number of moments that we were going to turnback if the Sun Gate wasn't around the corner. It was only afterwards that we read that only those with some fitness and those who aren't afraid of heights should attempt the trek. The worse part was the return trip. It involved a bit of sliding along on our bums as we descended down the mountain. We came to the conclusion that the Incas definitely didn't want some things to be found easily.

While we were in Machu Picchu Pueblo, Jason’s compulsion to shop became difficult for him to resist, although he has absolutely no space in his backpack. He even learnt the Spanish verb, gastar “to spend” and, like a broken record, repeated the phase ad nauseam. Before heading out, Ricky leant over and said to Jason “to save time, if you have any questions today, the answer is “no”. There's nothing here for people like you”. The budget had definitely been blown by the visit to Machu Picchu, the residence of the Inca Emperor Pachacuti, but it was well-worth the visit, although Jason was slightly disappointed when he found out that most of the structures have been reconstructed in the twentieth century.

Next stop: Lima, via Ollantaytambo and Cuzco.Read more