This is the second post in a series about a two-week trip I took with my three friends to Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.
Today is the day for Machu Picchu! We woke up at 4 a.m. and got ready for an incredible day. Haley and Katie decided to hike up the mountain to the Machu Picchu site while Steph and I took the bus—a decision we were even happier to have made as it was pouring when we woke up. Thankfully, by the time we entered the park, the rain had let up.
In order to understand the next part of the story, you need to know a little about how Machu Picchu works as a tourist site. The Peruvian government runs the location and only sells a limited number of tickets per day. Your ticket gets you into the park, and then when you purchase the ticket, you can add on an additional ticket to climb Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu for an additional fee. You have to buy your tickets at the office in Cusco or in another town, as they do not accept money at the park itself. The ticket is associated with your passport number or some other form of identification.
At 6 a.m., we prepared to enter the park with our guide, Joel. We had received our tickets the night before, but did not bother to check to see if all the information was correct. As we enter, Katie and I get in with no problem, but Steph and Haley’s tickets are for the wrong day! Since we paid for a tour and the tour company bought the tickets, we didn’t have a receipt or anything from the park to show that an error was made. The park officials don’t want to let them in. We call Joel, who now got stuck dealing with the situation. He tells those of us who got in to explore for an hour and come back. Katie and I, with no other options, go take a quick walk around Machu Picchu.
Early morning at Machu Picchu.
The site at 6 a.m. was truly incredible—we saw the clouds and fog passing over the ruins, llamas grazing on the terraces (llamas are used to keep the grass short), and more buildings and artifacts than we could believe. I was really surprised just how large Machu Picchu was. After an hour, we went back to the front, where Steph and Haley’s ticket situation had been solved. We then took a guided tour with Joel of the site, learning about the Incas (group who constructed Machu Picchu); they built the site on the top of a mountain to be closer to one of their most important gods, the sun god.
Machu Picchu was much larger than I realized. The terracing on the sides helped create flat areas for walking and growing crops.
Representing IU at Machu Picchu. (Photo Katie Kartheiser.)
Our tour was about an hour long, and then we walked around for a while and then planned on heading over to climb Machu Picchu Mountain, a 90-minute climb that promised great views of Machu Picchu. However, it was at this point we realized that when Joel changed the tickets for Steph and Haley, he did not include access to Machu Picchu Mountain. We raced to the entrance looking for Joel, who at this point was gone. We had no cell phone number except for the tour agency, but we would have to wait an hour for them to open. The officials at Machu Picchu wouldn’t let us transfer the mountain to another person nor buy access to the mountain at the park.
We left the ticket office with no idea what to do. We didn’t know if there were still tickets available for Machu Picchu Mountain that day, as access is restricted to a limited number of people to preserve the path. At some point, Haley and Steph went back in the office, and in a lucky coincidence the manager, Rosa, appeared at the same time and was sympathetic to the situation. She agreed to call their names up to the entrance of the mountain and told us to go up there quickly. At this point, I am just in shock that Haley and Steph are able to go up at all, given all the problems we had had so far in the day.
Now it was time to climb the mountain. I was still having some effects of altitude sickness—I’m out of breath every few minutes, sweating profusely, and my head aches. As we started the climb up the mountain (which I have been told will be a “ramp-like” climb- wrong!), I begin to have some difficulty breathing. I took breaks every few minutes, and it took me close to two hours to make it to the top. Adding to the terror of this whole situation is the fact that there is no guardrail, nothing to protect us from falling off the side of the mountain. I had many moments where I realized that I could easily fall into the Peruvian jungle. Panting and sweating, I finally made it to the top. It was a little difficult to see the site with the clouds, but still very powerful to be so high up nonetheless.
At the top of Machu Picchu Mountain. (Photo Katie Kartheiser.)
The rain began again on our walk down the mountain, and we explored the park a bit more before heading back to Aguas Calientes (the town near Machu Picchu) around 4 p.m. We took a train back to a small town and then a car to our hostel in Cusco.
Visiting Machu Picchu was one of the highlights of our two-week trip. I cannot express the power of seeing a complex place constructed out of stones on top of a mountain, complete with the fog and rain. It is amazing to think that this site went “missing” for so many years, only to be found by a professor from the United States. I am so glad I got to see this while it’s still open to the public.
Best photo of the entire trip-- thanks to the other group of student tourists we met who took this gem.