Wow, what a day! Machu Picchu is fascinating, and most of the time we were there we had trouble believing we had actually made it. No tour groups, no guides... we did it ourselves!
Our day began at 3:30 AM with a wake-up knock from the hostel staff. We ate "breakfast" (I use that term loosely because I, for one, can´t eat anything at 4 AM) and headed off to wait in line for MP. We wanted to be on one of the first buses out there because a) it would be less crowded (this backfired) and b) we could see the sunrise. After waiting in line in the cold for an hour, the first bus left at 5;30! We were up at MP by 6 AM.
Our first impressions were of majesty and dizzying complexity. We got the postcard shots, of course, and spent a lot of time just looking at the ruins. This hostel computer is giving me troubles, or else I would post some pictures. Hopefully I will be able to at some point.
One of the high points of visiting MP for most people is to hike Wayna Picchu, the mountain towering behind the city. On top is the Temple of the Moon and you can get a different view of the ruins. BUT, you have to wait in line for 'numbers' and they only let 200 people in at a time. Evan and I decided we didn´t want to wait in line to climb a mountain, so we did a little research and found a much less crowded trail that led up to Montaña Machu Picchu. Three hours later, we were literally on top of the world, with no one around, looking down on the ruins. It was insane.
We then spent about 4 more hours walking around the ruins, listening to other peoples´tours, following the self-guided tour in the book and taking photos. The stone-carving was immaculate and still perfectly preserved after 600 years. We learned a lot about the Inca culture. It was definitely a life-altering experience. Next up; Cuzco, eating guinea pig, and coca tea!!!
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