Machu Picchu: A Little Story of How I Ignored my Fears

Last week I wrote about taking the train to Machu Picchu, I was a fan of this method as I'm not one to enjoy a big walk.

No matter how you make it to Machu Picchu doesn't really matter. The mountainous landscape looks just as impressive, the llamas just as fluffy, and the history just as interesting. 

Confession time. I was actually afraid to go to Machu Picchu. 

Don't laugh, it's true. 

I'm generally afraid of heights, more specifically afraid of falling from a great height. It usually presents itself when I'm climbing stone stairs up towers and recently I had some panicky moments walking up to Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. I will never go on the London Eye, up to the pedestrian terrace in the Duomo in Florence, or see Toronto from the glass floor of the CN Tower. 

So I was nervous about how I was going to react being at the top of this old peak.  It didn't help that just prior to my booking there was a report in the news of another tourist dying while at Machu Picchu. But after much convincing by talking to friends that had done it and my mother's disapproving tone if I didn't challenge myself, I was soothed and made my booking. And whoooo boy am I ever glad I did.

Breakdown of the components of this tour:

Transportation from Cusco to Ollantaytambo
Return train ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
Accommodation for the night in Aguas Calientes
Ticket to Machu Picchu grounds
Return bus ticket to the ruins (can opt to hike up the mountain)
Tour of the ruins with a guide (highly recommend getting one)
Additional treks from Machu Picchu
Transport back to Cusco

I booked my tour with Pachamama Explorers and it included all of the above (except the additional treks) for about $500 CDN. The cost goes down with larger group bookings, but I was a solo traveller paying for a private tour. Quite honestly though, I was willing to pay for the convenience of someone else arranging everything for me. All I had to do was show up (and not even on time--see previous post)

If I had spoke a little bit of Spanish (al menos un poco) or wasn't going to be on my own, I might have tried to make these arrangements on my own and save some money. With a little bit of online research there are so many forums out there with suggestions and explanations of how to do it and what you need to look for. No matter what you do however, book your tickets for Machu Picchu ahead of time, as they are limited to a set number each day in an attempt to preserve this world heritage site against the many visitors it hosts any given day.

At 5:45 AM I met my tour guide, Jorge, who had already snagged a spot near the front of the line for a bus which was part of the fleet that was to bring all the tourists up the steep switchback road to the summit. The lineups for the buses can start super early (3 AM or earlier in the high season) and on this day when I left my hotel was already all the way down the street. Because of the wonderful Jorge, I got to sleep in a bit and still managed to get on the 4th bus arriving at the site in the early part of the morning.

The clouds still hung thick around the ruins, making it impossible to see how incredible of a feat it was for this ancient civilization to build a settlement at this location. As the morning wore on, the clouds burned off from the heat of the sun and peaks and valleys were revealed and really took my breath away (it wasn't just the altitude).

The nubs on the stones were used as handles, which were polished down once the stone was set in place.

Machu Picchu is a 15th century fortified city built for the Inca emperor, Pachacuti on the mountain ridge 2,430 metres above sea level. It was abandoned by the inhabitants around the time of the Spanish Conquest.

It remained unknown to the Spanish and outside world, only visited by locals until the 20th century when Hiram Bingham III (great name!) an amateur American archaeologist brought international attention to it. Although there are claims that others, outside of the few residence of the valley, had actually 'rediscovered' the citadel earlier in the century.

Today, many of the structures at Machu Picchu are reconstructions done to help the tourists understand what the area would have looked like. Archaeological and reconstruction work is still going on today.

Intihuatana Stone: believed to be an astronomic clock or calendar by the Incas

Path to the Sun Gate

After my tour of the ruins with Jorge, I was free to spend my time wandering the rest of the site. There are additional hikes that you can do that require pre-booking and several hikes that are free (and easier) to do spontaneously. I decided to take the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate. It was a steady inclined walk on a stone path until the end when it became steep steps.

For this girl, with a fear of heights this was just one more personal challenge I was facing that day. Slow and steady, I made it to the gate and stopped to rest with other fellow travellers. Then I saw a dog! Moseying about like getting to the top was NBD!

The dog at the Sun Gate

The whole experience was thrilling, but the llamas seriously made my day. 

This Snapchat filter will never be as thrilling again

I wouldn't say that I conquered my fear of heights by any stretch, but at least I didn't let it get in the way of my plans of experiencing a magnificent historical location. And I now have a new stamp in my passport with an incredible adventure to remember for a lifetime.

Tell me about a time you didn't let a fear get in the way of experiencing something.

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Taking the train to Machu Picchu

When Eimear first asked me about travelling to South America with her. she expressed to me that it had always been her dream to trek to Machu Picchu. I thought it sounded amazing but not really how I wanted to travel, I'm not a hiker, camper, outdoor pooper. (After seeing Eimear's pictures however, I did think maybe I should have at least considered trekking it). 

Not wanting to miss out on a trip and definitely wanting to see Machu Picchu for myself, I looked into other options. Did you know you can take a train to Machu Picchu? Or at least to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of the mountain where Machu Picchu is located. 

We planned to meet at the end of Eimear's trek somewhere in the area and I made my arrangements to get my way to the monster tourist attraction. I booked with Pachamama Explorers, which included an airport pickup, transport to Ollantaytambo where the train leaves for Aguas Calientes among other services.

Looking back, this is a tour that can easily be organized without the aid of a tour company and I would recommend doing so to save some money. That said, as I was travelling alone, I was very glad to have booked it ahead of time and with a travel company, which meant I didn't have to worry about a thing from start to finish.

Since I was travelling on my own (and this did increased the cost of the booking), I felt I had more peace of mind rather than stressing about all the details on my own. Which turned out to be for the best, as my flight in from Lima to Cusco had been delayed by several hours, my driver had kindly waited the 4 hours for me and rushed me the 1 hour 40 minute drive to the train station. The delay had made things very close, my train ticket was collected  as the conductor blew his whistle!

I was finally able to relax on the 2 hour ride to my destination with vista views of the Andes, running along the Urubamba River. Once at Aguas Calientes I was met by a hotel rep that carried my bag to my accommodation. That evening I met with my tour guide to figure out timing for the following day's tour of Machu Picchu (more to come on this).

The town of Aguas Calientes is a weird one. It's only function is to serve the tourists that pour in and out each day, only to leave again up the mountain to the famous Inca ruins. The town is centred around the train station and a maze of streets and lane ways which are lined with hotels and restaurants (one very much like the next to appeal to the masses aka tourists). There is a covered market not far from the station where you can buy any and all Peruvian souvenir tat.

The town started in earnest in the 1970s when backpackers were travelling to the area by train and looking for places to stay and eat. As the story goes, according to my tour guide, it was an Australian man that paid a local salesman to allow him to spend the night in his house, which gave the salesman, already with an entrepreneur spirit, an idea. He started renting out the rooms in his house and built an addition to accommodate more people and voila! The tourism industry of Aguas Calientes was born. (If you'd like to learn more about this funny little town, I came across this interesting post)

With not much to do in a town, it's a perfect opportunity to get a tea (obviously coca tea to help with any altitude issues) and people watch at a local cafe. I very much enjoyed my time in this funny little town and wished I wasn't in such a rush to get in and get out. I definitely would recommend taking the train to Aguas Calientes and with several class options available all types of travellers can be accommodated, from the super posh to backpacker and everything in between.

Which would you prefer to do; trek over several days or take the luxury train to Machu Picchu?

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The Llamas of Machu Picchu

It's been a bit of a week.  You know, one of those weeks where your attention is drawn elsewhere and your focused on projects that might not lead to anything, but fingers and toes crossed something wonderful  and exciting and slightly scary, but mostly exciting, does? 

(You hear me universe? Are you catching those positive vibes I'm throwing out?)

All this to say. I did not prepare a blogpost this week. 

Instead I've put together a mini photo essay of llamas. Yes, llamas. First ErinOutandAbout brought you The Dogs of Peru, now I'm pleased to present for your viewing pleasure... *big voice* 

LLAMAS OF MACHU PICCHU

As you can imagine, I was not the only one enthralled by the llamas. Families had picnics with the animals gathered around, other people had full on photo shoots with the beautiful, woolly beasts.

They were used to the attention and went about their llama business amongst the crowds. Who could blame them? I would be prit-tee pleased to work in a settling like this. Ugh! That view!

This little guy was calling out to his mama, she came running and he had a snack (below)

I'd die for these lashes!

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