The Thrilling Conclusion: Machu Picchu - The Perez Family in Peru, Part VI

In his thrilling conclusion to The Perez Family in Peru, Michael J. recounts our kick ass trip to Machu Picchu. Enjoy!

One of the biggest and probably most obvious attractions for us to see in Peru was Machu Picchu. We had seen the pictures and read all about it and were very much looking forward to capping off our trip to Peru with a visit here. 

Machu Picchu is one of the “new” Seven Wonders of the World. It is considered the most spectacular archaeological site on the continent. Apparently, aside from a few indigenous Quechuas, nobody knew of Machu Picchu’s existence until Hiram Bingham, an American historian, came across it in 1911.

From Ollantaytambo we took an early morning train ride, about an hour long, to the town of Aguas Calientes.  This is where you would typically take a bus ride up the mountain to the “entrance” of the Machu Picchu “park”.

Aguas Calientes - Isn't there a bus around here?

Isaac, Nathan’s younger brother, had visited Machu Picchu a few years earlier with some friends and they actually hiked up from the town to the entrance. When I had asked him about the hike and how difficult it would be, referencing our hike on the island of Taquille as a comparison, Isaac said it would be easier than that. Remember in an earlier blog I wrote about hiking up over 500 steps to the top of Taquille?  That was hard, especially with the altitude, but we made it. So we figured we could make the hike up to Machu Picchu and bypass taking the bus. 

Isaac leading the way

So far so good, early morning ready to make the trek to the top. Little did we know...

Nathan and Isaac’s dad, Kevin, summed it up about half way up the mountain saying, “Isaac, you really undersold the hike.” This was, of course, a gross understatement. After each turn there were more and more stairs waiting for us.

Okay, this is getting a little steep.

It took us almost 2 hours to hike up the entrance. The trail cut an upward path through what was a very long road of switchbacks that the bus would take. We’d cross the road and actually see the bus pass us by. I’m not going to tell you that I am in incredible shape, but I do exercise regularly and I thought it would be hard, but it was incredibly hard. It wasn’t just the physical nature of the trek, but because of the altitude we were breathing harder, which contributed to the overall difficulty of the trip.

When we got to the entrance, I couldn’t believe how sweaty I was. I don’t think I’ve been that sweaty ever (at least, up until that point). 

Finally made it to the park!

When we bought our tickets to Machu Picchu in the states online, we had also bought an extra pass to be able to hike up to Wayna Picchu. They only let a certain amount of folks in everyday, so it was much recommended. This climb is a steep ascent that takes about 45 minutes to an hour to climb.  You can imagine that after we made the almost 2 hour climb just to get into the park, we were not overly enthused to make this trek right away; however, we had a scheduled time to make it to the Wayna Picchu entrance and we made our way as quickly as we could – admiring some of the sites along the way. 

Heading toward our next ascent, Wayna Picchu.

On the way up

This climb was maybe not as hard overall, but remember we had just spent the majority of the morning hiking up to the park. By this time, we were feeling tired and stopping a lot.  Luckily, most of our hike was nicely shaded from the sun. 

Surprise! You have to climb through this rock cave hole to get to the top!

Once we got to the top, the views were just breathtaking… I have to say that all (well, almost all) of the thoughts of our hard climb had melted away as we walked around the top and snapped pictures, just taking in the scenery. Amazing! Honestly, well worth all the effort we had to put into it. NOW, at the top, I was sweatier than I had ever been.

Official sign to prove we made it to the top.

The traveling eight

The view from the top - those zig-zag lines show the trail we hiked up to get to Machu Picchu on the right.

Though going down the mountain to get back to Machu Picchu was a little tricker (and scarier), slowly but surely, we managed. Once back in the main area we were able to explore what we had came to see.

Me afraid of heights?? Check out that Spiderman suction!

Exploring the ruins

My three best girls

 

Marlee's new friend

The classic Christmas card shot

 We had planned to make sure we had enough snacks on the trip and it turns out that when you are hiking in high altitude, you don’t get very hungry, just thirsty. Now we thought we had brought enough water, but we didn’t. Once you get into the site, there is no water. If you want any, you need to walk out back to the entrance. That sounded easy enough, and at one point, Chris and I thought we’d walk back out to buy some water for the rest of the group.  When we started to do it, we were so tired we decided to wait until the end of the day. Next time, we’ll bring LOTS of water.

We came, we saw, we conquered. And then we passed out from exhaustion.

After our amazing day, we decided to hike back down to Aguas Calientes instead of taking the bus. A one-way bus trip would have cost the same as round trip, so it was the principal.  Going down the mountain was much easier, especially on our lungs. Now our legs just kind of got that “jelly” feeling going, but we made pretty good time – about 45 minutes. Then we had a nice cool beverage in town and hopped back on the train back to Ollantaytambo. This was our last night, Chris’s birthday, and we went out to a nice dinner where we ate and drank and told tales of our wonderful day.  

Pretty amazing day. Happy Birthday, Chris!

Apparently some things happened out on the trail that some of us didn’t see or hear. Marlee will be adding her own account of her trip where she will recount what actually happened out there with the Perez ladies. Look for that installment of the Perez Family in Peru in an upcoming blog.

The next day was our last day in Ollantaytambo and our last full day together. It was difficult to see the trip coming to an end but we made the most of it to finish off an awesome, and much needed, trip. 

Sleepover! The Perez ladies shared the big bed on an emotional last night. Just call them the Weepy McWeepersons.

The next day, after coffee and breakfast, we headed back to Cusco, stopped to pick up some chocolate tea, and then set off for the airport. From there we took a flight to Lima in the early afternoon and waited for our flight back to the states that left close to midnight. Jamie waited with us for a long time in the afternoon.  We ate, played cards, talked, laughed, reminisced about our Peruvian adventures and just enjoyed our time with each other. 

Waiting in the airport

Sister hug. Saying goodbye was the hardest part.

 We eventually had to say good-bye to Jamie and it was hard. Since we were flying international and she was domestic, we had to part ways and head to our respective terminals. A few hours later while we were waiting, Jamie called to say her flight was delayed, and then delayed more, and then more…until eventually her flight was cancelled. This was tough. We were in the next terminal, but couldn’t see her. She was going to be stuck in Lima overnight. Lucky for us, we had the number of Kike’s place where we stayed our first night in Lima. We contacted him and he picked Jamie up. She was able to stay the night safely in Lima and eventually head back to Trujillo the next day.  

In the end, I have to say that even after all the wonderful things we saw and did, my favorite part was hanging out with my girls – all three of them. Our favorite Peruvian site was, of course, Jamie! We could not be more proud of her. Jamie cares about others, and that is a big reason why she is in Peru. What she is doing is so commendable. She took a risk and made a decision to jump out of her comfort zone with both feet. She has grown in many ways and continues to do so. She really is having an experience of a lifetime and, for a short time, we were able to share in that experience with her. I know she has had some ups and downs, but she’d have that anywhere she was. She is learning and growing from this experience and I am so excited for her.  In the words of Rob Schneider’s beloved character from Waterboy, “You can do it” Jamie. Love Ya!

Machu Picchu, we made it!