Salkantay Trek Day 5: Machu Picchu
We had 6 AM tickets for Machu Piccu, so we met at the bottom of the steps at 4:30 AM in order to be near the front of the line when we were allowed through at 5. It took slightly more than an hour of climbing mostly in the dark at high altitude up the 1,600 stone steps of varying depth and height. The views were stunning, but the walk was strenuous. We arrived before sunrise and saw the sun rising over the ruins. It wasn't super spectacular because the surrounding mountains blocked most of it.
Our 'guided tour' of Machu Piccu involved a lengthy explanation by a tour guide in heavily accented English mostly on the history of Machu Piccu. It was interesting but we would have preferred an explanation of the different parts of the ruins.
We walked along the path to the Incan bridge--this trail was right along the cliff, not unlike many of the other trails we took. But just beyond the area we were allowed to go was a part of the trail that had pieces of wood bridging the two parts of the trail.
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| View of the Surrounding Mountains from near the top of the steps |
Our 'guided tour' of Machu Piccu involved a lengthy explanation by a tour guide in heavily accented English mostly on the history of Machu Piccu. It was interesting but we would have preferred an explanation of the different parts of the ruins.
We walked along the path to the Incan bridge--this trail was right along the cliff, not unlike many of the other trails we took. But just beyond the area we were allowed to go was a part of the trail that had pieces of wood bridging the two parts of the trail.
It was nice to get to Machu Piccu before it got crowded and to take our time looking it over. Since the paths are all one way, we eventually found ourselves at the end and out the door.
We walked back down the steps to Aguas Calientes and hung out there until our train left. In Ollantaytambo we were met by a bus and driven back to Cusco where we had to walk across town to Hostal Resbolosa. Here they seem not to have planned for us because they tried out several rooms--one of which had someone in it already, someone who objected to having their door opened while they were asleep. The room we were finally taken to had inadequate plumbing. Not only was the shower a luke-warm drip, which was expected based on our last stay, but the toilet made a noise. Initially the noise subsided after a while, but eventually it just continued. We were too tired to care and just went to sleep, but around in the middle of the night loud knocking on the door informed us that other people cared and that we had to do something about it. The walls are so thin that everyone gets to share all the noises. I eventually woke up enough to get up and turn the water off entirely.
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| View of the valley below--we walked along that river on Day 4! |
We walked back down the steps to Aguas Calientes and hung out there until our train left. In Ollantaytambo we were met by a bus and driven back to Cusco where we had to walk across town to Hostal Resbolosa. Here they seem not to have planned for us because they tried out several rooms--one of which had someone in it already, someone who objected to having their door opened while they were asleep. The room we were finally taken to had inadequate plumbing. Not only was the shower a luke-warm drip, which was expected based on our last stay, but the toilet made a noise. Initially the noise subsided after a while, but eventually it just continued. We were too tired to care and just went to sleep, but around in the middle of the night loud knocking on the door informed us that other people cared and that we had to do something about it. The walls are so thin that everyone gets to share all the noises. I eventually woke up enough to get up and turn the water off entirely.
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