Otherwise, I spent most of my time tourist watching. I was lucky to be with some very entertaining people straining to get a photo of the raging river below and the cloud tipped mountains. Each turn in the tracks led to a new frenzy of shifting, jostling, and clicking of photos. In a way, it was perhaps a good thing I was on the “wrong side” of the train. (For those wanting to take the train to Agua Calientes, sit on the LEFT side of the train if possible.)
In a way it was a nice reminder, to stop trying to take photos and just enjoy the view. In particular the changing vegetation. Apparently (as I discovered later from a security guard at the football field), this area near Machu Picchu is much milder. The vegetation started to take on a Nicaraguan hint. I recognized plants that grew in the tropics and found myself utterly surprised. I even enjoyed seeing the rare house that we passed along the way.
When we finally pulled into the station I felt invigorated. In part because I could hear the rush of the river below and the humidity again on my skin. I picked up my bag and off I went in search of my hostel, Super Tramp. Luckily, the security guard knew the place (I only had a card with the name on it) and told me to walk derecho, derecha, y izquierda. Should be easy to find, right?
Well strangely enough it was. I only had to ask an additional two people and found out that the guard really was right. I did need to go straight until the end of the market, walk 4 blocks to the right, and head 1 block to the left. And I was really impressed with the hostel. In part because they actually had decent prices (S./28 per night) and down quilts. Oh, and pancake breakfasts ready for you at 4:30am when you were getting ready to hike up to Machu Picchu.
Interestingly enough, my first night there I met a fellow traveler, Rita. And best of all, we shared a mutual desire to see the archeological site the next day as well as possibly walk from Agua Calientes to Kilometer 82 (the closest town to get to Ollantaytambo). While these things may seem crazy, especially when the walk between Agua Calientes and Km 82 was estimated to be between five hours and 11, I was still committed. In part because I love the idea of human power and in part because you see so much more.
Rather than breezing by on a train or a bus, you can feel the difference as you walk. The changes in smells, humidity, and sunlight are more powerful. However, the early mornings are killers.
For two days straight my alarm rang at 4:00am. I would begrudgingly throw my warm quilt off my body and put my feet on the cool concrete. I packed my bag the night before for Machu Picchu, and so I was ready to go. But at the same time, the bed was calling. In the end, I figured the rewards of walking to the site as well as spending all day there, were worth more than the few hours of sleep I would be catching up on.
Thus, at 5:45am we left the hostel and headed to the site. Along the way learning more and more about each other, especially our many similarities. After all, we did bond over watching Monsters Inc. it should have been a sign for good things ahead. We powered up the stairs to Machu Picchu and finally arrived just around 7:00am. Our delay had more to do with the guard at the base checking for people trying to sneak into the site without paying.
I without my passport caused a slight problem (though my vaccine report seemed to clear my name) and Rita’s lack of “payment confirmation” on her paper. But in the end, we made it through and were able to photograph our ascent to the site. Even watching the sun pop over the mountains. Such a magical thing. Perhaps the funniest part was seeing the steam literally roll off my body. As if I was some hot cup of tea cooling in the morning damp.
In the end, we arrived and managed to capture some of the typical tourist shots of us standing victorious with the ruins in the background. Our first decision was to head to the Sun Gate or Inti Punka to see the view from there. Within 30 minutes we were sitting at what we thought was the site and enjoying a banana in victory. We sat there and watched other tourists join us, as well as a porter carrying a bag that looked like it weighed the same amount as he himself. He too had steam pouring off his body, but I feel that he had a bit more of a right. So I offered him one of my bananas. He clearly deserved something to keep his body from functioning.
After our adventure to the Sun Gate, Rita and I parted ways. She went to visit Huanya Picchu and I to explore more of the ruins. My first task was to reclaim my bag. I had been told it was “too big” and thus I had to pay S./3 to store it. When I saw other people with bags as large as mine in the ruins, I felt the injustice and sought to rectify the situation. What ended up happening? I met an Aussie who had such a fear of heights that she couldn’t even go into the site. She was so affected by the steep mountains and sheer drop offs.
So I spent about an hour talking to her and trying to remind her that she now had a “funny travel story” about Machu Picchu. After all, arriving to the site only to have to sit at the exit, is sort of tragic at the time...but in a couple weeks she’ll be telling all her friends about how ridiculous the whole thing was. We talked about our respective trips as well, she introduced me to something interesting. Vegemite.
I had never tried this mysterious substance before. Mostly due to a lack of familial or friendly ties who were addicted to the stuff. I was highly entertained when she pulled out two travel sized packs (similar to the jam and peanut butter packets in diners) in a ziploc bag. All because she didn’t want me to enjoy my bread plain. And I have to admit...I liked it.
Sure it is some weird yeast thing, and according to the package “the leading source of vitamin b”, it was perfect. Sort of the kind of tang you get from soy sauce and the sort of punch that comes with HP sauce. Either way, it satiated my hunger. Even if the guard snapped at me that I could only eat “outside” of the site.
After I parted ways with her, I ended up encountering an odd sight. Originally as I walked to the entrance, I saw some workers cutting down a plant that looked suspiciously like Galangal. A spice that I had encountered in Nicaragua, which consumed nearly 2-3 weeks of my life at Totoco. The digging, cleaning, drying, and grinding of the spice was a full time job. And when it was finally completed, it was sure a victorious moment.
So on my way back, I asked a worker about the plant. He confirmed all my suspicions by telling me that it was “similar to ginger”. He asked me some questions about it (and it’s uses) and then we parted ways. But an American tourist overheard and asked me if I knew anything about the Inca trail. I was so perplexed by the question, I asked why he asked. Turns out he had been at the site since 6:30am in order to meet his daughter who had done the trail, but he hadn’t seen her yet.
Somehow, we ended up talking for two hours about life, politics in Canada and the US, travel, and so much more. In fact, I probably don’t remember all that much except that apparently China is a great country to go see and that the FLQ during the 1970s in Canada were scary mofo’s.
What I can tell you about these encounters, is that they made me really content. Probably because there is something really magical about cutting through the bullshit when meeting people when traveling. Sure you ask about “how long are you traveling for?” and “where have you been?” but after that, something magical happens. You forget about social boundaries and talk about things you normally wouldn’t.
Like recent epiphanies had about how much your parents love you (as in my case), or about how proud you are of your daughter for her accomplishments in life. Or about how you got stuck in your hotel bathroom for an hour and a half. And while I could have spent more time enjoying the ruins, to be honest with you I’m glad I didn’t. I really loved the conversations I had with these folks. And while I may not know there name, they forever will be a part of my experience at Machu Picchu. A good part.
Once I finally parted ways with the man in search of his daughter, I headed to ACTUALLY see the ruins. After all, I had come all this way. But really what I wanted, was solitude. And I found a little piece of shade to fix a cut on my toe, meditate, and take a nap. It must have been quite a surprise for the other tourists who wandered into my area to see a pair of legs sticking out from this half wall, but I can tell you that it felt so wonderful to fall asleep in such a place. I really wish I could remember my dream.
After my power nap, I finally felt ready to continue on my exploration. Which meant I followed a lot of guides and hoards of tourists seeing the sights. It was nice though to get some context for what I was seeing. The guide explaining the sun dial on top of one of the temples. Or about where lambs were sacrificed. But perhaps my favourite part had little to do with the sights, and everything to do with llamas.
For some reason, there is a pack of llamas who have decided to call this important archeological site, home. But what was particularly entertaining about the entire thing was not that they were there (although funny looking with their giant doe eyes). No, it was watching a llama nearly knock over a tourist as it ran down some ancient steps. The tourist in question was sitting on a terrace over looking the valley below. A steep fall if something would have gone awry. Fortunately, she realized this llama was intent on getting to some grass on her other side and moved out of the way. I was standing 20 feet away, laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation.
She told me, later, that until that incident, she had been siting in quiet reflection (alone) for a few hours. And based on the view, I couldn’t blame her. You could see all the action on your right of tourists heading to Huayna Picchu, but you were separated from it. It was just the sort of spot I was looking for. I found myself a stone step, to rest my weary body and just absorb some vitamin D and relax. It was a great time for quiet contemplation.
But in the end, it was time to move on again. I wandered to visit some more of the site and ended up finding myself surrounded by llamas. As I walked down a narrow pathway, the llamas decided that they wanted to join me. I snapped the above photo of the moment.
Not too long after that, I found Rita again. She was sitting on a grassy knoll talking to an employee of Machu Picchu. We talked about how Henry Bingham was not quite the angel he appeared, seeing as he never talked about the gold and silver found onsite. He taught us the significance of the Inca Cross and how it related to the living and the dead. And the animals that corresponded with the different levels of life. It was all so fascinating.
He taught us a little bit about the history and the important parts of the site. He told us about how each day the site is different. Both in terms of weather and energy. He told us about times when people snuck into the site to perform “rituals”, which he said really looked like they fell asleep for two hours. He told us about the llamas being named after the first person to see them after they entered this world. Which I’ll admit is sort of an interesting idea. Provided your name isn’t something like Stu Pidaz.
He was also kind enough to tell us that if we stayed until 5:10pm, we could snap a photo of Machu Picchu without tourists. And so we did just that. Along with numerous photos of the changing light as the sun set behind a distant mountain. I also managed to replicate the lonely planet’s photo of a llama in frount of Huanya Picchu. Not so difficult if they are munching on the grass around you and enticed by the banana at your side.
Upon leaving the site, both Rita and I felt a sense of gratitude and delight. We had climbed, crawled, and wandered the site. We had snapped many photos and seen many things. I had met some wonderful people and shared great conversations. I thought of these things and more as I walked back (or rather awkwardly ran down) the mountain again. As we went, we took pictures of the same mountains, flowers, and views as ten hours before, but this time with the colours of the setting sun. It was spectacular.
We arrived back in Agua Calientes, with a mighty hunger. Which was satiated, in part, at the local Central Mercado. We downed one litre of juice and ran into our guide (David) at one of the nearby stalls. We thanked him again for the information and before long we were off again. This time in search of choclo for our post Machu Picchu dinner.
We finally made it back to our hostel around 7:00pm and made ourselves some choclo and pasta. Not the most eloquent meal, but enough to satisfy our hunger before calling it a night. We chatted a bit with the staff who were preparing jam for the next morning, made out of a fruit I know as a goose berry but is known locally as aquacumaya. Which was delicious. Rita and I sat down to enjoy our feast along with ginger tea while watching Imaginarium of Dr Parnasus.
Our next day was going to be an early start too. Another 4:00am wake up.
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