3rd Times A Charm For Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu has been on our bucket list for quite some time now, and we finally made it on this trip last November.

 

 

Initially, Machu Picchu was scheduled as part of the same 10-Day Classic Peru trip with Gate 1 Travel for the fall of 2020 – OBVIOUSLY, that never happened. So, we rescheduled for sometime in 2023 after our move to Merida. Unfortunately, that was canceled as some civil unrest blocked the train tracks and access to Machu Picchu.

 

7 Modern Wonders of The World

Somewhere in the past, we realized we had been to several of the UNESCO 7 Modern Wonders of the World and made seeing all of them part of our travel bucket list. 

We’ve both been to Chichen Itza multiple times, the Colosseum in Rome on Mark’s 50th birthday cruise, the Great Wall of China in 2016, and the Taj Mahal in 2020, just two days before it was shut down during the pandemic. 

 

 

This left Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, and Petra in Jordan, which has also been canceled twice because of the conflict in the Middle East. 

So getting here was quite a big deal for us! We were worried about the altitude because we were not getting any younger and live at sea level.

 

We’re Headed To Machu Picchu!

On day seven of our trip, we headed to the Sacred Valley’s Ollantaytambo Station for a morning PeruRail Train to Aguas Calientes, now known as Machu Picchu Pueblo.

 

 

One of the best parts of booking with a tour company like Gate 1 Travel is that most of the annoying little pieces of a trip like this are handled. The tickets for the train, the bus up the mountain, and the entrance to the archaeological site were all taken care of, and our Tour Manager {BIG shout out to Pavel, who was terrific!} We had all of our tickets in hand! If traveling without a group, you will need to buy your tickets in advance; they sell out quickly.

 

Choo Choo!

 

Side Note: Mark’s Maternal Grandfather and Uncle worked all their lives as engineers on the Reading Railroad in Philadelphia. He and his mom would ride the train into Philadelphia and back to spend time with this uncle. The rocking of a train can put him to sleep in about five minutes, and he’s still {slightly} obsessed with train travel. 

 

We boarded the train at the Ollantaytambo Station, near our hotel, for the trip to Machu Picchu Pueblo, which takes about an hour and forty minutes. The cars were comfortable, with four seats facing into a good-sized table. We each had assigned seats but could move into the back car with lounge seating and access to the platform on the train’s rear.

 

 

Mark spent most of the trip on the platform, which offered incredible views of the Sacred Valley, the river, farmlands, and the mountains.

 

 

Chuck was out there for a while, but we headed into the club car with our group. For most of the trip to Machu Picchu, musicians and dancers were in costume. They were fun and got our group up to dance with them.

 

 

Partway through the trip, we were served Tea and a Snack Box with Quinoa Chips, a Quinoa Bar, a Chocolate Bar, and some Coca candy! We always took some Coca candy when offered, as these, along with being really hydrated, helped us with altitude sickness.

 

 

As excited as we were to get to Machu Picchu and exhausted as we were coming back, the train ride was AWESOME!

 

Machu Picchu Pueblo

We finally arrived at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Station. We took a bathroom break and walked through the station. You then weave your way through some souvenir shops to line up for our bus up the mountain.

 

 

You can take advantage of this, as you may have to wait along a sidewalk for a bus. And then you still have the ride up the mountain! In the picture above, everyone you see on the sidewalk is in line to get a bus. We were headed to the back of it now.

The buses line up quickly. You are then lined up along the sidewalk, where you can purchase some last-minute sunscreen and drinks.

The town is bustling but still has a lot of charm. Stone carvings, statues, and a bridge full of locks decorate the street.

 

 

On our trip back down the mountain, the group stopped for lunch before boarding the train for our return trip.

 

Machu Picchu

After a thirty-minute bus ride up the mountain, with narrow, winding roads and steep drop-offs, we finally reached the entrance to Machu Picchu.

 

 

We were blessed with a picture-perfect day! Many YouTube videos were in the pouring rain or with so much fog that you could see nothing. Our day was bright and sunny. We had a barely short shower as we left the site to return to the bus.

 

Side Note: USE SUNSCREEN! We live in Yucatan, which is hot and sunny most of the year. We both put on sunscreen as we’re closer to the equator and at a much higher altitude. Unfortunately, Mark missed a good-sized spot on the back of his neck and got a good sunburn! Be sure to use the restrooms, as there is no place to go inside the site.

 

The first thing you notice about Machu Picchu are the plants and animals. There are 425 varieties of orchids registered in Machu Picchu alone. And you don’t have to walk far to see the lawnmowers of Machu Picchu – the Llamas and an occasional Alpaca. 

 

 

We also saw a Southern Viscacha along the way. These rodents are native to Peru and South America. And, yes, we had to use Google Lens to find out what it was!

 

 

The History of Mach Picchu

Machu Picchu is thought to have been occupied between 1420 and 1530 AD. It was constructed as a sacred city, fortress, and royal estate by Pachacuti, an Inca ruler thought to consolidate the first true Inca Empire.

It is believed that the Incas abandoned the city about 100 years after its construction, fearing Spanish invasion. They went down the mountain and burned the forest trails, so it looked to be destroyed. Researchers also believed that as many as 1,000 people lived there.

The city of Machu Picchu, as we know it, was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. It was an expedition sponsored by Yale University to find Vilcabamba, the “Lost City of the Incas.” At one point, they also believed it was the sanctuary for the Virgins of the Sun. However, a significant number of male skeletal remains were also found there.

Sitting on top of the mountains, overgrown and hidden in plain sight from the Spaniards, the city’s agricultural terraces, aqueducts, plazas, and temples were reasonably well preserved.

 

 

The views are spectacular, and the buildings are remarkable! We spent 3 hours there and could have stayed much longer!

 

 

It was quite a climb. We’re glad we took a pass on climbing Ollantaytambo the day before, as the steps at Machu Picchu are steep and narrow, and it took a lot of energy. The key is to take breaks as you climb, and you will see many other people following suit. Our Tour Manager and Assistant were terrific, helping lots of our group navigate the stairs.

We did learn that most people pronounce Machu Picchu wrong.   Machu is correct, but the rest is actually phonetically pronounced Peak- Chew.

 

Mapacho Restaurante

Imperio de los Incas 614, Cusco 08681, Peru

 

After leaving the archaeological site and taking the bus down the mountain, we stopped for lunch at Mapacho Restaurante, about a block from the train station.

We all pre-ordered entrees from Mapacho Restaurante to ensure we ate in time to catch our train. There were fifteen or twenty dishes to choose from, including traditional Peruvian dishes, Burgers, and Pizza. 

Although they facilitated this lunch, it was not included in our tour package. It was optional if you wanted to go shopping, but most of our group chose to buy lunch.

We both chose Lomo Saltado. Chuck went with Beef, and Mark, being adventurous, opted for Alpaca. While it was flavorful and pretty tender, we would have never known it was Alpaca if we hadn’t been told it was.

 

Our entrees were 43.90 Peruvian Soles or about $11.50 US – not bad for a good-sized portion, especially in a tourist town. The food was delicious, and the service was possibly the best part of the entire trip. We highly recommend the restaurant.

Our day exploring Machu Picchu and the train ride there and back was incredible. If you get the chance to go, DO IT!

After returning to Ollantaytambo train station and our bus, we headed up the mountains to explore the fantastic city of Cuzco!