While Jim and Brooke tackled the stairs (all 1,800 of them), I joined the rest of our group for a bus ride up to Machu Picchu.
Once again we got up at 3:45, out the door by 4, at the bus stop by 4:15. Our guide wanted us on the first bus up to Machu Picchu so we could get pictures with few people and enjoy the sunrise. He was so right.
Our bus put us at the entrance gate a few minutes before 6am. Jim, Brooke, and Anna reaches the top of the stairs about the same time.
Once inside we followed our guide as he hustled up the steps to exactly where he wanted us to be for sunrise. He has been to Machu Picchu at least a thousand times so he should know.
Machu Picchu has never been on my bucket list but I was taken back by its magnitude and vastness. The completeness of a city buried by the jungle for 500 years.
Then the sunrise hit the city.
As the sun rose, the city came to life.
We all had tickets to climb the peaks overlooking the city so we took a quick tour of some of the structures before heading off to Huaynapicchu.
Just before we reached the gate to Huaynapicchu, we were treated to a view up the mall of Machu Picchu with no people.
Huaynapicchu, also spelled “Waynupicchu”, is the peak seen in most photos of Machu Picchu. The Inka’s built stairs, retaining walls, and guard towers on the side of this giant granite horn.
After 30 minutes of steep stairs, they got a whole lot steeper. Any steeper and it would have been a ladder. First time I have ever been on class 3 constructed steps.
From here on up, the stairs were one way which meant we could see people on the other guard tower built into the granite cliffs.
As we crossed over the top of Huaynapicchu, we stopped to take a family photo.
Then we found a nice spot with a view for lunch.
As we hiked back down, we were really taken by the retaining walls that held up the structures and have stood strong through several earthquakes.
When we returned to the Machu Picchu ruins, the place was crowded. We were all so glad to have gotten up at 4am.
We quickly decided to head back to town for a nice lunch. As we walked across the lower terraces, we were able to look up at the walls.
And across at the near by mountains. Machu Picchu sits among beautiful granite horns. Several thousand feet high. A rock climbers paradise.
We all took the bus back to town. Neither Jim nor Brooke wanted to take the stairs.
After a leisurely lunch, Brooke and I opted to try Inka Massages. We highly recommend them. This was the first really relaxing afternoon of our trip.
Tonight, we head back to Cusco and clean clothes in our AirBnb. We will be picked up at 4am tomorrow for our next trek. I think we are crazy.
—————- Complete Photo Gallery (click to enlarge) —————-
