Machu Picchu

Apologies for lack of updates recently...we've been out of coverage a bit.

After the jungle, we returned to Cusco and met our friends from Ireland, Fenton and Angela, and together made our way up to Machu Picchu by train.

Machu Picchu is amazing. It is another of the New Seven Wonders of the World and is apparently South America’s number 1 tourist attraction. Basically, it is an abandoned ancient Inca city that is very well preserved (since it was never found by the Spanish). It is not just a ruin of one old castle/temple/building, it is a full proper city with all the streets, guesthouses, residential houses, temples, observatory, etc. Apart from a few fallen walls (and roofs) the city is practically entirely as it was when it was deserted over 500 years ago. It was only discovered relatively recently – in 1911. In terms of its size, it would only be a small town in today’s terms with only 500-750 people living there, but it was regarded as a city back in its day.

What is impressive about Machu Picchu is that it is nestled up high in the Andes, on top of very steep mountainside, with absolutely terrific views in all directions. The site includes another peak (on top of the mountain) called Wayna Picchu which involved a 1 hour hike up very steep steps. When we made this hike, we were rewarded by even more fantastic views – definitely the highlight of the visit. It was especially a privilege to climb Wayna Picchu as only the first 400 people in are allowed to climb it. Considering that there are 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a day, this involved us queuing for the bus from 5am and even then we were 345 on the list. To celebrate conquering Wayna Picchu, we played a game of “extreme frisbee” on the rocks at the very top.