Pachu-Machu
The big sha-bang; the kahooney; the I-would-travel-across-the-world-to-see-that thing. It’s the grand Machu Picchu.
I have to say, aside from some segments of documentaries I’ve watched on Peruvian history, most of what I knew about Machu coming into this trip was how photographical and mysterious of a place it is. A place with immense human construct that very little is known about. Aside from some great photos, loads of people, and hopefully running into some llamas, I had very little expectations for visiting Machu Picchu.
My experience of visiting was heightened 10 fold due to an amazing tour guide that we had the previous 4 days to get to know. The trek Jake and I went on ended with day 5 as a Machu morning. We hopped on the first bus up to the site, and were one of the first groups to step inside for the day. (TIP: if you are going to visit, this is a MUST do and here’s why!)
Crowds - with tickets being limited with COVID mixed with getting there early, we actually did not run into that many people. There were no lines for photos and we weren’t rushed. We actually camped out at one of the main viewpoints right when we got in and were able to just hang out there for a good 20 mins until the clouds passed through. Another way they help with people is there are certain one-way “loops” you must take through Machu. This definitely makes traffic move!
Certain parts of Machu will close and open during certain sections of the day. In the loop we did, we got to hit all sections as they were open which was great! Plan for this if you want to see the most of Machu.
The weather was gorgeous, but bordering on too hot which is also why the morning time slot was great! Note: there are no requirements for attire at Machu.
Another thing that we loved about this trip was our guide was with us for the previous 4 days which meant we had been learning bits of Inkan knowledge and culture throughout the hike. The company we went through 100% locally employees which means that all staff is from the Cusco region, many being from the highlands and having Inkan roots. (NOTE: the Inkas are to Peru as the Native Americans are to the States.). What I loved about having a guide was how much knowledge was scattered throughout our days together. Also, Machu Picchu is NOT the only ruins site discovered and visit-able. It’s by far the most popular, but there are many Inkan sites that have been discovered. The crazy part about Machu is that is was ABANDONED in the 1500s when the Spaniards invaded and not re-discovered until the 1900s!!!! It’s located in a lucious, green jungle that gets overgrown very fast. Thus, it wasn’t visible and so many of the Inkan people were lost when the Spaniards invaded that it just wasn’t something that was known - or for those locals that knew it existed, they didn’t understand the historical important of a place like this.
Anyways, I don’t have a lot of words aside from this being a really amazing reward at the end of the hike. Machu was getting too worn down by visitors right before COVID; so much so that the governing bodies of Machu were considering closing its doors. If one good thing came out of COVID, it’s that beautiful places like this got a time to rest and recover. The break Machu got when the borders were closed allowed us to visit on this day in April. Permits are still limited and they may actually keep it that way to protect the ruins. I feel very lucky I got to visit this incredible mystery.
And of course we saw more llamas. There is actually a herd of llamas that call this place their home - I MEAN - how lucky are those llamas!!!! Unlimited grass terraces and houses to camp out in.
As the Inkans had no written language (or at least one that can be read today), much of the history of Machu is speculated based on what they found at the site, how it’s structured, where the sun hits at what times of the day, etc. Thus, a lot of Machu's use and purpose is mostly theory at this point and still being heavily studied today. New skulls discovered, new ruins discovered, new bits of history surfacing everyday. ♥️
Peace, love, and protect your Machu,
yo’ girl Jen
