Who would´ve known
So who would´ve known that 15 years after watching that documentary about the Incas and Machu Picchu and wishing I could see it that it´d come true?
Well, it really was an amazing experience and we spent several hours at the top looking down at Machu Picchu in total awe. We hardly spoke to each other. We then spent the entire day wandering around the ruins checking out the temple of the sun, the sundial, agricultural terraces, mortar room, temple of the condor, caretaker`s inn etc... Amazing feat for the Incans and also for Hiram Bingham to `discover` the lost city in 1911.
As mentioned, we didn`t hike up the inca trail however went through the Sacred Valley (Urubamba valley) which was very beautiful. Went through ruins and towns (Pisaq markets, Calca, Yucay, Urubamba, Chinchero) eventually to Ollantaytamba where we hopped on the train to Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu for the night so that we could catch a bus up first thing in the morning before the bucket loads of tourists arrived.
Notes:
* Suggest more than a day to explore the ruins.
* There are alternative walks to the the inca trail that are less populated and remote. With around 500 ppl hiking the inca trail every day, we had heard the the route was getting too polluted and that you end up walking in a huge line with loads of ppl.
* Unesco is threatening to remove Machu Picchu's World Heritage status based on the Peruvian government's refusal to limit visitor numbers to the site. It was suggested that numbers should be limited to between 250 to 500 ppl a day due to adverse effects on the site(there was concern about the ruins slipping down the mountain), however current numbers are up to 3,000 a day. On a quiet day the number is around 800. Can understand why the govt hasn't acted. Great revenue for them based on the amounts they charge tourists.
* Would I come again? Yes, only to walk the inca trail despite the warnings of it being too populated. I think passing through the sun gate on the final day would be pretty special.
* Overall, never seen anything like it before and definitely unforgettable.
Well, it really was an amazing experience and we spent several hours at the top looking down at Machu Picchu in total awe. We hardly spoke to each other. We then spent the entire day wandering around the ruins checking out the temple of the sun, the sundial, agricultural terraces, mortar room, temple of the condor, caretaker`s inn etc... Amazing feat for the Incans and also for Hiram Bingham to `discover` the lost city in 1911.
As mentioned, we didn`t hike up the inca trail however went through the Sacred Valley (Urubamba valley) which was very beautiful. Went through ruins and towns (Pisaq markets, Calca, Yucay, Urubamba, Chinchero) eventually to Ollantaytamba where we hopped on the train to Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu for the night so that we could catch a bus up first thing in the morning before the bucket loads of tourists arrived.
Notes:
* Suggest more than a day to explore the ruins.
* There are alternative walks to the the inca trail that are less populated and remote. With around 500 ppl hiking the inca trail every day, we had heard the the route was getting too polluted and that you end up walking in a huge line with loads of ppl.
* Unesco is threatening to remove Machu Picchu's World Heritage status based on the Peruvian government's refusal to limit visitor numbers to the site. It was suggested that numbers should be limited to between 250 to 500 ppl a day due to adverse effects on the site(there was concern about the ruins slipping down the mountain), however current numbers are up to 3,000 a day. On a quiet day the number is around 800. Can understand why the govt hasn't acted. Great revenue for them based on the amounts they charge tourists.
* Would I come again? Yes, only to walk the inca trail despite the warnings of it being too populated. I think passing through the sun gate on the final day would be pretty special.
* Overall, never seen anything like it before and definitely unforgettable.
posted by W at 9:46 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home