Machu Picchu (Nick)

Machu Picchu is one of the new wonders of the world. Abandoned by the Incas and "discovered" by Europeans in the late 1800s (accounts vary), it is now the biggest tourist attraction in the whole of South America. The iconic picture of the site, looking across the ruins to the peak of Huayna Picchu on the far side, is instantly recognisable. It therefore has a lot of hype to live up to, and it was while trying to ignore that hype that we woke early and joined the long line of tourists in Aguas Calientes, waiting for the buses which trundle up and down the steep windy road between the town and the ruins.

We were suprised at the hundreds of people already lined up at 7:30 in the morning, but we gradually awoke to the fact that quite a lot of people were, like us, interested in seeing Machu Picchu. The line moved fast and before long we were crammed in a bus and on our way up. Another chaotic line at the top, and we were in- and instantly the experience lived up to everything we had heard and imagined. The view is better than in the pictures, because in the pictures you can't get an idea of the scale of the ruins, and perhaps more importantly the setting. The site is on a saddle between two higher mountains, and on both sides the drop is around 400m (1300ft) down to the Ollantaytambo river in the canyon below. The whole thing is situated in a bend in the river, so that there is a drop off on both sides. On the far sides of the river, jungle-covered mountains rise up far higher, creating a breathtaking panorama- the end result being that it's hard to know where to look.

We spent an hour or so wandering around the near side of the ruins, taking photo after photo as the views changed subtly. The throngs of tourists had spread out a bit so we were able to feel at times as though we had the place largely to ourselves. Walking through terraces, houses and temples, we began to get an idea of the place. It has been considerably reconstructed in recent times, although it retains its atmospheric "ruined" feel. It's a pretty extensive site, and must have taken a huge amount of energy and dedication to construct, although having said that it's not unusual among Inca sites in that regard.

At 10:30 we headed over to the far side of the ruins, to where the peak of Huayna Picchu rises another 300m above Machu Picchu. In the glory days of the town, the Inca priest lived in a temple at the top and climbed down every morning to signal the start of the new day. We had booked ahead, as climbing Huayna Picchu is restricted to 400 people per day, at specific times. The climb up was one of the toughest I have ever done, both in terms of the steepness (it's nearly vertical in places, and we were still getting used to the altitude and the heat) and the precipitous drop- I'm not good with heights, and knowing that at all times we were climbing alongside an almost sheer drop of hundreds of metres, with no railing or other protection, I found it pretty tough to get up there. However we made it, in the process passing an inspiring group of 60+ year-olds!

The views from the top were stupendous, and made the climb well worth it. 360 degrees of mountains, canyons, and Incan ruins, which would have taken our breath away if we had had any left. We spent half an hour or so walking around the temple at the top, wondering how on earth it was constructed, before the local guide stationed at the top warned us it was time to start heading back down.

Note the sheer 700m drop behind the arrow sign.

Back at Machu Picchu, we spent another good hour or so exploring temples and other buildings, including mystical sites like the temples of the sun and the condor (complete with sacrificial rock!). The crowds had really increased by now and we occasionally found ourselves squeezing through crowds of other tourists, both Peruan and international, but it was still possible to find nooks and crannies where we could enjoy the silence, and the history we were walking through.

Eventually, though, we felt that we had done enough, and headed back to the bus station outside the entrance. One of the biggest queues I've ever seen greeted us, winding back down the road for a couple of hundred metres, and consisting of tourists in various stages of exhaustion waiting to catch the bus. After some debate over whether to wait in line or walk back down to Aguas Calientes, we decided to wait- a good decision as our legs had done quite enough climbing and descending for one day.

Luckily, as in the morning, the line moved relatively smoothly, and we found ourselves back in town with time for a cerveza before the train ride back to Ollantaytambo, where we checked in and fell into bed exhausted.