Thelma and Louise

Magical Machu Picchu The stunning panoramic view of the ruins of this lost city was more magnificent than I ever expected.

Sitting on one of the stone walls I gazed at the mountainous peak, one of the seven mountains that kept Machu Picchu hidden for so long.  I walked up the stone pathways even higher, nearly touching the clouds just to get the most perfect image on my camera. The air was pure and as I took a breath in, I closed my eyes briefly and I listened to the peaceful sounds of birds twittering and the grass-hoppers singing.

The best flight to get there was with KLM via Amsterdam to Lima, the capital city of Peru. It took 17 hours in all, but a very comfortable journey.
We found Lima to be a traditional city, with a few main street shops and historical buildings. We felt safe walking along the streets, but not before the hotel porter advised us to not put wallets in pockets and keep hidden any watches and jewellery. The main crime around was with the city’s pick-pockets, so you had to be on your guard as you strolled in crowds.

Peru is a vast spread out country so I’d arranged a return flight from Lima to Cusco. I’d pre-arranged this in the UK, I’d booked all parts of this trip independently, and it proved a lot cheaper and a more rewarding way of travelling in Peru.
It only took two hours to get to Cusco but when we arrived we were advised to check straight in at the hotel to acclimatize to the altitude. Cusco is 3360m so the air is thin and some people suffer with altitude sickness. We duly drank our green tea, laid down on our beds for an hour and we had no problems at all.
Cusco was a fascinating old town with the cathedral being a centre point in the square. It was nice to see many people wearing their traditional costumes as everyday clothes, they had brightly coloured woven ponchos with matching woven hats. It gets very cold in Cusco in the winter months, but in February, when we went, it was warm and sunny, average 19 degrees.
On our return to the hotel, we got talking to Antonio, he was basically touting for work as a tour guide, we liked the fact that he would take us to the places we wanted to go to, and paid at a day rate.

Tip 1. If you get talking to someone who offers to be your guide, he may be standing by a nice new car as he makes arrangements with you. Ask them directly which car you will be travelling in, he might have an old banger around the corner.
Tip 2. Make sure they speak good English - unless you speak good Spanish.
Tip 3. Negotiate how much you will pay them before you start, for the day or 1/2 day.
Tip 4. Pay the guide after you have finished with him for the day - do not pay before.
Tip 5. We asked at the hotel reception if they knew Antonio and if he was a trust worthy person. Do this if you have the chance.

Machu Picchu actually sits at 2500 metres above sea level, so is lower than Cusco, so some people feel better going straight there. There is an option to have a helicopter flight from Cusco to Machu Picchu, although there is still a 40 minute bus ride, full of hairpin bends that wind its way up to the very top. However the helicopter is old and Russian made, it was under repair when we enquired, waiting for a part which could take two months to arrive! We opted for the train ride and weirdly, it felt like you were going higher out of Cusco, though after a while we started to descend, and followed the Urubamba river nearly all of the way. The river raged in parts with the rapids clearly on view, it was a beautiful 3 hour train journey, the sound of pan pipes played calmly in the background and plenty of refreshments were served.

Bear in mind, there is no road to Machu Picchu, you can only access it by train or trail.

Of course for those that had arranged or have plenty of time, the famed, Inca trail is the other way to reach Machu Picchu, usually taking about 4 days and camping along the way.
Tip.
Trekking the Inca trail is now regulated and cannot be done independently, you need to book with specific travel guides, in peak season you have took book up to 5 months in advance.
Check out:   www.andeantravelweb.com   for more information.

The train reaches the small village of Aguas Calientes, which sits at the base of Machu Picchu, there are a growing number of hotels and a few guest houses. Lots of local people try and sell their wares. Because the Urubamba River flows into the Amazon River its not far away and this results in Peruvians obtaining the most unusual things to sell.
From a picture frame with a huge tarantula pinned down to a preserved electric blue butterfly about 8” across. So many goods made out of snake or maybe lizard skin, which of course is all illegal to take home, so don’t be tempted.
Accommodation:
Tip.
Check out Hotels at Aguas Calientes:  www. pacarama.com
prices from £20 up to £75 per night can be found.

Hotel at the very top.
Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge  (formerly The Ruinas Hotel)
This is the only one, and we were lucky to stay there for two nights, before it was realised how much demand there would be for these rooms as the years went on.
Tip.
Make sure you book a room at this hotel at least six months in advance, you have to book via the office in Cusco.  Tel: +51 84 241777.
But be warned it is extortionate to stay there now, in the region of £550 a room per night!
That is why most people travel from Cusco, tour the Machu Pichhu ruins, then return to Cusco - all in one day.
This hotel, does serve food to all tourists from their cafe section, plus there are some separate food sellers just outside the entrance gate.

Entrance Gate through to the Ruins.
A charge of £55 is made to go through to this Magical Lost City of the Incas. Having a personal guided tour for the day is in the region of £200 including entry.

We decided to explore on our own and found this to suit us best, everywhere you roamed amongst the ruins, a spectacular sight surrounds you, its truly astounding. They let a few local Peruvians in to play their pan pipes and the sound gives a pure aura, echoing around some of the walls.
You could wander anywhere, but there are parts which are steep and very close to cliff edges and as you can imagine, many steps to go up and down. A mapped plan explains what each house or ruin was used for, from the Guard’s House to the Royal Palace.  It was fascinating how this city was originally built with such precision of the granite stone blocks. They had built a drainage and water supply system, and many sacred spots, the most famous being Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Three Windows, they have stone creations catching the sun in a certain way, which they used to worship.

All over Peru, most of these Temples were destroyed by the Spanish in the 1600’s that is why this lost city is so special because it was never discovered and therefore, left intact.
The whole city of ruins will take you all day to explore. But if you stay longer, as we did, there are many more things to see, trails taking you further up to extra sacred stoned areas, and a mountain hike up the most famous and most photographed peak.
They tend to make sure everyone has left the lost city and close the gate at 6.00pm.

The atmosphere is a friendly one and the Peruvian people are lovely. Machu Picchu has brought prosperity to many, and they appreciate the trade while still preserving their hidden City to the best of their ability.

The best advice I can give for a trip here, is Fly to Lima, then to Cusco to acclimatize for a couple of days. Get the train to Aguas Calientes, stay for three or four nights. Take the 40 min bus ride to the top, to the Machu Picchu Entrance and explore. The next day, walk the last part of the Inca Trail from Aguas Calientes up to the Entrance Gate (about 3hrs). Then on the third day go in the Entrance and follow some of the extra trails and mountain hikes. This way you have a bit of everything and get the chance to see the whole of Machu Picchu.

Tip.
Other very interesting places to visit around Cusco.
Pisac, they have a vibrant market place and it feels very natural, not commercialised.
I bought a beautiful hand made traditional woven rug from here!
We met some local children along the road, who again, were in their traditional costume, very friendly and all happy to pose for photos, the thing that surprised me was that their skin look aged due to the contrasts in the weather.
Ollantaytambo, a small town with Incan influence everywhere, which has tracks leading up to mountain villages. Here, the Peruvians, who we met, were very friendly, speak their native Qetchua language and live a traditional life, weaving, potato growing and making their own special beer, that they take to market to barter with on Saturdays.
Just outside of Ollantaytambo are the most remarkable ancient Fortress ruins, next best to Machu Picchu. The walls are enormous and vast, parts of it were worshiped burial chambers and other parts were temples. Its little visited, but definitely worth the effort. It is even higher up than Cusco, so we felt breathless very quickly, when walking up the wide terraced steps.
Urubamba Village is an interesting, fairly primitive place, there is a roadside shop, on the way which makes and sells soft Alpaca Rugs. There is just one small garden restaurant, good food so long as you don’t order their special traditional soup, its full of sheep's intestines and brains! Stick to the eggs and potatoes! They also have the attraction of a couple of small cute, tame monkeys roaming around the outside tables.
There are more ruins at Qenqo, Puka Pucara and the most striking ruins of The Sacsayhuman Fortress, which is well worth a visit.

All in all, the most enchanting country I’ve ever visited. It gave me the most warm memories of the people and the best ever photo selection of this official ‘Wonder of the World,’ Machu Picchu. I’d recommend anyone to go there for an out of the ordinary holiday experience.   By Caroline Harris.
 

Good hotels in Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu.

La Cabana Boutique Hotel  www.lacabanamachupicchu.com

or Gringo Bills  www.gringobill.com