We didn't have the best night's sleep. The room was hot and stuffy. There was air conditioning available but it sounded like a tractor so we couldn't leave it on. Unless we were like those babies who fall asleep to a wall of white noise.

After a sleepless night I was awake waiting for the 4:30am alarm.   

Julie had the first shower. She usually does because she prefers hers on the cooler side. After I've had a shower the room is usually like a sauna.

"Eff-in'ell" I heard Julie yelp. The water was stone cold. I laughed but then realised I was up next.

Thankfully,  by the time I stepped into the shower the temperature was an acceptable luke warm.

I could still hear water running, so I checked the shower. But I had switched it off.

That's when I opened the window to see it raining heavily. "Oh no!" I gasped when I realised we didn't even have a raincoat. Of all the things not to have packed!

We were down for breakfast at the ridiculous time of 5:15am! Sonya and Garry were already down, tucking into an excellent buffet selection. It wasn't so much the quantity of choices but the quality. I really enjoyed my scrambled eggs and the little roasted potatoes with fried onion were incredible. So much so, I went back for a second plateful!

Whilst we were tucking into our breakfast Ali Jei very kindly went out in the rain in search of cheap rain ponchos for Julie and I.  Despite the early hour the ever resourceful market traders were already set up and selling plastic ponchos to those tourists stupid enough to forget to bring raincoats!

She even returned with a selection of colours and styles for us to choose from. 

At 5:45am precisely we left our bags at the hotel and walked the short distance over the river. It was a relief to discover it had stopped raining and our embarassing ponchos could remain in their bags.

We joined the back of the queue for the buses up to Machu Picchu. There were so many people here. The queue was enormous but perfectly normal. There was nothing to worry about here.

Our entry tickets were allocated the time slot of 7am. Despite the early hour I was surprised to learn we weren't in the first wave. The gates opened at 6am for those lucky enough to be amongst the first to walk in.

Slowly but surely we shuffled closer towards the buses. At any given time there were four or five of them parked loading up with passengers. As one drove off, another soon arrived, did a three point turn, in a tight space, where almost a quarter of the bus overhang the drop to the river! 

They've obviously done it before, several times a day, but our hearts were in our mouths the first time we saw it!

After half an hour of queuing we were finally approaching the buses. Our tickets were checked to make sure we were in the correct time slot.  The 8am line was now starting to form. 

We were told to get onboard bus number 9 and shortly after 6:30am we were on our way. The only seats available were in the back row. 

The road followed the Urumbamba river until we reached a short suspension bridge, which we rattled over and began to climb up the mountain. Ahead of us were thirteen hairpin bends of the Carretera Hiram Bingham. (I had counted them earlier on Google maps.) I couldn't bring myself to tell Julie that there were thirteen. It's the sort of thing that would freak her out!

We rose quickly and the scenery was just getting better with every other turn. I was sat by the window so I got the best view of us climbing above the clouds. Julie could hardly bring herself to look.

We would then turn a corner and all we could see were the trees and shrubs of the jungle, through which the road was cut.

Turn another corner, and the breathtaking views returned.

We drove right on the edge. We also seemed to be bouncing a lot, probably because we were sat in the back seats.  All this motion comotion wasn't helping Julie as she increasingly spent time with her eyes shut.

She then let out a "You've got to be kidding me?!?!" as another bus was coming down the hill. The road didn't seem wide enough but it was. Although it was a tight squeeze for us to pass each other.

It was easy for me to be blaze about it and reassure Julie with an "It'll be fine" but only last month (16th Sept 2024) a bus actually fell off the side! It didn't roll over, but it careered head-first down the mountain, only coming to a stop where it met the road again. Fortunately no one died but there were many broken bones.

As we continued to climb up, the view became obscured by heavier cloud. The buses continued to meet. We even had to reverse at one point to allow another to safely pass. It was an understatement to say that Julie was mightily relieved when we reached the top.

We got off the bus outside the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. It didn't look like a swanky hotel but it was. I sighed. Imagine waking up there, literally being the first through the turnstiles! There are some things only money can buy.

Ali Jei introduced us to our guide, specifically hired to show us around Machu Picchu. Her name was Alicia. She explained how entry to the site is now divded into three predetermined circuits. Circuit 1 was called the Panoramic, with several routes concentrating on the upper terraces.  Circuit 3 was known was the Royal circuit with a various routes around the lower terraces.

We had tickets for Circuit 2, known as the Classic circuit. There were two slightly different routes available, and we were going to be on the inferior (ruta 2-B) although to me it seemed to be the superior of the two routes. 

Once inside there weren't any toilets so for the price of 2 soles per person we made use of the facilities at the entrance.

I had expected circuit 2 to be the most popular so I headed towards the end of a long queue but to my surprise it was the line for circuit 3. Our entrance was up some steps, and there was hardly a queue.

Stepping through the turnstiles, it was time to go and tick off that bucket list and bag our sixth out of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The excitement was electrifying as we continued along a mist shrouded path through the trees, turning a corner and then seeing for the first time the famous stone walls of Machu Picchu.

What we saw was nothing special, but it was our first sighting.

The terraces cascaded dramatically down the hillside. Above them reconstructed houses with thatched roofs created a sense of what the place would have looked like. Alicia explained that these weren't even original and were built to bring the past to life.

Since becoming a listed UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 such changes would not have been allowed. Alicia even suggested that if a wall fell down they wouldn't repair it now with a zero intervention policy. 

A wooden open tread staircase gradually lifted us up, I suspect to limit the wear and tear from the 4500 people a day.  We soon reached the first vantage point, our first proper, albeit partial, view. We could see the Eastern lower terraces and the buildings above them. It was simply magical, rising from the mountain. 

When Hiram Bingham first arrived here in 1911 it was mostly abandoned, hidden by dense vegetation reclaiming the stone. Although, apparently a couple of farmers were using a few terraces to grow some crops. 

He was actually searching for the "Lost City of the Incas", the legendary Vilcabamba, to where Manco Inca and the Inca resistance retreated, the last stronghold deep in the Amazon rainforest.

Ironically he had already visited the actual location, the true lost city, known as Espiritu Pampa, but he dismissed it as being a minor site of lesser importance because it simply wasn't grand enough.

A local farmer-cum-guide called Melchor Arteaga suggested Bingham should visit this citadel built on a saddle between two mountain peaks. The grand scale and craftsmanship they found at Machu Picchu lead him to announce he had finally discovered the lost city.

I guess in many ways he was correct because there was no mention of this place in any of the Spanish chronicles. It was lost to all but a few.

Not only did he believe he had discovered the "lost city" of Vilcabamba he also came to the conclusion that it must have been a sanctuary for the virgins of the sun. Researchers working with Bingham believed they had only found the remains of females but that theory has been debunked. The bones were equally male and female.

It's now understood that Machu Picchu was built during the time of Pachacuti, sometime during the mid-15th century and possibly nothing more than an extravagant winter retreat for the emperor.

Although that's not to say that it wasn't also a spiritual place.  There were several temples located within its walls.

We continued to gradually walk up the agricultural terraces, each climb in altitude brought to an even better view across the citadel. At each level we stopped to photograph the spectacular and to take photos of ourselves amongst the wonder.

We took every opportunity to stop and marvel at the city. We could now see more of the Western side where there were several rows of what looked like terrace houses. These would be the residences of the nobility of Pachacuti's court.

Beyond it, shrouded in mist, appeared to be a pyramid.

For a brief moment the cloud cleared and we could see the natural rock formation, layered with terraces on all sides but one with a literal stairway to heaven cut into the stone. At the top was the Intihuatana sun temple which contained a sacred stone pillar carved directly from the peak.

We took advantage of the clear sky to take a closer look at the entire urban sprawl of the citadel. There was an East/West divide, separated by a large terraced plaza.

Ali Jei pointed out, below the terraced houses, the only circular structure in Machu Picchu, the Temple of the Sun. 

Across the plaza were more buildings beleived to be where the staff lived and worked, a more industrial distrcit. Although they have found houses on the mountain opposite which may have been a small village for the workers.

It's been estimated as much as a thousand people may have lived in Machu Picchu.

We moved on, reaching for the first time stone steps up to what was part of the trail from Cusco. It continued from here down to the main city gate.

In the opposite direction the path climbed up the mountain known as Machu Picchu, which literally means the Old Mountain. People still use this ancient pathway walking for three days from Ollantaytambo in what's called the "Inca Trail".

Alicia pointed out Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate somewhere on the mountain. "Ah, yes" I said but to be honest I didn't know where she was directing my eyes. So I took a photo and we moved on. 

I later found out it was the obviously man-made lump at the top of the ridge.

Next, we stepped up another level, to a large open plaza, the highest point on the Classic circuit route 2-B. It was busy with people, mostly just standing around. I wasn't too sure what they were waiting for but it soon became clear.

The clouds had rolled in obscuring much of the citadel from view.  It was so disappointing to have arrived at this moment and for it not to be perfect.

There were pockets where it was clear but only momentarily. 

I desperately zoomed in to at least capture some images from this position. The lower Eastern terraces we visible. I was getting a little disheartened by the weather but thankfully Alicia said "It's ok. We can wait".

So we stepped away from the front, and we joined the rest of people hanging around at the plaza, all waiting for the cloud to lift.

She filled the time with more information about the location of Machu Picchu, how it was aligned with three major mountain peaks, as if it was more than just a nice spot for a winter retreat but a predetermined location amongst the most powerful of mountain spirits.

The original real name of the city is not known.  Some believe that it may have been Patallaqta, based on the chronicles of Juan de Betanzos in 1551, but the Spaniards didn't even know this citadel on Machu Picchu even existed. 

It's now accepted that Patallaqta refers to an Inca ruin a few hours walk from the start of the offiical Inca Trail.

After five minutes we returned to the front to find it had got worse. "A real pea-souper!" as Paddington would say.

I mean you can't come all this way not to get a decent view of Machu Picchu. So we waited a while longer.

Eventually we could see the cloud slowly begin to thin out. It was looking promising but you can never tell. It could change in an instance.

So we rushed to have our selfies taken, in case this was as good as it got. We hurried through, but all the time the cloud was getting thinner.

Finally, the cloud cover had completely gone. We could see quite clearly the entire city. I was so pleased to have seen it without any obstructions. 

Although, whilst it was truly breathtaking, I have to be honest, the "wow factor" didn't hit me hard. I think the slow reveal didn't lend itself to it.

We'd already read the synopsis, seen the trailer, the sneak previews, and couldn't avoid the spoilers. 

I suspect the only way to achieve that pure moment of instant awe would to have walked the Inca Trail and entered through the Sun Gate, seeing Machu Picchu for the first time in it's entire spleandour.

Now that would have made me gasp "wow".

My lack of feeling the awesomeness didn't mean I was disappointed. Far from it. I was still excited to see the city unveiled. To be fair, the cloud added to the atmosphere. Escpecially how it seemed to swirl all around the city. 

After a few more minutes of capturing the moment we were ready to move on.

We followed the path down the hill to the City Gate. 

"Is this the only way in?" I asked Alicia. Apparently it was. A tall defensive wall had been built along the Southern side of the city and this was the only entrance! We would struggle to bring our sofa in through this door! 

There was a small bottleneck at the gate because it was another photo opportunity that everyone was taking.  We gave Alicia our phone again and had a quick snapshot before moving on.

I'm not sure why but we handed over our blue circuit 2 lanyards at the gate.

Whilst Sonya and Garry were having their photo shoot we looked back at where we had come from. Julie was surprised at how steep the climb up appeared. She had been worrying about being physically able to walk around Machu Picchu but was now feeling quite accomplished.

The path continued towards an area than hadn't been worked. It was still the mountainous terrain in its natural state. Some describe it as the quarry.

Looking across from there I got my "wow" moment.

It took me by surprise. My knees went weak at the dizzying sight of the Intihuatana sun temple, with the precipitous terraces down the side of the mountain, with the Urubamba river below and the jungle covered misty mountains surrounding us.

It took my breath away. 

It was also a side of Machu Picchu I had never seen before. It almost felt like a new discovery for my eyes.

Behind the Intihuatana was the small Huchuy Picchu mountain. Personally, this view was the pinnacle of what Machu Picchu had to offer.

It was such a shame that access to climb the Intihuatana was no longer permitted.

I think change was as recent as its reopening after the covid pandemic. I don't know if it was a health & safety issue with everyone placing their grubby little hands on the sacred pillar, or was it a conern for the preservation of the stone steps.

Visibilty was still good, or at least it was for us. When I looked back to the plaza near to the Watchtower, from where we had walked, it was now shrouded in mist. People were standing at the edge probably not getting a great view.

We continued along the path reaching what's called the "sacred plaza" at the base of Intihuantana where an uncharacteristic mistake had been made in the construction of the Principal temple. The wall was suffering from subsidence and cracked quite dramatically.

However it was in no danger of falling. It had subsided as far as it could. Precise measurements show it hasn't moved.

In fact, photos taken by Hiram Bingham in 1911 show the wall in exactly the same state. Those photographs are absoultely fascinating. The fractured Principle Temple was one of a few landmarks visible amonst the overgrowth. 

On the sacred plaza was also the Temple of Three Windows. Alicia pointed out their earthquake proofing trapezoid shape. Either side of the windows was a smaller trapezoid niche where statues of deities and offerings would be placed.

She also mentioned the three worlds of heaven, the underworld and the here and now, Hanan-pacha, Uku-pacha and Kay-pacha as a potential significance of the number three. Although whether that had anything to do with the three windows was anyone's guess.

From the sacred plaza we continued along the path to the central plaza, admiring the lone tree in the middle of the lower level. It was a Cinchona tree, the national tree of Peru and it stood alone as the only tree in the citadel.  Apparently it was symbolically left when the site was cleared to represent the overgrown jungle that had once covered the entire place.  

The tree wasn't the only plant growing here, there were many shrubs along the paths. We even passed a small area where several plants were growing, each variety had a label. Ali Jei pointed to one labelled erythroxylum coca, the cocaine plant.

In the middle of the main central plaza was a large green tent, an unfortunate blight on our panoramic photos.

It was set up by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture. Alicia explained they were attempting to restore and reset a large stone monolith. It had been removed in 1978 to allow the King of Spain to arrive in his helicopter.

It was safely returned only to be dug up again in 1989 when Peru was hosting a meeting of Andean Community of Nations leaders. This time however it was damaged beyond repair and buried, hidden from view.

At the end of the central plaza we crossed a few terraces towards a few thatched buildings at the base of Huchuy Picchu, literally the small mountain.

A newly opened path (Circuit 3 routeD) now allows you to hike up its densely forested slopes. It wasn't especially tall but it made me wonder what the view from the top would be like.

I began to think how great it would be to spend two whole days here, doing multiple circuits to get to see it all. There were places we had not seen up close, like the Sun Gate on the ridge, the curved Temple of the Sun, there was even an Inca Bridge somewhere. 

A small plaza was formed by a few huayranas, the thatched three sided buildings. There were also referred to as callancas, a shelter built for the people attending a ceremony.

In the centre of the square there was a huge rock, 3 metres tall, 7 metres long, carved into the shape of the Pumasillo mountain to the East. It's known that the Inca belief system worshiped the apus, the spirits of the mountain.

They worshiped Viracocha, the creator, Inti the sun god, but also spirits that lived in trees, waterfalls, large boulders.

"It must have been an altar" suggested Alicia.

She then herded us together to take a photo of us standing in front of the huge piece of rock. It was a busy little square and I felt a little awkward posing for a photo. She then made us wave our hands up in the air as if we were on a big dipper. I reluctantly obliged, like a performing seal.

We moved on, passing the checkpoint gate to the perilous path up Huayna Picchu. Not only did they make sure you had one of the sought after permits to climb the mountain, (limited to 400 per day) but also, according to Alicia, to literally count you in, and then count you back out again, to make sure no one was missing.

By all accounts the path, often referred to as the "stairs of death", is very narrow and you do run the risk of having to pass people walking in the opposite direction. That scenario doesn't bare thinking about.

Despite its gruesome nickname no one has actually died on the stairs of death.

 Still, it was one hell of hike just for an unique but brief view of Machu Picchu. "You only have 15 minutes at the top" explained Alicia. A park ranger manages the area.

We could see several people near to the summit where the Inca had even built terraces and temples!  It was insane to think they even considered building at the summit.

Our path continued,  bringing us to the industrial area, as we began our slow return to where we started. I spent much of the following half an hour feeling quite disappointed.  It was the begining of the end.

We walked inside a few of the buidlings. There wasn't much to see but Alicia tried to fill our imagination with how it may have looked.

They wouldn't have a door but instead draped heavy fabric to keep the draft out. Straw would carpet the floor, walls were most probably bare unless the occupants were wealthy, in which case they may have draped colourful fabric wall hangings to decorate. Small pottery ornaments or even oil lamps would have been placed in the niches.

Several of these houses were positioned along the top of the Eastern terraces, a prime location for the most incredible view of the Putucusi  mountain. 

Stepping out we saw the mountain, in all its glory and the Urubamba river looping around it. We could even see the road to Aguas Calientes. 

I didn't want to leave, I wanted to stay just a little bit longer. I stood at the edge, absorbing the energy from this spectacular place. But I couldn't stay there all day.

I moved on, only to be captivated once again by what appeared to be an unfinished altar. It stands now as a reminder that Machu Picchu was abandoned, perhaps quite suddenly, sometime during the mid-16th century. One suspects they would have left when the Spanish were getting closer and Manco Inca was retreating his people further into the jungle.

The Inca resistance was over in 1572.

 We continued back towards the start and noticed how busier it was getting on the terraces. The numbers of people entering was controlled but once you were inside you could walk at your own pace. This meant that there was a gradual build up. But it wasn't even 10am yet!

There was still time to see one more unique feature of Machu Picchu, a pair of circular basins cut into the rock, creating a small pool of water which archaeologists theorise were used to reflect the night's sky enabling the stars and the moon to be studied by Inca astronomers.

Two and a half hours after entering Machu Picchu we came to the point that was to be our last view of the citadel. I lingered for a while.

I wanted to say something, anything, witty or profound but nothing came. I just raised my hand and waved goodbye.

Moments later we were outside, saying goodbye to Alicia and waiting for the next bus back down the long and winding road to Aguas Calientes.

The journey down was equally traumatic for Julie as the one up. The bus had to stop and reverse to allow another to pass, all the while teetering on the edge.

In a strange twist of fate we ended up in the exact same seats as before and fortunately our destiny was the same as we safely reached the end of the twisting Carretera Hiram Bingham. 

It was starting to rain as we arrived back in Aguas Calientes or I should say Machu Picchu Pueblo. (It's just not rolling off the tongue)

 It was only 10:30am so we had four hours to kill before our train to Ollantaytambo. With hindsight if we had known we had the time we would have gone to the hot springs, but we didn't have our swimming costumes and, as it happened, Ali Jei arranged for us to meet up for lunch as 12:30pm.

So instead we made our way up to Plaza Manco Capac. 

At the main square we decided to find a cafe to sit down overlooking the plaza. I'm not too sure why, but we picked the most awkward to find. There were other far more inviting on the square.

The entrance to the Tree House was down Calle Collasuyo and up a narrow staircase. Some how Garry managed to bump his head on the way up. I'm not too sure how?  I had gone on ahead and he's a few inches shorter than me. I missed it but by all accounts it was a solid whack. Garry admitted to "seeing stars" but he was fine. Emergency services were not required.

We sat with a great view of the square, with its golden statue of Manco Capac, the Parroquia Virgen del Carmen church and the misty mountains beyond.

There wasn't even a breeze as the Peruvian national flag and the rainbow Inca flag hung still, draping the poles.

We couldn't just sit there for free so we ordered some drinks and a cheese empanada. Despite being early I had a beer, a bottle of Cusqueña. In my defence, we had been awake now for six hours. It was certainly time for brunch, perhaps the beer was a bit premature, but at least the empanada was absolutely delicious.

We moved on, took a selfie with Manco Capac, then wondered what to do next. There was still another hour to go before we were due to meet up with Ali Jei, so it was back to another cafe overlooking the square.

This time we tried Coricancha, for a different view. We didn't order food, only drinks, which may have been a good call. When I went looking for someone to pay the bill I stumbled across the kitchen, and it was absolutely filthy dirty.

With still more time spare we walked through the small market. One stall was selling only potatoes by the bucket. Sat on the floor, in front of huge sacks of spuds, three ladies were busy peeling the potatoes and putting them in these large tubs.

I don't know why they were peeling them?  It was strange.

Next up was the butcher, selling her cuts of meat from trays open to the elements. It made me glad to be a vegetarian.

We continued through the market, looping around back into Plaza Manco Capac. At a loss as to what to do next we decided to head to the restaurant early.

Ali Jei was already waiting for us at Ponchos, I suspect she'd been there a while. The restaurant was nicely decorated and the staff were incredibly welcoming and attentive.

I ordered the noquis gratinados, something similar to a gnocchi alla sorrentina, which was nice although not a patch on it's Italian counterpart. Julie had grilled chicken with mashed potato. She really enjoyed it and chose to ignore me when I joked that both were "fresh from the market" this morning.

Garry ordered the hanging kebabs and stole the show. Two enormous, (and I mean huge), chicken kebabs, with chunks of pineapple and courgette, peppers and onion arrived swinging on their perch.

"Would you like it with pisco or tequilla" asked Yurema, the waitress.

Garry opted for the pisco. She returned with a jug of the spirit, setting it alight with a small lighter as she poured it over the first kebab, then moving on to the second.  

It was a spectacle worthy of the gasp we all let out. Once the flambe had finished Garry tucked in. It was a massive portion, easily enough for two people, but he pushed through the pain and finished it.

With lunch done, we walked back over the river, stopping briefly to appreciate the beauty of the simplest things, like a cascade of water, breaking over the rocks.  In that moment, it reminded me of home.

I'm not one to get homesick, but the more I travel, the more I appreciate home. We do live in a beautiful place in Eryri (Snowdonia).

The train station wasn't far, literally a minutes walk away from the river. We collected our luggage on the platform from someone from the hotel and boarded our Perurail train.

It wasn't as fancy as the Voyager we boarded yesterday, nor was there any fanfare or carnival to wave us off. We simple boarded the train and took to our seats. 

Precisely on time we set off on our journer back towards Ollantaytambo. Minutes later we passed an idyllic section of the river. It must have been the Urumbamba but it looked so pristine, almost filtered clean.