4:05AM Get up
4:30AM Store big bags in hostel
4:40AM Get in line for first bus up the mountain (we were not the first)
5:30AM Bus leaves the station
5:55AM Arrive at Machu Picchu, stand on line
6:10AM Walk into gates of Machu Picchu, search for Huayna Picchu
6:30AM Accidentally pass gate to Huayna Picchu
6:35AM Re-arrive at gate
7:00AM Gate opens
7:25AM Walk through gate to Huayna Picchu
Since Tanya had been sick, she was a little out of sorts. But we did very well and let ourselves take lots of breaks. It is a lot of stairs, but it actually wasn't as bad as we had anticipated. Don't get me wrong, there are still some scary parts, but there are usually things to hang on to, and it wasn't quite as long of a hike as we thought. Because we were with the early group, there was still a lot of fog. This was good for several reasons:
1. There was no rush to get to the top. It was too foggy to see Machu Picchu (or anything beyond fifty feet in front of us) anyway.
2. The temperature was cool, so we weren't doubly hot from climbing and the sun. There was no sun.
3. We couldn't see down the mountain, so no real vertigo or scary views from way up high while climbing.
4. The reveal of the view of Machu Picchu as the fog slowly lifted was exciting. There were people cheering; it made the whole experience more awe inspiring.
8:40AM Arrive at first platform of Huayna Picchu
It was still super foggy, so we just hung out for a while and listened to the guide with his group next to us. Finally...
9:30AM Fog begins to lift
We did climb all the way to the top. It's kind of tricky up because it's just kind of a pile of boulders, and you have to go up a ladder to get there. Totally worth all of it. We climbed a mountain!
Eventually we made our way down. It was a lot more slippery coming down than going up, but we made it safely. The worst part was going down, then having to go back up again to get back to the gate. Still worth it, though.
We wandered through Machu Picchu, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Condor, etc. This village was built for the elite (the Incas, who were tall people, which explains the huge steps), designed for about 300-500 people, but while it was being built, about 5000 people lived there. I could tell you more, but I'll just post pictures.
Alas, we had to leave. We grabbed our bags and the first real meal we'd had all day. Then we caught our train to Cusco. They fed us, even have us a little show. PeruRail is really good and very punctual, at least in our experience. We finally made it to our hostel. Realizing that we are no longer 22 and that dorm rooms just don't do it for us anymore, we went ahead with a private room and bath. A little more money, but it's worth it. Sleep and health are definitely worth it.
If we could, we would have spent more time there in both Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. We just have so many things we want to do and see. More to come!
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