I got up at 4:45 a.m. and met Daddy for breakfast in the hotel restaurant at 5 a.m. I had my first, and sadly, my last, cantaloupe juice on the trip, and it was very delicious. We ate quickly, then headed up the street for the first bus to Machu Picchu, which left at 5:30 a.m. We were the second and third people in line, and as we drove up the mountain, we could see that the tops of the mountains were covered by fog. We were going to hike to Intipunku, or The Sun Gate, the pass on the mountain east of Machu Picchu where the Inca Trail hikers get their first view of the ruined city, and where you are supposed to get a good view of the sunrise. We were the fourth and fifth people through the main gate at 6:06 a.m. and made the 1-mile hike (which includes a 900 feet rise in elevation) in about 50 minutes. We arrived just in time to see … the fog continue to cover the area. We talked to several of the Inca Trail hikers, who had hiked since 4 a.m. to see the sunrise over the ruins, and they were obviously a little disappointed that the fog blocked off the view. I was disappointed to too, but my hike was a lot shorter than theirs, I had already seen Machu Picchu and they didn’t get that great cantaloupe juice for breakfast, so I didn’t feel too bad.
We waited at the Sun Gate until about 8 a.m., hoping for the fog to clear, but all we got was a little sun peeking through from the other side of the mountain and a short view of some blue sky and another distant peak. We hiked back down through the fog, which was very beautiful and cool – literally and figuratively. It left fine dew on everything and kept the morning comfortable, despite the increased humidity. We made it back down to Machu Picchu about 8:45 a.m., just in time to see the clouds lifting off the ruins, which was spectacular.
We went back to the main gate and met Mother, Crystal and the others as they got off the 8:30 a.m. bus. Then, Harry led our family to the western end of the ruins for our hike of Huayna Picchu, the large mountain overlooking the city. Only 400 people are allowed to hike the peak each day, and each person has to sign in and receive a number so that park staff can keep track of people going and coming. We were numbers 152 through 155. The trail was steep, with carved stone steps going up the sheer face of the mountain. We were on the shady side of the peak, so the steps were wet from the earlier fog, but not slippery, as the water mixed with the dirt to form a gritty paste. On many of the steepest spots, a large cable had been bolted to the rock to give us support and something to hold. The hike was about an hour, and we climbed about 1,000 feet. It was exhilarating at the top as we enjoyed the feeling of floating over the beautiful ruins. Near the top, we had to crawl through an Incan-built tunnel/cave, which was really cool.
We all got our picture taken on top, and we are all proud of making the big hike. On the way down, we had to come off a steep, steep set of steps going down several terraces. The steps were only about 5 inches deep in places, which made putting your feet sideways the best way to walk them. The hike down took almost as long as the hike up because the constant descent took a toll on our joints, making it hard to go very fast. We had spectacular views throughout the whole hike, so stopping to rest always had two rewards – new energy and a prolonged view! We made it to the trailhead about 12:30 p.m. and signed out so they didn’t think we died, then went and wandered around the ruins some more. The whole place is amazing; we loved it.
After exploring for a while, we met Harry, said goodbye to John and Jamie, who were staying an extra day at Machu Picchu, then got on the bus with Harry and Sally (yes, I made jokes about that time when they met…) and rode back to Aguas Calientes, saying goodbye to Machu Picchu, as well. The ruins almost immediately became almost like a beautiful dream in our memories, such is the almost unbelievable grandeur of the ruins in their mountain setting.
We had lunch at the Aguas Calientes train station (Crystal’s avocado selection was predictably delicious) and then said goodbye to Harry and got on the train. The train took us almost back to Cuzco this time, but we got off at Poroy, the second-to-last stop before Cuzco, because it was faster to take a bus back from there than to ride the train on switchbacks into Cuzco. Along the train ride, Daddy talked to Sally about the Church, sharing with her the Articles of Faith. He did a great job of being a missionary, and I need to follow his example – in that, and in so many other things.
Once back in Cuzco, we went back to the Casa Andina Hotel right off the main plaza. We put our stuff in the rooms, and then went with Sally to a restaurant, Inka Grill, on the square. I had some delicious gnocchi (potato pasta), and for dessert, shared some passion fruit crepes with Crystal. They were delicious and she said she would figure out how to make them some time. Score! The restaurant, being built right on the plaza, still had some of the original walls from when it was an Incan palace. The stone work still never ceases to amaze me. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
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