Let's Go to Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu is the gem of Peru. Actually, it’s the gem of all South America. It stands as the #1 tourist destination for the entire continent. What makes this place so special? It’s just a bunch of ruins, right? Wrong. A former Inca city and stronghold, it sits perfectly positioned on top of Machu Picchu mountain (the real name of the city is still unknown to this day). Unable to be seen from the mountain’s base and hidden from invading Spanish forces in the 1500s, it was never plundered or destroyed as many other Inca cities were. It sat hidden from the outside world until American Hiram Bingham from Yale University discovered it in 1911. Since then, visitors from around the world have flocked to this site, over 1 million in 2013 alone. It is officially a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

As my husband, Dan, and I laid the groundwork for a 16-person mission trip to Peru, we considered whether or not to take the group to Machu Picchu. We didn’t go there on our 2012 mission trip. Could we make it happen this time around?

Our first view of Machu Picchu...postcard perfect!

The only right choice in the matter seemed to be the addition of an excursion to Machu Picchu. We were already going to be in the country, and of our 16-person group, I was the only one who’d ever been to Machu Picchu. Plus, the journey to Machu Picchu starts in the city of Cusco which sits at 10,000 feet elevation. Since our team would be hiking at elevations equal to that or higher once we started the trekking portion of our ministry, we needed to give our bodies time to acclimate to the altitude. Machu Picchu sits at about 8,000 feet, so we could use the time to acclimate to altitude, plus see an amazing historical site. On paper, this all made sense, and it sounded great.

Our team on the mean streets of Aguas Calientes. There's nothing
quite like an international trip to bring people together.

Even though the journey from the United States to Peru is a long one, we knew that once in Peru, getting to Machu Picchu would still be quite an endeavor. International visitors must enter the country through the capital city of Lima. Machu Picchu isn’t close to Lima, and many mountains stand in between. Getting to Machu Picchu then includes a plane ride to Cusco, a bus ride through the Sacred Valley, and a train trip to the small town of Aguas Calientes. From Aguas Calientes intrepid tourists can hike up the side of the mountain, but most people take the bus up a narrow switchback road.

As our team embarked upon this journey to Machu Picchu, something wonderful began to happen. A tight team bond started to form. Even though we all knew each other before we left the USA, there’s something about traveling that brings people together. We started to know the “real” people, the ones that sometimes live behind facades. This process cannot be forced...it has to unfold naturally through a series of experiences.

Another unique component to this process was that even though we had tour guides and taxi drivers who could get us to all the right places, Dan and I were the true leaders of the group. We had the ultimate responsibility of making decisions that impacted everyone. We don’t speak Spanish, and we didn’t have any special insights, except for my previous trip to Machu Picchu. This “feet on the ground leadership” honed our skills and further brought the team into a tight-knit group.

The team begins to form a bond...one that would serve us well
on the entire trip.

So, our journey to Machu Picchu was more than just seeing ruins. It was about forming a team, a “family,” which would benefit us later when we trekked into the mountains to deliver Bibles to the Quechua people. 

The Road to Machu Picchu is an Adventurous One, Part 1

After about a week in the rain forest, the official class portion of the trip was over. However, I had decided a long time ago that I was going to stay and take an extra trip to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is the number one tourist destination in South America. I felt that it would be pointless to go all the way to Peru and not visit Machu Picchu. So, early on I had made the plans to travel to Cusco and then to Machu Picchu. Originally, I thought I was going to be doing this alone, but a few of the other gals from the group also decided to go to Machu Picchu, so I had some company. This was fine with me, and it definitely made my husband feel better since he knew I wouldn't be by myself.

The airport in Puerto Maldonado is pretty basic.
No Starbucks here!

Most travelers to Machu Picchu go to the city of Cusco first. From there, it is a train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes, which sits at the base of the mountain Machu Picchu. This trip seemed so easy and simple, but back in February 2010 there had been a landslide that took out part of the train tracks to Machu Picchu. Even though it was July, that landslide still affected our entire trip to Machu Picchu, and made it much more of an adventure than I originally thought it would be.

Getting to Cusco from Puerto Maldonado was no problem. It's a simple plane ride from one city to the next. Surprise! It was only 60 degrees in Cusco. What a shock to the system after spending a week in the humid rain forest. Thankfully, I had a sweatshirt with me. I wore it the entire time I was in Cusco and Machu Picchu. I also bought a hat and gloves made from Alpaca fur.

It was a welcome relief to get to the hotel in Cusco...Hotel Marqueses. I had a suitcase full of stinky rain forest clothes, and I felt grimy from a week of rain forest sweat. I definitely wanted some creature comforts. The hotel was able to wash my dirty clothes with just a few hours' turn around time, and the hot shower was a blessing. A nice meal with entertainment and a warm bed topped off that wonderful first day. Ah, it's the little things in life that make such a difference.

Waiting for the bus to take us to the train.

The next day we were off on the trek to Machu Picchu. We were booked on a tour of the Sacred Valley first (which I will describe in more detail on a future post). By mid-afternoon we were in the town of Ollantaytambo waiting to catch the train to Aguas Calientes. Because of the interruption in train service, we actually were waiting on a bus that took us to the train. We felt confused during this wait because we didn't speak Spanish, and we were at the mercy of anyone who could translate for us.

The bus ride to the train station was interesting. It was on a one-way road, and we spent part of the trip sitting in a traffic jam. Finally, we got moving, and then we were flying! It's a miracle that we weren't in a wreck. The river was on the left side of the road, and it was a pretty good drop-off from the road down to the river. One wrong move, and we would've been dead! This was not for the faint of heart, for sure.

Waiting for the train

When we finally got to the train station, there was more waiting. It was fun, but in an awkward kind of way. Again, we had the confusion of not knowing what was going on. The representatives from Peru Rail mostly seemed to be bilingual, and so we kept asking and asking where we were supposed to be and what was going on. A few times we just followed the crowd and hoped we were headed in the right direction. This was how we got down to the train platform. Then, we stood there and watched as they put the train together right there on the tracks at the station. Peruvian efficiency?

After all this waiting, we got on the train to Aguas Calientes. This was the "Backpacker Express" train, and it was the cheaper train. It was filled with young people and some families. We were seated across from a young man from Spain who was doing some traveling before heading to a new job in New York City, and an American missionary from Belize whose family was on a vacation to Machu Picchu. His wife and daughters were across the aisle. We chatted with them a little bit. This was a pretty slow moving train, so we had plenty of time to talk, sleep, read, and take in the general atmosphere. Unfortunately, it was dark outside, so we didn't get to see any scenery.

Finally! Here comes the train. Oh wait, they have to put it together.

When we arrived in Aguas Calientes, it was midnight. We hadn't had dinner, and we were starving! We were staying at a hostel, and they had food ready for us when we got there. It was delicious and exactly what we needed. The rooms at the hostel were basic, but clean. We hit the showers and then the beds to rest up for our exciting day at Machu Picchu. The wake up call was coming at 4:00 a.m. Ay, yi, yi!