Machu Pichu

Sorry this blog is so late. We´ve been moving around so much its been nearly impossible to get to a computer. The traveling is getting harder. We are only in places for at most 2 days now andwe always bus to the next city, which is not fun at all. They are usually night buses, meaning you will get no sleep untill you arrive at the hostel. And were on these buses for 7 to 11 hours at a time. It´s tiring. But on a happier note, Machu Pichu was one of the best experiences yet. We hiked on the Inca trail for 4 days untill we arrived at the sacred city of the Incas. It wasn´t just Mach Pichu that took my breath away, but the whole Inca trail. We hiked for 7 hours every day to the next campsite, and scaled steep valleys and narrow ridges. The scenery was beautiful. I´ve never seek mountains so tall and valleys so deep. At certain campsites we were above the clouds. They were nestled into the valley and made it appear like a giant ice cream cone. Our guide and porters were wonderful. They cooked delicious meals, which made us all happy campers. And we recieved a snack, popcorn or wantons with tea, after we would first arrive to camp which made us all very happy campers. The food really was incredible. Better than anything I had imagined for a trip like that. The Inca trail was no easy feat. It was quite difficult. On the second day we had to ascend 3,000 ft of elevation. And we all caried our own packs with our clothes and water and various materials needed for the trip. It was tough. But the views only got better. We visited ruins that overlooked giant valleys, learned a lot of the history of the region, all while we were hiking this ancient trail. I think the third day was the most majestic. That day we actually started hiking the Inca trail. Previously we were actually on a government made trail. We were told parts of the Inca trail were to dangerous and hard to follow, which was why they made a new trail. Personally I loved the actaul Inca trail. Rather than going up and down the valleys like the government road, the Inca trail was flat because it followed the tops of the ridgelines of the mountains. This was the reason forthe amazing views the third day. The whole valley was beneath you, and the combination of the clouds and the mountains were just breathtaking. I kept thinking to myself, no wonder the Incas thought they were gods, I would to if I woke up to this view every day. The day we were going to see Machu Pichu we got up at 3 30 in the morning to start the race to the city. Realize that we were not the only people on the trail. Hundreds of other people had been hiking the same trip as us, and we all accumulated to this one day where we would all be shoveled into the city. That night I didn´t like. Everybody who had been hiking was all at one campsite that was very modern. It just wasn´t the experience I wanted while camping. The previous quieter nights had been perfect. But anyways, once the checkpoint opened our group raced along the trail to try to be the first people to Machu Pichu. No we weren´t being competitive freaks, we hada purpose. We needed to be the first hikers that entered Machu Pichu so we would have a better chance of getting into WaynaPichu, the neighboring mountain that stands about 250 m taller than Machu. From there you are supposed to get the best views around. But its supposedly very crowded and unlikely that we would make it in for the 7 am opening. But being the beasts thatwe are, we made it by 7 andit wasnt crowded at all. That hike was the steepest climb of my life. Like I told my parents, at points, if you fell backwards, you would be falling to your death. It as insanely steep. But it was a short climb to the top and well worth the early morning get up, the rushing along the trail, and the steep hike. The view was unbelieveable. Machu Pichu was clear as day and we got great shots. But eventhe surrounding mountains were amazing. The clouds covered the tops so it gave this eerie feeling of pure vastness. Like the world was so much bigger than you, and you were only a small part of it. It was humbling. I´m so glad I decided to climb Waynapichu. I would have missed out if I had stayed back like some of the people in the group. The reason people hike Waynapichu is also becasue thats where the Incas set up their temples for the gods. So there were ruins up there as well. How they made those temples on such a steep mountain I have no idea. After we rested for a while and took in the amazing views, wehiked back down and really explored Machu Pichu. The tour we got was very informative because he explained to us parts of the ruins that we would have otherwise have looked over. One of the most interesting things we saw were these compasses the Incas made. They were magnetic and when we tested it it was completely accurate. The tip pointed directly south and the other tips follwed suit. Crazy. We were also showed different rooms occupied by various people of power. We saw where the priest made his home, and we also saw a room specifically for an Inca. They had their own toilet so they didn´t have to be like the common people and go into the woods. The architecture was another amazing feat of the Incas. To this day scientists are unable to explain how the Incas built these nearly perfect walls out of the materials they had at the time. Each block of rock fit perfectly into each other. There were no cracks and no holes. And they were also all smooth. It was very cool to know that theres still some mystery about them. The whole trip was such a great experience.