Thankfully, we were the first 400 people there. We entered the gates, and for some reason I thought...I feel like I am at Disney World about to go on an adventure ride. Or take the boat to Tom Sawyers Island. We were not, however, at Disney World, but rounding the corner of the entrance to lay our eyes upon the most magnificent thing I have ever seen and one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Crossing the ruins with only a few people within site, we arrived at the gate of Wayna Picchu and waited in line again. Too many lines today considering it wasn't even 7 am...
For those who don't know, Wayna Picchu is one of the most photographed mountains in the world. Situated to the right, and towering above Machu Picchu at 12,000 feet, WP is covered by foliage...so the trail is difficult to see. I thought to myself...look at some of these people...this hike cant be THAT bad. I'm ready for this.
WRONG. The trail up was shocking to me. Steep and full of switch backs, the trail was mostly steps or carved rock. The stairs were STEEP and this made going up really challenging, especially considering I was carrying a heavy backpack. It took an hour and maybe 15 minutes to make it to the top and that included rests...I mean...photo ops. At the top, just when you think you are going to cry, you come to a small cave. Considering I am tall and was carrying a backpack, it is easy to guess that I got stuck. In addition to a cave, we had to climb up a ladder to the top of a boulder. Once I got my bearings, I could finally stand at the top and look down at Machu Picchu.
This was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. It is the reverse view which is not really seen in guidebooks. Kari, Andrew, and I arrived to the top 20 minutes after my brother. Everyone at the top sits on huge boulders, and it is hard to describe the setting even with the aid of a picture. But sitting there, you are literally at the highest point of the mountain because at the top, there are only huge rocks to sit on. But you must be careful not to fall off :)
For two hours, we sat there marveling at the beauty of the Andes mountains. People were praying, some were writing, some were listening to music, others were taking photos, and others were just staring.
After our break, we began the descent. Most people descend the way they came up. However, there is a second route that takes you around the back of the whole mountain. It takes you to the Temple of the Moon, which is actually dedicated to the Pachamama, or Mother Earth. The hike began with a couple asking the four of us, "Do you know what you're doing?" to which our answer was "nope" but we continued anyways. I was reluctant, though, because I could picture this as the beginning to a thriller or mystery movie where four tourists go missing or fall off the side of a mountain.
So we began with some steep stairs going down, and then we arrived at another set of narrow stairs tilted away from the mountain. I thought this was impossible, but there was a steel cable to aid us. Continuing on, I will admit I was complaining a bit, we trekked down more stairs. This path was more covered by foliage than the climb up because hardly anyone takes this path as it is more difficult. My favorite part was somewhere in the first half of the journey. Eric suddenly exclaimed with laughter, "oh you are going to love this." and then I saw it. There was a very old wooden ladder that extended about thirty feet down. Getting onto the ladder was difficult enough and the descent was a treat as my blood sugar was obviously low because I was shaking. That, or I was filled with excitement/joy. Without injuries, we continued. Eric went on ahead, and the three of us hung back, taking some photos. It's not like we needed rest or anything...
Kari and Andrew sat for a bit and I continued. I was alone for a good 15 minutes, and I started to hear voices. I called out everyone's name but got nothing in return. I could hear the river, heard noises in the lush jungle like vegetation, and knew that a cross between an Amazonian and an Incan was going to jump out and grab me. I, however, survived because I arrived at the Temple where my brother was.
At this point, I was somewhere between mad because I was in pain/thirsty/sweaty and happy because I was proud of myself for doing this. And I figured we only had 30 more minutes or so because it had been around 1.5 hours at this point. So, at that point, I decided to change clothes in the cave. Because sometimes, its necessary to change and take a potty break in the midst of old Inca ruins.
The four of us together saw a sign that said 1.5 hours to MP. I wanted to hurt someone. We were running out of water. So at this point, we realized we had descended really far. Lower than the entrance to Wayna Picchu. This meant that we had to go up again. Never in my life have I seen so many stairs. We thought they would never end. But as we were hiking, we were sure they had to stop somewhere. And just when you think that point has come, you round a corner and there are even more.
Splitting up again, I was alone for awhile once more, this time trying to convince myself that I was NOT going to get kidnapped by a jungle man despite my hearing of voices coming from the trees. I came to another ladder that I had to go up alone, and thought once again that I was going to fall off and die. This is ridiculous, unnecessary, and dangerous, I thought. Because if you did, in fact, fall off of that ladder, you definitely would have fallen off the mountain.
Finally, I caught up with Eric, who was sitting on a huge boulder like the king of the mountain. We could finally see Machu Picchu!!! After 30 more minutes, we made it back to the entrance completely soaked with sweat. I was cursing in Spanish and talking to myself resulting in many strange looks. A group of guys was sitting near and I heard the comment "How is she that tired?" This, obviously, made me mad. So I snapped at him and said that I had just done the full 5 hour hike, what had he done other than watch people climb it?, and if he were a real man he would do the same. Only a handful of people did the full hike, and I was so glad to be one of them. 
We walked around Machu Picchu the rest of the day, and started to hike up to the Sun Gate, the entrance from the Inca Trail. It's been said that people who arrive at the Sun Gate after the 4 day hike on the trail cry because 1. It is a breathtaking site, and 2. You are exhausted and emotional at that point. We didnt make it to the Sun Gate though because we had done enough for the day, but we did sit and look at MP from another view.
The architecture is amazing. The stones have straight lines and 90 degree angles. What patience the Incas must have had to carve a stone for months. There are different kinds of stones at Machu Picchu. In addition to the stones from the mountain, there are stones found along the coast and from the jungle. It was an Incan tradition to carry a stone up to the mountain when visiting MP as a gesture of the hard work it took to build the city.
All of the buildings have different designs for a different purposes. The pyramid shapes housed the alter for their idol, the Golden Boy, which always faced the sun rising. People would wave their hands over the rock alter to feel the energy of Machu Picchu, and it’s true, you can feel it. After 4-5 hours of perusing through the structures, we sat and read about MP for awhile.
Sometimes called the "lost" city of the Incas, it was, in fact, never lost. It was covered with vegetation until it was discovered in 1911 by Hiran Bingham, a young American explorer, who was actually looking for Vilcamba, The Lost City of Gold.
Machu Picchu is the only city that was never touched by the Spaniards. But the mystery is...why did they build it?
Walking around Machu Picchu, you are invited to make your own assumptions and explanations as to why it was built. Several scenarios have been presented, yet no one knows exactly why...
Was it for war? A defense center against possible invasion by Amazon tribes? This could be true, considering how remote of a location it is, but there is no record of war with jungle tribes, and the Incas never expanded into the Amazon.
Could it be agriculture? The existence of terraces served to adapt plants to the altitude. These terraces were in use when Bingham arrived. This is an understandable explanation, but it doesn't provide reason for the complexity of the rest of the buildings.
Maybe it was astronomy? The Incas were excellent astronomers and interested and reading the heavens for clues about the world, especially regarding rainfall. Some constructions at Machu Picchu are meant to read the movements of stars. However, the location of MP lies within a cloud forest, so during certain times of the year, there is zero visibility of the sky. So is this a likely explanation?
Was MP solely a residence? It was part of Pachacuteq's estate. So it could be considered a palace but a rather elaborate one at that. It is also said to be partly unfurnished, so this also leaves a mystery.
Is it a place for the royal females? Of the 130 bodies found buried there, 90% were female. This could mean that MP is an Aqlla Wasi, or a house of the chosen women, a kind of priestess dedicated to the inca who lived a secluded life making chicha and weaving for him.
What is the purpose of the Inca trail? If MP was to be excluded and a safe place from the outside, there wouldn't be a trail leading to it. People were meant to walk there and back. Most of the bones along the Inca trail belong to men. So, people were meant to visit, but only women made it a stable residence.
Perhaps these questions can never be answered, and maybe we aren't meant to know. So this serves as an invitation to walk amongst its ruins and think of your own possibilities. I would rather it be this way. Eric told me that on his flight to South America, he was sitting next to a sports psychologist. He was coming to Peru to talk to a shaman. According to him, the energy in the world is shifting from Tibet to that area of South America. For those of you who believe or don't believe in energies, I will say this...at Machu Picchu, you can definitely feel something. It is hard to explain unless you have been there, but there is a feeling of energy, magic, and mystery. Maybe it is from the unanswered questions about the city or a deep admiration and awe. Whatever it is, as I sat there, I felt empowered and unusually calm. And I wouldn't trade that feeling I had there for anything else in the world. 
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