We go to Machu Picchu Village by train.
During the journey, the landscape changes from alpine...
...to subtropical, as we descend from Ollanta’s 3000m above sea level to 2400m at Machu Picchu Village.
Machu Picchu Village
The train station is completely buried in shops.
Fortunately, there are signs to help us find our way.
The village can be reached only on foot or by train. Note that there is no incoming road to the village.
The train tracks replace the road, and hence the train runs right through the village.
Our hotel is right after the end of civilization...
...but the view from our room is great.
Trail to Machu Picchu
I know you want to see not this jungle, but Machu Picchu. But I let you share our experience step by step. We walk up to Machu Picchu on foot.
It’s a 600m climb. The trail offers great views on the Urubamba river valley.
As always, the pictures say more about the author than about the place. As you can see, we spend quite some time climbing.
2 hours for climbing up, 1 hour for climbing down. It is unfair that the more strenuous part of such a journey is also the longer part.
We always travel as inspired by our friend Gjergji: without backpacks, hands free, just with a camera.
We meet a samaritan from Hamburg, who offers us to refresh our sunscreen.
The top has a restaurant that is very expensive.
It’s “all you can eat”. I think they’re making a loss with us.
Machu Picchu
This is the Machu Picchu. The place was founded by the Inkas in around 1430. It was abandoned a hundred years later. It was not discovered by Westerners until the 19th century.
We still don’t know the exact purpose of the complex. The place might have been chosen for strategic, religious, scientific, and/or esthetic reasons. Up to 750 people lived here.
The Inkas did not have money. People paid taxes by doing work for the community — such as constructing these buildings.
The place also had religious and astronomic importance. The Inkas worshipped the sun (among other things), and their king was believed to be the son of the Sun.
Very convenient for the king, of course. The idea of a human being the son of a god seems to be a recurrent theme in human history.
Below the king, there were the nobles, and below the nobles, there were the workers. Below the workers, there were the lamas (pictured).
Terraces were built for agriculture, as well as to guard against erosion.
Big rocks were simply left where they were.
Or, as our guide prefers to say: The Inkas were masters in incorporating nature into their constructions.
Flora and Fauna
For the record: This is Aloe Vera, the plant that is used in some hand creams.
The place also has some interesting fauna (right).
Bye bye
Back in the village, the place lies deserted.
The next day, we have lunch in a lovely French-Peruvian restaurant.
Strong reject, I’d say.
Today, we leave the village...
...upstream the Urubamba river, back to Cusco.
The flora changes again from subtropic...
...to more alpine. The final station of our trip is
Lima
