June 14th - we woke up at 4:20 am to have a little bit of breakfast before we catch the bus to Machu Picchu from Agua Calientes. There was already a long line of tourists lining up for the very first bus at 5:30am. There were some tourists who hiked up the mountain instead but most, if not all, of our group members were already so exhausted from our three day hike in the Andes that riding the bus was a much needed relief. Learning about the Inca culture and the the building of the Machu Picchu about four to five hundred years ago was great and the views were stunning.
I can only imagine what Machu Picchu would have looked like if the Incas were able to finish it. They had to abandoned it when the Spaniards came to colonize Cusco and the surrounding areas. We also decided to climb (rock climb to be exact) Wayna Picchu to see the Machu Picchu from atop.
Wayna Picchu is the triangle looking hill over looking Machu Picchu. There´s a picture of Jill, Christie, and I when we reached the top. Before I left Seattle, my co-workers Britta, Corrie and I trained by walking up the 18 floor stairs at the UWMC twice.
It truly helped with my hike up to Wayna Picchu. The altitude on the other hand is another story ----- so, either come here several days earlier or take meds! In the end, the whole trip was worth it.
It is inspiring to witness the commitment of a civilization to build a structure such as Machu Picchu.
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