Machu Picchu

Tuesday 12th April 1988

It really pissed down with rain overnight, the noise amplified by the corrugated tin rooves of the hotel which was established in 1982. We had a leisurely breakfast until the rain stopped and then walked along the train tracks to Machu Picchu Railway Station at 10:30 hrs.

Here we had a frustrating wait for a bus to the top because each bus would only leave when it had a full complement of 22 passengers. We had to pay 220 I/- each for a return bus trip. You couldn’t buy a one-way ticket and anyway the “path” down was little more than a mud slide littered with loose rocks.

At the gate to the ruined village, we had a long argument with the ticket collector and the Tourist Police as the Australian couple, Harry and Leslie, who were with us had mistakenly had their tickets stamped the previous day.

Eventually they had to buy another entry ticket so they got in 2 for the price of 1, but they shouldn’t really have had to pay anything as this was their first entry into the ruins.

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Cuzco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate.

The Incas, in contrast with the Mayans, had no written language, and no European visited the site until the 19th century, so far as is known. There are, therefore, no written records of the site while it was in use. The names of the buildings, their supposed uses, and their inhabitants are all the product of modern archeologists, on the basis of physical evidence, including tombs at the site.

Most recent archaeologists (2021) believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later, at the time of the Spanish conquest. According to the new AMS radiocarbon dating, it was occupied from c. 1420-1532.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give visitors a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, 30% of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.

We had a cursory look around the ruins and then went to see Waynu Picchu. The Spanish film crew were amongst the ruins filming some comical looking scenes with the hero dressed up in local clothing.

We filled in the Visitors Book and began to climb to the summit of Huaynu Picchu. Huayna Picchu, Quechua: Wayna Pikchu, is a mountain in Peru around which the Urubamba River bends. It rises over Machu Picchu, the so-called lost city of the Incas.

The Incas built a trail up the side of the Huayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top. The peak of Huayna Picchu is 2,693 metres (8,835 ft) above sea level, or about 260 metres (850 ft) higher than Machu Picchu.

According to local guides, the top of the mountain was the residence for the high priest and the local virgins. Every morning before sunrise, the high priest with a small group would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day.

The Temple of the Moon, one of the three major temples in the Machu Picchu area, is nestled on the side of the mountain and is situated at an elevation lower than Machu Picchu. Adjacent to the Temple of the Moon is the Great Cavern, another sacred temple with fine masonry.

The other major local temples in Machu Picchu are the Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, Principal Temple, "Unfinished Temple", and the Temple of the Sun, also called the Torreon.

The path goes through wet vegetation and then climbs steeply up the side of the “Norman helmet”-shaped peak overlooking Machu Picchu. Sucking sweets for energy we reached the top rocks, passing through the Inca Tunnel just below the summit.

The steps up are quite good but there are colossal drops to the right and the whole climb took us 45 minutes. There were many colourful wild orchids on the way up.

We basked on the rocks at the top, cameras clicking unrestrainedly at the magnificent views all around.

We descended through the religious ruins and narrow terraces at the top and climbed quickly down to Machu Picchu itself. We did a quick tour of the ruins and then had the same frustrating wait for a full bus load before we could get back down to the train station.

We finally got down at 15:30 hrs. and hurried back to Aguas Calientes to collect our kit. A whistle announced the arrival of the train at 15:45 hrs. and we ran down the track with the other guests, jumping aboard just as it left. Several people left their kit behind in the rush.

The train was scheduled for 16:00 hrs. but was usually at least half an hour late. I sat with a couple from Lima who’s kids poked and slapped each other as all kids do on long journeys. There were enough of us gringos together to watch each other’s backs and avoid the threat of harassment and theft. It was quite a relaxing trip back to Cuzco.

At 20:00 hrs. we saw the lights of Cuzco, with the two cathedrals illuminated beautifully on the plaza. It took about half an hour to descend the switchbacks down to San Pedro Railway Station. Dodgy suspicious-looking scruffy locals jumped on and off the train at the halts unloading bundles wrapped in cloth and trying to avoid the army guards. The train is part of the cocaine route.

At Cuzco we got a room with three beds in the Hostel Suecia for 300 I/- for me and Eddie. We dumped our kit, collected the rest from storage and went out, unwashed and unchanged, for a celebratory night on the town.

We met the Canadians and the Australians for beer and steaks in the Piccolo before moving on to piss it up and dance the night away in the Kamikaze Bar. Eddie and I indulged in the “Machu Picchu’s”, a cocktail with layers of red, yellow and green, which kept us going until 03:00 hrs. when we returned to our room for some decent sleep at last.

* In homage to Machu Picchu, a cocktail with the same name was created. The main ingredient is pisco, the brandy symbol of Peru.

* This cocktail also uses orange juice, grenadine syrup and spearmint.

* The flavour of the cocktail ‘Machu Picchu’ stands out for its intense sweet flavour.

* The fame of this drink lies in its name and the intense colours of its presentation: orange, red and green.

* The colours of this cocktail symbolize the flag of the Empire of the Incas (Tahuantinsuyo).

* The origin of this cocktail is not known exactly. However, it is believed that it was a creation of the Cuzco barman Bernardo Solis Loaiza who in 1984 created this drink while working at the Hotel Libertador del Cuzco.

* In tribute to Machu Picchu and Cusco, this drink was created that over time became one of the most symbolic drinks in Peru.