Macchu Picchu Day Two

29 November 2010

Macchu Picchu Day 2

After hearing all the facts and history about Macchu Picchu from our wonderful guide and seeing all the 'must see' sights yesterday today we got to explore by ourselves. Strangely, some people have chosen not to come back to the mountain today - I will probably never be here again, why would I pass up the opportunity to spend all the time I can here!

The day started out really cloudy, and we weren’t sure what we would be able to see. Apparently the mists cover the mountains on quite a few days of the year, so it’s a good idea to allow yourself more than one day here. Today Huayna Picchu was closed due to the weather, which thankfully meant I didn't have to decide whether or not to climb it. After yesterday's story of a tourist having a heart attack and falling to their death, I was in two minds.

Huayna Picchu in the mist.

Instead we decided to climb to Intipukku – the Sun Gate, which is the point of entry for those hiking the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu.

After only a few steps I was feeling the effects of the altitude, wheezing and dragging my heavy legs up each step. And it was just one step after another, up and up and up. But we were determined to go on – the view would be worth it.

After the huge numbers of tourists from yesterday, it was surprisingly quiet on the route. We only passed a few couples and small group coming the other way. Clearly this climb was not for everyone.

On the way up we passed a number of little piles of stones and decided to make one of our own, as we thought there must be a good reason for them, maybe they were for good luck. We later found out from our tour guide they are to honour Pachamama – goddess Mother Earth.

The view from up this high was spectacular, just like the pictures you see in National Geographic. The mist had cleared and we could look down and see the whole ancient city. We had to stop many times to catch our breath, but it allowed us plenty of time to take in the view.

Gradually we were getting closer. We could see what we thought was the gate in the distance. Then the weather started to change once again. The mist started to roll in, but we thought we would just slowly keep on. Then something happened to change our mind! A blinding lightning strike accompanied by the loudest crack of thunder you’ll ever hear. It was so close! It had hit the mountain just up ahead. We both looked at each other in disbelief and came to the same conclusion – we took it as a message not to go on. We were so close to the Sun Gate, but that was just too close for comfort. Somehow, the journey down was quicker than the journey up.