Peru
We went to Machu Picchu (UNESCO site) September, 2015. We have to fly into Cuzco, an old capital of the Incas. During the peak of their empire Machu Picchu was built in 1450 for Pachacuti. From research by the experts Machu Picchu was considered a resting place where the king can come to relax. Much like a resort. The true purpose remains a mystery to this day.
The Incas was an ancient civilization that covered much of Northwest South America and reached its zenith in the 15th century. Under the rule of a strong king Pachacuti-Cusi Yupanqui the Inca empire expanded from southern Bolivia to Argentina. A statue of Pachacuti can be seen in the center square of Agua Clientes.
(click on the photo to see in larger view)
The morning clouds begin to lift on my visit.
To get here one must fly to Cuzco (11,000 ft) as mentioned. Once in Cuzco you can pick up the train tickets (which you have bought 8 years earlier, well 2 months before works as well). Then you take a taxi, which your hotel can arrange, to the train station. We used Peru-rail. There's one other train service; Inca Rail. The train ride passes by a city that is worth a day trip called Ollantaytambo, and then to Agua Clients, the city at the foot of Machu Picchu.
Cuzco (UNESCO) is higher elevation than Machu Picchu, so if altitude is a problem then you can leave Cuzco on your arrival to a lower elevation city. We had no problem with the altitude, although we had plenty of attitude problem, jk.
Aqua Clientes, at 6,700 ft, is a city at the foot of Machu Picchu. It appears that the city originated from the sheer number of tourists that visited this site. In actuality it was formed as a railway worker's camp in the 1900s.
One can take the bus ($25 round trip) from Agua Clientes to the entrance of Machu Picchu. The bus takes you on a winding scenic road, or you can walk up (which takes forever, 1.5hrs to be exact). We took the bus. You can buy the bus ticket in the morning or the day before at a kiosk near the end of the little river canyon in town. Also remember to bring at least 2 bottles of water, not the tons of camera gear like I did. It can become hot midday if you are there in September. And September is a great time to go; less tourists, no rain, great weather.
The queue for the bus can be quite long in the early am. But you don't have to be there at 5am, 0455am is sufficient. Or just whenever you get there. We took our time to eat breakfast at the hotel prior to departure. Which I recommend and which was what we did.
We stayed at La Cabana, which I also recommend. It's quaint, with good breakfast. The beds had rose petals and dolls, in case you need company. The staff speaks English, except when they talk behind your back, jk. They are very accommodating.
Machu Picchu was built on a ridge. It's location makes it a spectacular place to visit. It was built in the later part of the Incas empire, 15th century. With the Spanish conquest and diseases the Incas empire fell mid 1500s-1600s.
below; this was taken by Hiram Bingham in 1912. There is much written of Machu Picchu, and his named is intimately tied to its discovery. In brief, he didn't discover it. His persistence in trying to find the lost city of the Incas accidentally brought Machu Picchu to the attention of the western world. He also made detailed photographic and documentary records that led to it's publication in the National Geographic edition of April 1913.
above: one can see the main temple on the left and the Temple of 3 windows just to the right, in the main square. And present day photo at an equivalent that I was able to take (below). We are looking almost due north.
Hiram Bingham took many photos and wrote much about Machu Picchu, with the limited understanding that he had at that time. This is chronicled in National Geographic in 1913; Rediscovering Machu Picchu Read Hiram Bingham's original account of his famous rediscovery of Machu Picchu.
above: Right side view of Machu Picchu with the surrounding mountains.
above: East side view, close to midday. The protruding mountain behind is called Huayna Picchu. It offers a higher and steeper climb for those more adventurous. It has narrow trail with steep drop off and no rails, so enjoy.
above: Probably resting quarters. These were covered with straw ceilings.
above: terraces were used to plant crops, such as corn.
above: Restoration is on going. By 1976 30% had been restored.
above: The main gate.
above: the housing quarters with windows.
above: Temple of the 3 windows, which forms part of the central square. To the left of the standing column is the stepped cross stone. On June 21 the sun's rays through the windows produces symmetrical shadows.
above: a view of the courtyard.
above: the rocks were carved to outline the mountains behind.
above: alpacas play a large role in the lives of current Peruvian people. The wool is used for clothing. They are now bred for it's wool and meat. We ate alpaca, and it tasted just like chicken; ok it didn't. It was more dry but not tough.
above: view of the surrounding mountains from the east side of Machu Picchu
above: a midday view with the sun coming from the west. The Incas was noted to worship the Sun God.
Cuzco, Peru
Former capital of Incas Empire.
doorknob of La Merced.
The Church of the Convent of La Merced, on street Mantas.
above, side view of Church of the Compañia de Jesus;
Above: the Church of the Compañia de Jesus;
foundation was built in 1536, and rebuilt in 1560 due to earthquake. It has baroque renaissance style architecture. I took some photos of the Cathedral (below) from the 2nd floor on the right and left window of this Church.
below: view of the Catholic Basilica from the 2nd floor of the Church of the Compañia de Jesus.
above; view from the 2nd floor of the Church of the Compañia de Jesus.
above; The Cathedral de Santo Domingo, view from second floor balcony of Starbucks cafe.
and from inside Starbucks.
above; front view of Catholic Basilica during sunset.
above; inside view of stores including Starbucks to the left and upstair. Noticed the blue doors.
above and below; our hotel recommended this restaurant with the blue doors, Pachapapa. We ate authentic Peruvian cuisine (below), including alpaca, yes, alpaca.
above, cobblestone narrow streets indicative of colonial influence.
above and below, the Church of the Compañia de Jesus, at sunset.
Below, a parade to celebrate Our Lady of the Nativity, Corpus Cristi de la Almudena, on September 8.
Above; fountain in the center of Plaza de Armas. The statue is most likely that of the great Incas king Pachacuti.
above, night view of stores from 2nd floor restaurant Limo. Notice the starry sky; well they are actually houses.
above, view of Plaza de Armas at night from 2nd floor of restaurant Limo. This is a high end restaurant where one can get tipsy from too much etoh.
above; the Church of the Compañia de Jesus, night view. This church was built on the foundations of Incas ruins. At this site laid the former Amarucancha, the palace of the Inca ruler Wayna Qhapaq.
Above; Starbucks exist here too, ~ 500 miles from the origin of it's first store in Seattle.
We went to Machu Picchu (UNESCO site) September, 2015. We have to fly into Cuzco, an old capital of the Incas. During the peak of their empire Machu Picchu was built in 1450 for Pachacuti. From research by the experts Machu Picchu was considered a resting place where the king can come to relax. Much like a resort. The true purpose remains a mystery to this day.
The Incas was an ancient civilization that covered much of Northwest South America and reached its zenith in the 15th century. Under the rule of a strong king Pachacuti-Cusi Yupanqui the Inca empire expanded from southern Bolivia to Argentina. A statue of Pachacuti can be seen in the center square of Agua Clientes.
(click on the photo to see in larger view)
The morning clouds begin to lift on my visit.
To get here one must fly to Cuzco (11,000 ft) as mentioned. Once in Cuzco you can pick up the train tickets (which you have bought 8 years earlier, well 2 months before works as well). Then you take a taxi, which your hotel can arrange, to the train station. We used Peru-rail. There's one other train service; Inca Rail. The train ride passes by a city that is worth a day trip called Ollantaytambo, and then to Agua Clients, the city at the foot of Machu Picchu.
Cuzco (UNESCO) is higher elevation than Machu Picchu, so if altitude is a problem then you can leave Cuzco on your arrival to a lower elevation city. We had no problem with the altitude, although we had plenty of attitude problem, jk.
Aqua Clientes, at 6,700 ft, is a city at the foot of Machu Picchu. It appears that the city originated from the sheer number of tourists that visited this site. In actuality it was formed as a railway worker's camp in the 1900s.
One can take the bus ($25 round trip) from Agua Clientes to the entrance of Machu Picchu. The bus takes you on a winding scenic road, or you can walk up (which takes forever, 1.5hrs to be exact). We took the bus. You can buy the bus ticket in the morning or the day before at a kiosk near the end of the little river canyon in town. Also remember to bring at least 2 bottles of water, not the tons of camera gear like I did. It can become hot midday if you are there in September. And September is a great time to go; less tourists, no rain, great weather.
The queue for the bus can be quite long in the early am. But you don't have to be there at 5am, 0455am is sufficient. Or just whenever you get there. We took our time to eat breakfast at the hotel prior to departure. Which I recommend and which was what we did.
We stayed at La Cabana, which I also recommend. It's quaint, with good breakfast. The beds had rose petals and dolls, in case you need company. The staff speaks English, except when they talk behind your back, jk. They are very accommodating.
Machu Picchu was built on a ridge. It's location makes it a spectacular place to visit. It was built in the later part of the Incas empire, 15th century. With the Spanish conquest and diseases the Incas empire fell mid 1500s-1600s.
below; this was taken by Hiram Bingham in 1912. There is much written of Machu Picchu, and his named is intimately tied to its discovery. In brief, he didn't discover it. His persistence in trying to find the lost city of the Incas accidentally brought Machu Picchu to the attention of the western world. He also made detailed photographic and documentary records that led to it's publication in the National Geographic edition of April 1913.
Hiram Bingham took many photos and wrote much about Machu Picchu, with the limited understanding that he had at that time. This is chronicled in National Geographic in 1913; Rediscovering Machu Picchu Read Hiram Bingham's original account of his famous rediscovery of Machu Picchu.
above: Right side view of Machu Picchu with the surrounding mountains.
above: East side view, close to midday. The protruding mountain behind is called Huayna Picchu. It offers a higher and steeper climb for those more adventurous. It has narrow trail with steep drop off and no rails, so enjoy.
above: Probably resting quarters. These were covered with straw ceilings.
above: terraces were used to plant crops, such as corn.
above: Restoration is on going. By 1976 30% had been restored.
above: The main gate.
above: the housing quarters with windows.
above: Temple of the 3 windows, which forms part of the central square. To the left of the standing column is the stepped cross stone. On June 21 the sun's rays through the windows produces symmetrical shadows.
above; the main temple, which forms part of the main square.
above: a view of the courtyard.
above: the rocks were carved to outline the mountains behind.
above: alpacas play a large role in the lives of current Peruvian people. The wool is used for clothing. They are now bred for it's wool and meat. We ate alpaca, and it tasted just like chicken; ok it didn't. It was more dry but not tough.
above: view of the surrounding mountains from the east side of Machu Picchu
the main square can be seen to the left.
above: a midday view with the sun coming from the west. The Incas was noted to worship the Sun God.
above: south view of Machu Picchu. This was taken near closing, about 5pm. The tourist had largely left.
Cuzco, Peru
Former capital of Incas Empire.
doorknob of La Merced.
The Church of the Convent of La Merced, on street Mantas.
above; side view of La Merced.
Above: the Church of the Compañia de Jesus;
foundation was built in 1536, and rebuilt in 1560 due to earthquake. It has baroque renaissance style architecture. I took some photos of the Cathedral (below) from the 2nd floor on the right and left window of this Church.
below: view of the Catholic Basilica from the 2nd floor of the Church of the Compañia de Jesus.
above; view from the 2nd floor of the Church of the Compañia de Jesus.
and from inside Starbucks.
above; front view of Catholic Basilica during sunset.
above; inside view of stores including Starbucks to the left and upstair. Noticed the blue doors.
above, on our way to the upper part of the city we encounter this quaint narrow alley way.
above; our bread and fish was cooked in a special open.
above and below, the Church of the Compañia de Jesus, at sunset.
Below, a parade to celebrate Our Lady of the Nativity, Corpus Cristi de la Almudena, on September 8.
Dancers during the parade. First a group of ladies, then a group of men.
Above; bands procession flank the dancers.
above and below: Plaza Regocijo, just west of Plaza de Armas, and surrounding restaurants (below). Far left in the background one can see part of the Catholic Basilica in the main square Plaza de Armas.
Above; fountain in the center of Plaza de Armas. The statue is most likely that of the great Incas king Pachacuti.
above, night view of stores from 2nd floor restaurant Limo. Notice the starry sky; well they are actually houses.
above, view of Plaza de Armas at night from 2nd floor of restaurant Limo. This is a high end restaurant where one can get tipsy from too much etoh.
above; the Church of the Compañia de Jesus, night view. This church was built on the foundations of Incas ruins. At this site laid the former Amarucancha, the palace of the Inca ruler Wayna Qhapaq.
Above; Starbucks exist here too, ~ 500 miles from the origin of it's first store in Seattle.
above, this weaving ensemble was hung in my hotel. Now it is hung in my bedroom, just kidding.
above; mountain range on our way to Cuzco from Agua Calientes. We rented a van taxi from Ollantaytambo to Cuzco. We had to pay gas in addition to taxi fare. It's prudent to get the total price up front before accepting the ride. Ollantaytambo sits between Agua Calientes and Cuzco, so we decided to stop by for a short visit. Our taxi driver, one among many when we descended from the train, quoted us a ridiculously low price. In retrospect this was to get us to into his van/taxi. Then it changed by the time we arrived to Cuzco, along with paying for gas along the way. He took us around Ollantaytambo, and waited for us as we lunched and ventured around town.
