Cusco, Peru and My First Wonder of the World: Machu Picchu

I lost my breath, my heart stopped, and my jaw dropped when I caught sight of this beautiful wonder of the world. Machu Picchu: one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Machu Picchu

About a week ago, I went to Cusco, Peru on a school planned trip. When we arrived, we were in awe on our 15 minute bus ride to our hotel, Hotel Prisma. The mountains surrounding Cusco as well as the streets of Cusco were gorgeous. When we arrived at our hotel, we were instantly greeted with trays of Coca Tea (yes, you are thinking the right thing) because it helps with the change in altitude. We had been told to take it easy when we first arrived because the sudden change in altitude would make us sick if we weren’t careful. Although many students in my group did feel effects from the altitude, I was fortunate enough to not have any effects myself.

The first day, Thursday, we went to a Convent and a Catholic Cathedral. Both of which were great sights to see. The Cathedral was gorgeous inside, consisting of room after room of extravagant alters made of gold and silver. Unfortunately it is disrespectful to take pictures of a Cathedral and you will have to take my word for it. That night a Peruvian professor that came with us, Roberto, took us to a pizza joint and of course the pizza was delicious!

The second day, Friday, we traveled quite a bit. We went to Saqsayhuaman, pronounced “Sexy Woman”, which was huge and breathtaking. We climbed one of the hills and were met with a wonderful view of Cusco from above. We then went to a couple of smaller sites including a Templo del Agua. Before lunch, we ventured to a market in Pisac where I bought a couple of little items. We went to lunch in a small town along our way at, what we considered, a high-scale restaurant. When we arrived there was a buffet set up filled with choice after choice (along with the BEST desserts!) and a gazebo filled with tables just for us! From our seats we had a wonderful view of the garden, parrots, and llamas. Of course after lunch we needed to burn some calories so we drove to a fortress and climbed stair after stair to the top! We did take constant breaks along the way but eventually made it to the top! All throughout the day, we had been driving through the mountains and I was in awe of the beauty that was in every moment. One of my favorite things in Cusco was their traditional Quechua dress. Many times, there was the opportunity to take pictures of people for a small price of 1 sol (less than 40 cents). While we were on our bus tour and driving through the mountains, we passed many small Quechua villages. These villages were simple and traditional homes of the indigenous people that have always lived in the mountains, long before tourists began disrupting their lifestyles.

After a near two hour drive back to Cusco, we arrived about 7-8 o’clock and went exploring the town for a bit. Couldn’t stay out too late though, we had a bus to catch at 4am for Cusco!

Quechua dress! So colorful!

Panoramic view from atop Saqsayhuaman

In the mountains overlooking the Sacred Valley

Atop the fortress that we hiked up!

“You need to be on the bus at 4am sharp! Not 4:01, not 4:02. The bus leaves at 4:00. So be on the bus by 3:50. You are on American time, not Peruvian time!” This is how the UPC professor that came with us to Cusco said good night to us on Friday night. Saturday morning we set off from Cusco at 4am for an hour and forty-five minute bus ride to the train station. The train, which was an hour and a half ride to Aguas Calientes (town below Machu Picchu), was a tad bit scary at first because I have never been on a train ride before. The train rocked from side to side, which I guess is normal, all the way and we had a wonderful view of the river outside the window, which was literally right next to the train about half of the way. On the train, I sat across a mother and daughter from Colorado. What a small world! They were in Cusco doing a mission trip and asked us what our recommendations are for things to see in Lima. Since we have been here for almost two months now we are experts! When we arrived in Aguas Calientes, next step was getting a bus up to “That Mountain Place,” Machu Picchu!

The bus ride up the Mountain was an experience all in itself. On the trail barely big enough for two buses to pass, the bus driver drove fast and went around curves hoping that there would not be another bus coming. I had seen pictures of Machu Picchu before and heard about it but nothing prepared me for what I was about to see. My first view of Machu Picchu my heart started racing and I was a wide eyed little kid in a candy store. When we finally walked into Machu Picchu and I could see the whole civilization in front of me, that is when I lost my breath, my heart stopped, and my jaw dropped. Nothing had prepared me for seeing this wonder of the world with my own eyes. That very moment I fell in love with the mountains, I fell in love with Machu Picchu. We took a two hour tour of Machu Picchu and then had the rest of the day to venture wherever we wanted. After the tour, which was of mainly the lower parts of Machu Picchu city although there was still hiking involved, our group hiked up to the watchman’s tower. I most definitely got my workout that day with all of the stairs I hiked up. While up at the watchman’s tower, we took an Incan trail that went along the side of Machu Picchu mountain. At the start of the trail we had to sign in, which after finishing the trail I understood why. The trail consisted of dirt/rock paths that went alongside the mountain. The trail was no more than four feet wide and many times the edge was a sharp drop off down the mountain. Although I was a tad bit afraid for my life at the moment, I am really glad that I went on this trail while I was there.

View out of the train. The waves in that river were going crazy!

Inside Machu Picchu!

Sarah and I on our way up to the watchman's tower

Me at Machu Picchu!!

The UNK group

After going back down, which was much easier than going up, a group of us decided to go down to the city to do a little bit of shopping! In Peru, there are many markets with handcrafted goods, or typical souvenir items. Unlike the US, these markets do not have price tags on items and you have to barter for a good price. I did a little bartering while I was shopping and one item I bartered for, originally 45 soles and I paid 30, was a necklace that symbolizes Pachamama, mother earth in Quechua (a traditional language of the region). After a long day at Machu Picchu I was sad to leave. Machu Picchu is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world. We traveled back to Cusco and arrived at about 10:30. All of us were beat and probably should have gone to bed, but most of us decided we only live once and the nightlife in Cusco was calling our name. Mama Africa is the popular club in Cusco and we ventured here, about a ten minute walk from our hotel, to do a little dancing on our last night in Cusco. I took hundreds of pictures on this trip, yet pictures do not do justice to the beauty that I saw this weekend. This is truly one of the most beautiful places I will ever see in my life. Oh Cusco, how I will miss you!