During my check in, the front desk man also hows me a little map of the town and mark a few keythings people like to do when they arent going to Machu Picchu. There is a HUGE artisan mercado-bored, resturants and bars- broke, an orchid garden- Im not 50+, oh and he mentions, some people like to climb this mountain not far from here, it has some really difficult parts, you cant go alone )but we help you find a guide), takes about an hour and it an experience of your life... okay soo he didnt exactly say that, but thats what I heard. So like I said, I wanted to take a nap, but now thatthis option is in my head I really cant just sit aroundin myroom waitingfor the morning (thats when I have my ticket to enter Machu Picchu). So I head up to my room...
It is basic and right along the river. I decide to climb the mountain but its only around 10am, and i want the rain to let up, so I tell the front desk Im DOWN for the climb, and I would like to do it aroundnoon. Then I head to town, use the ATM, do the internet thing. As I leave the cafe the rain is letting up.. PERFECT. I return to the hotel, change and head to the lobby. A few minutes later Jaime, my guide, arrives and we follow to train track to the edge of the town where we find our jungle pass.
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| Sideways (turn your head) |
YES! This is just what I needed! Fresh jungle air and Im going to see Machu Picchu. Now Jaime informs me that one: not many people do this, two: not many people do this during this time ofthe year (ran) and three: there is a section where many people turn around but he says we can see how it goes and if I wanna turn back thats really ok. I fearlessly say, "Im down, lets DO THIS!". (okay, that was my brain pumping me up, I like I actually said something like "vamos a ver" "well see"... but inside I assure you Im am nothing but confident.
We trek though the jungle for about 15mins and then we get to "the part" ... NOW I understand why people turn around. There is this HUGE rock face that is prolly at an 80to 85degree angle. Now before there was a ladder and a metal cable that people used to continue the climb, but at this point the ladder is rotten (jungles do that to wood) so we have a rock face with a metal cable. Well, looking up at this omenous beast, I have been rock climbing, and Im positive I can do this. SO I go first. this way Jaime can help guide me with my footing. And we begin...
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| DEATH ROUTE : Turn head to the right |
Half way up there is a mini place to stand and strech the arm and fingers.. not much more space to move around.. HOLY MOLY this is steep. I know my photos wont do justice, but I know what it was like. nutz.. actually I would prefer to not look down anymore and we being our climb again. UP UP UP.. Thi is tricky,one had to hold the cable with their life, meanwhile moving our feet as to not lose footing and fall to certain death. MEANWHILE you have to switch sides of the cable, watch out for loose rocks, wetrock, muddy rocks, rotting wood, and did I mention falling to certain death.. ya it was tough. But afterwards we got on solid gound and contuined the climb. There were more jungle ladders ahead. So has missing rungs, and most were really slimy and mushroom/jungle fungi habitat but they werent completely rottenso they served their purpose. After weclimb up the jungle changes to same shrubs and during the walk Jaime tries to teach me to countin Quechua... not going to happeneventhought i tried. Maybe if he had written it out I could have read and repeated.. but anyway... we should be at the top any minute, but the view is incrediable so I have no rush. Behind us one can look down see the little town of Aguas Calientes along the Urubamba river.
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| Aguas Calientes, sorry: turn head to the left... |
Sidenote: this town, AC is tiny. And hoy en dia it there for Machu Picchu. If Machu Picchu is closed the town dies. Really.. last year big rains rose Rio Urubamba and wiped out a bridge and wreaked havoc on AC, the tourist had to be helicoptered out and Machu Picchu was closed for 3 months and it KILLED tourism in Peru. So many people come just for that,but then they end up touring other areas, because like me.....they are here why not, so when MP is closed everyone sufures...
Okay, below tiny AC, to the side impressive mountains the come JUTting out of the earth. They are steep and skinny and they are wonderous. The climb is not so difficult and finally I realize we are almosto the top. Its a great climb because you dont see Machu Picchu until the very top, and even then its in the distance. I am excited. Then a few big boulders and there she is...
There is a gully/valley distancing Putocusi about 2kms from Machu Picchu, but from here you can see Machu Picchu in all her glory and it is just amazing. By this time of the day therain haslet up and the clouds are starting to part.. each minute the sky is different and the cloud blanket of MP finally clears.. I sit and take it in for several minutes and then begin my foto opt. Then I get out my binoculars. Lets see whats going on overthere.. WHOLE first thought.. there are a ton of people! They look like gumballs. Due to the rain, they are wearing cheapy ponchos, and these oncho come in all types of colors, banana, blueberry, strawberry/or cherry, and becaue of the walls of the ruin they move around like little gum balls in a vending machine. geez am soo glad I climb this. I dont know if I even wanna be a gum ball over there., this is where its at. Just Jaime and I, talking about the Incas. Could it get any better?
SIDENOTE: On of my favorite artists/groups, Calle 13 (Puerto Rican-tipo latino/rap/hiphop/rock-seriously cant explain there genre - thats whythey are sooo good), The lead singer, Rene, his brother and their homies do a South America tour before they came out with their second disc...and they just so happened to make a documentary ofthis adventure, Calle 13 Sin Mapa. its a pretty cool movie, and it really gives reason to many of there songs on their second disc. ANYWAY, when the movie came out in spring 2009 I bought it and loved it.. but the point is, during their travels they climbed Putocusi... and I justclimbed it. HOW COOL. I remember watching the video thinking..woah I wonder if I can find that place? it seems amazing.. and then by chance the hotel guy mentioned it,and at this point I wasnt even thinking about Calle 13 until I made the connection mid trail. Que Chevere!
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| Step by step. . . |
Okay.. after I get my fill we begin our desent. HOW cool was that? OOOSssh.. now I just have to take it easy on my knee... make it down the rock face and head to the hotel for a hotel shower. (Remember sweet G-mama Carolina didnt have hot water so this something Im sooo looking forward to). We master the face and something really cool happened as we "left" the jungle path. As we approached the exit (if you will.... where the trail ends and the railroad begins) I heard a strange noise... As we stepped out into the opening there was a flock of LOROS.. aka green parrots and they were swooping and diving all around us. It was pretty darn magical. Then we followed the tracks back to the town. By the time we got to the hotel my knee was shaking, sin control. I thank Jaime and prepare to relax.... but somethings just dont go so smoothly...
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