Machu Picchu aka: Machu Pichu, Machupicchu

Been wanting to go here all my life. Had the hugest expectations of it, and they were still surpassed. Totally surreal place. So quiet, so peaceful.. such a sight on the eyes.

I recommend hiking here, either via the Inca Trail or Salkantay trek.

I’d never heard of Machu Picchu before, yet one day in 2000 (the year that brought about many great, life-altering, and prosperous changes in my life) I awoke from a night’s sleep with the words “Machu Picchu” repeating over and over in my head.

I had no idea what that meant, so when I got to work that morning I Googled it and learned that it was a place…and I knew I had to go there.

I still do not know what made me wake up with those words chanting in my head, but I know it was a calling and someday – when the time is right – I will make it to Machu Picchu.

machu picchu is AMAZING! people should go and experience it themselves. some tips:
1) it is high altitude, so see your doctor before leaving about getting prescription medicine to help you not get any altitude sickness. i forget the name of the drug (starts with a) but it helps the blood flow.

2) there is only one bus company that runs from machu picchu to village that’s at the foot of the mountain. there’s only really expensive restaurant to eat for lunch and supposedly you cannot take food in (there’s a storage locker). but if you don’t want to spend gobs of money on food or waste time by coming down from machu picchu by bus for lunch, then you should pack your lunch so you can spend as much time in machu picchu. when i was standing in line at 5:00 am for the first bus to go up to machu picchu, there were ladies selling bottled water and sandwiches (4 soles… that’s like $1.33). buy those. i planned ahead and bought sandwiches the night before… but they got all soggy. if i knew there would be folks selling stuff as we were waiting for the bus, i wouldn’t have bought anything for lunch.

3) take anything and everything you take into machu picchu out with you. it needs to be preserved, not wasted.

4) right outside the “condor room”, there’s a little crack where rabbits live… it’s kinda cool to see.

5) if you get into agua caliente (village at the foot of machu picchu) and spend a night there, then you could probably go see machu picchu twice. do that if you can.

6) i went during the start of the rainy season (early november 2008). it didn’t really rain but it was hot. it’s hotter at machu picchu than at cusco (the major city most tourists will go through to get to machu picchu). then it gets cold at night. by hot, i mean like high 70’s to 80 F. wear light hiking boots, pants, and jacket. the steps can be steep and you’ll get a good workout, even without gorgeous weather.

7) there’s no restroom once you enter machu picchu. there is one before you enter, but you need to pay 1 sole (so bring some change). you might as well go before entering because it sucks to go back to the entrance for bathroom and then go back in.

8) take the time to enjoy the view of machu picchu… it’s quite amazing. =)

Nothing I can say will be able to capture how amazing this trip was…ridiculously memorable. Lovely people, excellent food, gorgeous country, and fantastic historic sites.

Get fit first if you are doing the Inca Trail.

not interesting,can not use well

A friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go to Peru with her. So we hiked up to Machu Picchu and it was amazing. Go with STA Travel if you want to hike the Inca Trail. They are a little more expensive than other tours, but it is well worth it knowing that your porters are being paid well, and they really take care of you.

It is a good experience.

I booked to go on the third week of January. I’m going for a week and will take my first day off to acclimatize to the altitude, then hike the Inca Trail and then the Cuzco city tour.

To be frank, I was never interested in Machu Picchu and didn’t know about the Inca Trail, but now I’m very excited and can’t wait to go. I think it will be very rewarding to reach the top.
Oh, I’m so unprepared…

I climbed Putukusi, I climbed Huayna Picchu. Now my legs hurt but it was so worth the effort and the lack of sleep. Worth the money, even if it’s expensive.