Machu Picchu: the experience of a lifetime
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Last September I was lucky enough to do a four-day trek along the Inca Trail, ending at Machu Picchu. It was something I’d wanted to do for years and some how was even better than I imagined.
We did our trek with a company called Llama Path, and our guide was called Flavio. Flavio and the host of porters employed to carry everything we would need for those four days, continued to impress us throughout the trek.
I’m not going to pretend that the trekking was easy, because it wasn’t. It was beautiful though, and I didn’t realise just how many other Inca ruins there were along the way. Stopping to explore them provided a welcome rest from the continual up-hill climb at high altitude.
Willing the clouds to rise
The highlight of the four days of course was arriving at Machu Picchu. We set off at 5am to take part in the mad dash to the Sun Gate began, as we were aiming to get there to see the sun rise. Even those amongst us who felt ill went for it, barely noticing the pain because of the beautiful mountains around us. We were soon there, but couldn’t see Machu Picchu for clouds so we all sat down to wait for them to lift. At one point a few people screamed when a rudely awakened snake slithered out of one of the walls, but basically we just all willed the clouds to rise.
Eventually they did and there it was. The place I’d wanted to see since I’d heard about it, the place that had been forgotten by its country until 100 years ago, and the place we’d all hiked for a painful four days to reach. I don’t think I have the words to describe the sight spread out below us, and even photographs don’t do it justice. Machu Picchu is amazing.
After admiring it from the Sun Gate we began the final descent down into the city itself. I was bowled over because it’s somehow even more fabulous than it looks in photographs. It was so well made, and has such a sad history. It really is the most magical place and I still can’t quite believe I’ve actually been there.
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