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Machu Picchu Travel: Our Personal Peru

By : Maureen & Scot McClellan
Trip Begins July 3, 2009
Trip Ends July 11, 2009

Magical Peru, we've always wanted to go, but with work restrictions, we could never fit into a group tour. After comparing every tour available by other tour groups we managed to turn this tour into a private trip with Adventure Life. Let the fun begin!

Jul 3 - LimaLima, Peru
Jul 4 - PakaritampuCusco to Sacred Valley
Jul 5 - PakaritampuSacred Valley
Jul 6 - Sanctuary LodgeDay Hike into Machu Picchu
Jul 7 - Inkaterra Machu Picchu PuebloMachu Picchu Day
Jul 8 - Inkaterra Machu Picchu PuebloCloud Forest and Birdwatching
Jul 9 - Hotel MonasterioAguas Calientes to Cusco
Jul 10 - Hotel MonasterioCusco
Jul 11 - LimaCusco to Lima, then Home

See my photos : Our Personal Peru

Want to go? Machu Picchu by Train

I went to: Peru, Cusco, Lima, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu Ruins, Machu Picchu, Hotel Monasterio, Pakaritampu, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, Sanctuary Lodge

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July 3, 2009

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Lima, Peru

Today is our travel day, giving us time to think. So much preparation has gone into this trip. I find half the fun of traveling is the research done beforehand. With all this reading and comparing of other tour companies came hundreds of questions that were answered promptly and professionally by phone and by e-mail with the staff of Adventure Life. I did notice that we went through a few coordinators as those we dealt with before were promoted but the transition between coordinators was seamless. We made our own flight arrangements to take advantage of miles and points to keep the cost down, but even then the cost of this trip as a private trip was very reasonable. We chose the exact order of where we wanted to go and where we wanted to stay, what train we wanted to take and if we wanted to make an extra "shop stop". Maybe it's no wonder our coordinators were promoted after dealing with us! I'll be glad to get off the plane and walk across the street to sleep until our morning flight to Cusco.

July 4, 2009

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Cusco to Sacred Valley

Pakaritampu, Sacred Valley

This morning we fly to Cusco and pass high over many snow capped glaciers, some razor edged. We are met at the airport by our guide Marco Palomino Tocre and the Cusco affiliates and our journey begins. First Marco makes sure we have bottled water for the ride, and when we don't he stops and picks us up two bottles and some candy.
Our ride was supposed to be a direct drive to Ollantaytambo with a stop for lunch, but Marco made a deal with the driver for a few more soles so we could visit Chinchero and there we learn how the women use the natural dyes for the textiles. One woman also shows us how they make soap from a root that they must climb high in the mountains to get. We walk the hillside and see potatoes everywhere and run into a pleasant Peruvian woman who has encouraged other tourists to take their shoes off and help her stomp the moisture out of the potatoes to help in the dehydration process. We sit on the hillside to catch our breath and listen to Marco begin to share the history and culture of the Peruvian people to us. He is a remarkable man. His passion is infectious and soon we are drawn in and begin to get a feel for the culture and sprituality of the Incas.
Our drive down into the Sacred Valley is beautiful,and we see the hillsides are painted with blotches of silver from the wild eucalyptus trees. We stop in Urubamba to have lunch along the way. We learn on this trip that Peruvian food is varied, fresh and delicious. You have to try a little bit of everything! Next we arrive in Ollantaytambo and check in at Pakaritampu. Marco makes everything so easy for us, which we are grateful for, as our Spanish is limited to hellos and goodbyes. We have time for a nap, and then we take a very short walk into the town of Ollantaytambo. This town is magical, built on Incan walls and still an active, busy Incan town. The people here are warm, direct and even if in a poverty situation have a great sense of humor. Marco tells us of his godson, living in a little hut with 10 people. The young boy says, "This hut is so small, when we sleep, we all have the same dreams!"
We climb the ruins of Ollantaytambo near sunset, with the shadows giving great picture shots. Marco has a way of planning visits to sites when they are the least crowded, which makes it more personal.
Marco then asks a local resident if it is OK for us to come into his home, which we are given permission to do. In this traditional residence shared with a few other families we enter a room with a dirt floor, dried meat hanging from the ceiling ,two skulls tucked in the niches of the Incan stonework guarding and protecting this home, and guinea pigs scurrying aroung on the floor, squeaking as we give them local grasses to eat. On our drive down into the valley Marco tells us about the special meal of cuy, or guinea pig, that it is eaten on a special occasion. We do consider trying it as this trip is a special occasion, but when we see the guinea pig babies running around on the ground, I'm not quite sure now.
At some point in the evening Marco points out the Southern Cross constellation in the sky. I've never seen that before coming frome North America and find it very cool.
We have a late dinner at a restaurant Marco knows. Again the food is great, and we go back to our room full and sleepy.
Did we actually do all this on our first day?

July 5, 2009

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Sacred Valley

Pakaritampu, Sacred Valley

Today I woke up early to see the resident alpacas at the Pakaritampu. The gardens here are pretty and peaceful.
Our driver comes and we're off to see the Sacred Valley. On the way have glimpses of the glaciers we flew over on the way in, which Marco explains in Incan culture are believed to be the Apus, the sacred mountain dieties. The winding road leads us past farmers working their fields by hand and with animals. We pass children tending to the flocks of sheep, and then we reach the village of Maras on our way to Moray. This village is also built on Incan walls and seems busy with signs of life and death as a funeral procession passes by. The people here are also very friendly and we notice a difference in their dress from the village of Ollantaytambo, which Marco tells us is how they distinguish themselves from each other. He also tells us a fable of a deadly magical powder of Maras, which we hope is just a fable and plan to not wander out on our own just in case!
To my dismay, I see a good amount of people with obvious cataracts. Marco tells us that is a problem here due to the sun and the altitude. I wonder to myself if there is something I can do about this when I get home with my hospital connections.
We then arrive at Moray and walk down into the concentric circles. Stepping down the flying stairs made my big American feet feel even bigger! As we sit and listen to Marco explain this site to us, I realize how lucky we are to have him as our guide. He tells us what some people think, what other people think, and what the facts are. As each day goes by we seem to have a "thank God we have Marco" moment.
After Moray we make just a short stop at the salt pans before we stop for lunch. Again, the food is so good I have recipes to try when I am home.
Next, we are on our way to Pisac. Even though it is a great shopping day here we would prefer to see the ruins, so we pass the market and go up to the entrance of the ruins. We are totally amazed at the grandness of this site. We spend the afternoon walking the trails here, learning about the locals who live above this site. Then an elderly lady pops out of nowhere from above, greets us, then continues the walk down. How can she breath so easily?! Again, our visit is later in the afternoon when the crowds are gone and the shadows are great for taking pictures.
When we are finished here, we continue on and visit the workshop of Pablo Seminario in Urubamba, a great place to buy safe, functional ceramics. We learn on the ride back that even our driver is a facinating man, an archeologist and a musician who traveled the world and who now is working at home to be with his family.
After we arrive home in Ollantaytambo, we have another wonderful dinner (all this hiking and climbing creates huge appetites!). We then go back to our room and prepare for our next exciting day, our day hike into Machu Picchu. We had already received the pre-planning packet from Adventure Life instructing us to limit our Machu Picchu packing to 22 lb, so we pre-packed those things at home, making the night before packing much easier, basically limiting it to what we are storing at Pakaritampu. I will miss this town, its people, but I look forward to tomorrow. Marco talks about cliffs, which scare me, but you only live once, so we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Good night!

July 6, 2009

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Day Hike into Machu Picchu

Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu

Well, today's the big day!
We start with an early morning breakfast, leave our duffel bags at the front desk, and make the very short walk to the train station with our carry-on bags. The train station is bustling but soon we're on the train and on our way. We watch the vegetation change from smaller, drier brush to taller, lush vegetation. We watch the Andes mountains open up in front of us. I am leary about leaving our luggage on a train still filled with people when we get off, but Marco assures me it will be at the Sanctuary Lodge when we get there. Next, we notice much conversation between Marco and the train staff. It seems the trail at Km 104, the stop we were to get off at, is recovering from fire. We can't get off the train until Km 106. This changes our approach to the Inca trail as we then take the porter's trail, leading up a series of switchbacks to meet the Inca trail. The plus side to this trail is that it is a bit more shaded and has no plunging cliffs. It is a very steep climb and I take many water and snack breaks, many encouraged by Marco. He also points out different flowers and birds along the way.
When we arrive at Huinay Huayna, I realize that we already climbed much higher than our original route via Km 104 would have us at this point. When I see the narrow trail along the cliffs that we missed due to the fire, I now see...all things happen for a reason!
We sit on the edge of Huinay Huayna and eat our lunch and we think there may not be a better view in the world to have lunch at, with our legs dangling over the side. The mountains all around us feel alive and comforting, like family. No wonder the Incas worshiped them, and we feel life in them too. I take many pictures here as I feel I may need their comfort when I return home.
As we pass through a checkpoint on the trail, I hear another tour guide telling his group to "keep it up", they had 1 1/2 hours to get to the Sungate. I looked at my husband Scot, and we had another "thank God we have Marco" moment. Our hike in on the Inca Trail was very special. We went slow but steady and we stopped to play hide and seek with an elusive tanager, mostly seeking! The flowers, vines and foliage in the cloud forest are incredible. We walked along the same stone paths as the ancient Incas did, and then we reached the Sungate. It almost seemed surreal, like we were still looking at it like a picture from a book. We looked at our time - we arrived 45 minutes later than the group being timed by their guide. On our hike, we played with the birds, experienced our environment, and walked in peace.
As we hiked in from the Sun Gate, Machu Picchu became closer and closer. From listening to Marco, I think I understand how sacred this site must have been for the ancient Incans and why there were so many security posts along the way to protect it. This is a great time of day to arrive as it is not very crowded and we can tour the site with what little energy we have left.
Marco is staying down in Aguas Calientes so he is leaving our admission tickets for entry in the morning. This will allow us to see the sunrise before he comes back up for a full day tour tomorrow.
He then helps us check in to the Sanctuary Lodge, and sets a time and place to meet us in the morning. Then our luggage magically appears and we fall exhausted into our rooms, enjoy the toiletries in our room, eat well at dinner and admire the full moon and the Southern Cross before we fall asleep quickly.

July 7, 2009

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Machu Picchu Day

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, Machu Picchu

Today we got up early to see the sunrise. We stop at the entry gate to get the tickets Marco left there for re-entry and climb up to the guardhouse. Although there are a decent amount of people there, we get a great spot to take pictures. Soon we noticed on a lower plaza a pachamama ceremony was beginning. Apparently it is the second anniversary of Machu Picchu becoming one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and we witness this celebration with a shaman giving offerings to the earth at sunrise. Everyone is dressed in traditional clothing and then we hear musical notes sounded through shells. This ceremony, with the rising sun on Machu Picchu, seemed like a true magical moment.
We take a handful of classic pictures, and slowly work our way down to breakfast and to checkout of the Sanctuary Lodge before Marco comes for our full day tour. Once again, it seems our luggage is to disappear from here and to re-appear down at Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. Not always the trusting soul that I am, I am beginning to fall into the groove that things might happen here as they say they do. After breakfast, we meet up with Marco and start our tour. There are so many things to learn about this site. It is much more than a bunch of stones. Marco shows us where the medical area may have been, takes us to little toured areas, shows us hummingbirds in the stonework, gives meaning to this site. Oh, and yes, while listening to another tour guide tell his group that this was where the Incans buried their kings standing up after Marco taught us that the Incans buried their dead in the fetal position, we had another "thank God we have Marco" moment.
After seeing this stonework, we have a huge respect for the difficulty and the suffering it took for this site to have been completed without modern tools. It remains a mystery.
There is talk at lunch that there will be a strike tomorrow that will affect transportation. We hear of other travelers juggling their plans around to accommodate it. We mention it Marco after lunch. He says that it was to be a three day strike, but now only it will be a one day strike. Normally I would be freaking out by this. However, I figure that between Marco and the affiliates we met when we arrived, we are in good hands and they will figure something out for us if necessary. What happened to the control freak I used to be?!
Marco informed us that Machu Picchu means old mountain and some of the special sitting areas set aside were for the Machus, or the elder folk. So we made it a point to rest at these designated Machu points as we are not too far off age wise! We've spent the entire day at this magical site and now are ready to go down to Aguas Calientes.
The bus ride down is hairy but quick and we take a quick walk along the train tracks right into a garden of eden called the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. This is a secluded garden paradise. Marco gets us signed up for a few bird and nature walks in the morning while we drink our complimentary pisco sours and we get checked into our room. Once again our luggage has magically re-appeared in our room. Marco will come back in the morning to see if we want to return to to Machu Picchu if there is bus service or if we want to do local hikes, so we say good evening to him. The grounds here are beautiful. We again have a wonderful dinner and sleep soundly.

July 8, 2009

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Cloud Forest and Birdwatching

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, Machu Picchu

This morning we got up early to go on a birdwatching walk but were met with a flock of wild parakeets squawking overhead just outside our room as they landed in a coral tree to eat the flowers. And this was before the birdwatching! This place has so many different types of tanagers and hummingbirds it's amazing. After breakfast we took another tour and saw orchids, medicinal plants, more birds and cloud forest fauna, and toured the tea garden and house. On one trail we had a long distance view of Huinay Huayna. This was a very difficult view to leave, as we found this site very special. Because the only way to fully see this ruin in to hike in, and I am afraid as I get older I may not be able to handle the hike in, and I may never get to see this beautiful site again. Tears fill my eyes as I stand on the trail, as they fill my eyes as I write this. Perhaps the definition of Huinay Huayna, meaning forever young, will help me on a future trek in. Maybe we are not so Machu after all!
We noticed that due to the strike, there were no trains running, making today very quiet.
After a nice break for homegrown ice tea, Marco finds us and makes a great attempt at encouraging us to take hikes to Mandor or Putukusi because we did mention them to him before, but we Machus have decide to spend the day enjoying the gardens here. While wandering the trails here we see wild parrots, more tropical colored birds, and enjoyed more visits from the flock of parakeets at different parts of the grounds. We notice they graze from tree to tree as to not deplete all the food from one tree all at once. Pretty smart!
Before dinner we treat our tired, aching bodies to the Andean sauna, which we have all to ourselves. Heated with rocks, lit with candles and covered inside with eucalyptus, it heats every pore of our sore muscles. We step out more than once to plung into the natural spring water pond nearby. Since we can still walk, we then have a couple's massage and then are off to a late dinner.
Tonight we toast our planning as everything seems to be done in the perfect order. We fall asleep to the sounds of the nightime forest.

July 9, 2009

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Aguas Calientes to Cusco

Hotel Monasterio, Cusco

This morning we hear the train running which means that the strike is over, so the next part of our journey begins. After an early morning breakfast farewell with our wild feathered friends we meet Marco and take the very short walk to the train station. Our luggage once again shows up at the station to meet us and we take the vistadome to Ollantaytambo. We feel a touch of sadness as we leave the tropical cloud forest world behind. We disembark, pick up the remainder of our luggage we left at Packaritampu and meet our driver who will take us to Cusco. We are happy to see that this is our musician/archeologist driver and feel like we are running into an old friend. As we ride he explains that there were still some rocks left in the road from the strike the day before but the police were clearing them out on his way to pick us up and we see some remaining evidence on the side of the road. We tell him we have strikes too and he seems to understand.
On our return to Cusco, we make a stop in Urubamba to meet Pablo Seminario in his workshop and order some ceramics to be shipped home. To see where the clay comes out of the mountains, is hand worked, hand painted, hand glazed and provides jobs for the community made it easy to spend some money here.
We continue the beautiful drive up through the valley, passing by the farmers working their fields and the little towns along the way until we reach the outskirts of Cusco. Just the initial drive to our hotel introduces us to the hills that Cusco is famous for. As we say goodbye to our driver/friend we are met at the reception of the Monasterio. After truly living in the moment of everything we have just done and experienced, I forgot we had chosen such a grand place. To actually have me live in the present and not anticipating the future, I'd say "Job well done, Marco, and Adventure Life". That doesn't happen often.
This place is amazing and the courtyard is warm and tranquil. We're shown to our room and try to imagine a monk living there, although I'm sure he didn't have the luxuries we have. Since we've been reunited with our large bags we left behind when going to Machu Picchu, we remember we brought four bags of clothing for moms and children to donate to the Mantay Shelter that Adventure Life gave us literature about in our pre-travel packet. We have to remember to give them to Marco over the next few days.
We plan on meeting Marco after lunch and we wander off on our own to the Plaza de Armas. This plaza has great atmosphere and we have lunch before meeting up with Marco. He then takes us on a walking tour of the city. We see other plazas and we visit the Temple of the Sun and Santo Domingo. It amazes me that after earthquakes that flattened the monastery in 1950 did their damage, the fantastic Incan stones were left unmoved.
Everywhere we walk we see evidence of the Incan walls. We walk next to one massive wall, which was once part of the "House of the Chosen Maidens" and see the symbols carved into the stones. Then we work our way back to the plaza and sit on a bench while the sun sets. It gets very cool here in the evening so we bid good evening to Marco, go back to the Monasterio, drink pisco sours by the fireplace and eat alpaca burgers (that still counts as local food, doesn't it?) We stop in the courtyard for a view of the nightime sky, the full moon, the Southern Cross, and the pointer stars. Then we go back to our luxurious monk quarters to sleep.

July 10, 2009

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Cusco

Hotel Monasterio, Cusco

Today we have a great breakfast at the Monasterio to the sounds of the Gregorian chants. Then we meet Marco and take a taxi up to Sacsayhuaman. It is still early so the site is pretty deserted. This site is huge,with its massive rocks in zigzag shapes on the horizon. Marco points out some very large carved stones with seven stones surrounding them and we see this pattern at different areas, like doorways, and we wonder where they could have lead to.
Marco takes us to the tunnels and tells us the stories behind them,of hidden treasures,of people lost forever in them, of tunnels leading into the Cathedral in the Plaza. Then he asks if we are interested in going in! Well, of course Scot goes in with Marco and I wait on the other side to see if my husband and our guide return from the Ukhu Pacha, or the underworld. Of course, all is well, and we climb to the highest point so we can view Cusco. What a picturesque city it is, with its terra cotta roofs and splashes of green where its plazas stand out. We sit on a hillside to take more pictures of the Andes. I will miss these mountains and try to capture these moments.
Next we stop at Quenko and then Tambo Machay, where we learn about magical qualitiies of water and shamans.
Next we want to return to the city and visit the local market, so we get our wish. Boy, did we get our wish!
It helps being a nurse to identify all those body parts from the animals we saw hanging there, although I'm just not sure I'd want to eat the gallbladder. On the other hand, I heard they're good for bruises. I did accummulate a few along the trail, so, maybe...no, never mind! We stopped at the witches counter and very respectfully asked the woman for a protection from harm charm and after Marco examined it he noticed some herbs grown in the Amazon in the vial.
After lunch at a local place Marco knew, we went to the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco. There they have a museum with a wonderful collection of textiles to view and also textiles for sale from many different communities. We bought several pieces and each one tells us who made it, where they are from, what it is made from, and it includes the weaver's picture.
On our final walk back to our hotel with Marco I am still struck with how lucky we were to have him as our guide. Part historian, part scientist, part spiritualist, he is factually accurate and still always seeking the truth for his country and his heritage.
We pass elderly couples sitting in the plaza eating ice cream, smiling at us, either happy to see us or secretly happy to live in such a special place.
Before we say goodbye to Marco we give him the bags of clothing for the Maray Shelter, and tearfully hug goodbye, we say" be happy, be healthy, be true to your soul."
Before our final dinner in Cusco we tour the Museo de Arte Precolombino and then eat at the MAP cafe in the courtyard there. It is a Friday night in Cusco and the city begins to become alive as we walk back to our hotel, peeking at the Southern Cross before we go to sleep.

July 11, 2009

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Cusco to Lima, then Home

Lima, Peru

Today is our last day. We have an afternoon flight to Cusco, so the Monasterio gave us a late checkout. We spend the early morning having breakfast in the coutyard under the sunshine and listening again to the Gregorian chants, and then strike up a conversation with another guest. It just so happens that this guest is a doctor from the US who just returned from a distant village after performing about 150 cataract surgeries. Coincidence? I think not. Just a pleasant reminder not to forget your good intentions once you arrive home.
We wander around the Plaza de Armas one more time, visit the Jesuit Church, climb to second floor and manage to find another place to take great pictures of the plaza. We make one last stop for Peruvian food for lunch before we check out of the Monasterio, and then are met by a very pleasant young lady with a driver who take us to the airport. We arrive to the airport early, which is exactly what we like. This young lady walks us all the way through the airport as far as she can legally go and then bids us goodbye. I don't know how much more helpful anyone could have been.
From every phone call I've made and every e-mail sent(did I break a record?), someone was there to give a prompt, pleasant, and accurate response. I understand that not everything can always go the way it is planned, hence making it an adventure. All the best planning in the world can be for naught if the appropriate ground crew are not there, so we applaud all you Adventure Lifers! The is a reason you were voted one of the best adventure travel companies on earth, and we look forward to traveling with you in the future.
Muchas gracias!

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