No Jumping Allowed!! (Machu Picchu)

The one that everyone asks about when you go to Peru: Did you visit Machu Picchu? Of course we did!

It's an early morning if you catch the first train to Aguas Calientes and from there catch one of the first buses up to the  saddle of the mountain. Show your tickets at the gate, then hike into the site. Coming  up to the "guard house," we had our first overview of the city.

from machupicchu.com

The first map is really cool, especially in the way it breaks down the different "zones" of the Machu Picchu complex. You enter near the agricultural area, with its seemingly endless terraces. Then there are the palaces and temples, and across the open plaza more temples and houses. We met the only modern inhabitants of MP, some friendly llamas, in the main square (10).  Unfortunately the map leaves out one major detail. Machu Picchu is draped like a saddle across the ridge between two mountains. You will spend over half of your time there either walking down stairs, walking up stairs, or catching your breath after walking up stairs. Below might be a better "map" of Machu Picchu

http://salkantaytrekmachupicchu.blogspot.com/

At least during that down time the view is breathtaking. You just have to be careful  when you stop to take a photo. Any picture involving jumping or supporting yourself  with the stone structures is strictly forbidden. I did an awesome plank across an open doorway, and a khaki guard made Jone delete the photos from her  camera. Bummer!! The khaki vests seemed to be everywhere, so we settled for more contemplative poses.

the "palace" complex

One of the cool things about Machu Picchu is that you can walk all over it. There are areas  that  are  roped off for preservation and restoration, but it really is accessible. Nevertheless, tours tend to block  up choke points. More than once  we found ourselves in a giant, camera wielding conga line of Brazilians. Their guide strafed away in rapid Portuguese until a khaki-vested Peruvian blew a whistle at them and the line moved onward, passing the choke point.

There are additional hikes out away from the site that different tickets allow you access to. The Huayna Picchu (on the mountain I'm touching in the first photo) visits  were sold out when we got our  tickets, so we opted for  the Machu Picchu Mountain hike instead. Before heading uphill, we ventured to the "Inca Bridge," a 20 minute RT hike in the other direction.

The bridge was close a few years ago when an American hiker fell off  (blasted Yankees, ruining the fun for the rest of us). We hiked as close as we  could get, then decided that without water we were  too beat to do the Machu Picchu Mountain hike. Plus the bugs were having Jone for brunch. So, we bid the site Adios and wound our way back down the mountain. 

**all photos by Jone unless otherwise noted