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Machu Picchu My Way Hiking to the Sun Gate Peru

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Machu Picchu My Way Hiking to the Sun Gate Peru Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate There are many inspiring places to see on our planet. For me, Machu Picchu was both an elevating and humbling experience. The fact that I got there without a guide or tour group made it more special. In this article I’ll share the journey of how my husband and I reached our goal of hiking to the Sun Gate, an ancient entrance to the Sanctuary Machu Picchu. The Incas worshiped the Sun and the Sun’s consort the Moon. This celestial duality was reflected in the culture’s gold lined temples for the Sun and silver adorned religious sites for the Moon. The famous World Heritage site of Machu Picchu is the crowning glory of this huge empire which lasted just a brief 100 years. Who wouldn’t want to stand amidst the ruins of these splendors? The spectacular National Geographic photos of Machu Picchu don’t do it justice. It is a three dimensional experience that, in this traveler’s opinion, is ethereal and unforgettable. Beryl at Machu Picchu (old mountain) with Waynapicchu (young mountain) in the distance Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate Many folks are most comfortable traveling with tour groups and guides who lay out the trip itinerary. But it can be done another way. I enjoy the freedom of hiking to inspirational places and meditating even if it takes a four hour hike in order to do so. Another advantage of solo traveling are the spontaneous encounters with people from all over the world so we stop to chat. This is one of ways we get first-hand tips of what and what not to do while traveling in a foreign country. In retirement we we set our own route and pace. On this journey we wanted to experience Lima, The Sacred Inca Valley including Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca in Peru. Our Original Itinerary for Peru - Plan A Days 1-4 Fly from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru, Hotel Tierra Viva, Millaflores Goal: Travel day and explore Lima Days 5-9 Fly to Cusco, Taxi to Ollantaytambo, Hotel Munya Tika Goal: Altitude acclimation, training for a trek at Machu Picchu, and exploring t the towns in the Sacred Valley Days 10-12 Train to Aguas Callientes, Gringo Bill’s Hotel Goal: 6:00 am Bus to Machu Picchu, two hour tour, hike to Sun Gate Goal: Enjoy Aguas Callientes, train back to Ollantaytambo Days 13-17 Taxi to Cusco, Hotel Sol Plaza Inn Waynapicchu Goal: Sight seeing, cultural experiences and touring near Cusco Days 18-21 Eight hour Tour Bus to Puno, Lake Titicaca, Homestay on an floating reed island in Lake Titicaca Goal: Sight seeing, cultural experiences Days 22-23 Five hour bus back to Cusco Fly to Lima, Hotel Tierra Viva Millaflores Goal: Travel day and 1 day tour of Lima Day 24 Fly from Lima, Peru to Quito, Ecuador Goal: Travel day You may wonder why we flew to Lima from Buenos Aires, and why we departed Lima for Quito, Ecuador. My husband and I are on on a 2 year around the world travel adventure. We have not set foot on American soil since July 1, 2016. Peru is the 11th country we have explored and/or lived in. Our research included Youtube videos, scanning tour itineraries, and reading a Lonely Planet Peru guide book. We booked our flights and the first 3 hotels ahead of time. A short flight from Lima to Cusco put us in the capital Inca city which sits at a lofty 3339 meters (11,000 feet). There was a bowl of coca leaves at the airport directing us to limit our consumption to 3 leaves each. I took three and shoved them between my Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate teeth and gums. I would highly recommend it for altitude sickness! We turned this 2 day tour by Sam Travel into 6 days of altitude acclimation and trek conditioning My article will focus on the Sacred Valley since it involves one of my favorite activities: trekking. Our pre-arranged taxi whisked us from the Cusco airport down into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our first destination was the fully preserved Inca town of Ollantaytambo at an elevation of 2799 Meters (9183 feet). The locals call the town by the nick-name Ollanta. It may not sound like a big difference from Cusco’s 11,000 feet, but to me it was HUGE. That evening we walked 2 blocks uphill into the town square for dinner. It took us 20 minutes of huffing and puffing before we saw the benches on the plaza and sat down with a thud. “Very disrespectful of the beautiful nativity scene close by” I thought to myself. The first reason for the delay in reaching Machu Picchu was altitude adjustment. The second was that we required additional conditioning to trek at these elevations. I began drinking coca tea, chewing coca leafs and slowed my pace to a crawl. My headaches, disturbed sleep and short windedness were not what I had expected. It Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate took us two days before attempting our first training hike. The guide book suggested one full day of rest and we needed it. We used our free day to talk to the train companies about time schedules for the journey to Machu Picchu. We also extended our stay in Ollanta by two days/one night. Ollanta turned out to be a tiny intact Inca town. It was our base for exploring the Sacred Valley. The valley is 40 miles long and anchored by a raging river. It is so fertile, that terraces were built on the hillsides for vast numbers and varieties of crops. This “corn basket” of the entire empire produced at least 40 varieties of potatoes alone. On the map above red markers point out all the Inca cities which boast intact ruins. All were built on steep mountain sides. The hills called to me” keep climbing up for better views and come see the sacred temples at the top”. On the morning of day three we hiked up the local ‘trek less traveled’ called Pinkuylluna. First we wound our way through the still inhabited old city where a local woman directed us to the starting point. We looked up and were thankful for a hand rail system for the steepest sections. It took about 1 1/2 hours to reach the now deserted Inca food storage buildings where grains, meats and other legumes were kept. We were exhausted and content just sitting on a terrace to catch our breath. Don’t believe the guide books who gaily proclaim that this hike can be done in 1 hour, up and back. Maybe a fit Peruvian can do it, but not me! Dick nearing the Pinkuylluna Granaries Circa: late 16th C Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate As it happened a local guide with a big backpack spotted us. He was on his day off and sat down to impart some insider information. He pointed out the face of the famous Incan God Viracocha on the mountainside which we could see from our perch. According to Inca legend Viracocha emerged from the center of Lake Titicaca and is Magical Andes Photography Face of Incan God Viracocha on Mount Pinkuylluna. On the right side are the granaries - photo courtesy Magical Andes Photography called the White God. He was the grand creator of their world. Sitting at this height staring at the plunging mountains, rivers and terraced ruins I could see the beauty in their beliefs. Suddenly a group of five Americans came along bypassing the granaries entirely! I asked them where they were headed. “We’re on the way to the guard posts, want to join us?” Dick declined but I was rested and took them up on their offer. After 30 minutes of what seemed like hiking straight into thin air we arrived. I learned that each Incan city had the responsibility of watching over their valleys, scouting for Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate intruders. Therefore, guards were placed high on each mountain near the cities to keep watch. They lived nearby and only saw their families on special dates in the Inca Calendar. It made me dizzy. After a quick photo I descended while the Americans sat down to rest. Beryl made it to the Guard Stations at Pinkuylluna Arriving at our hotel by 2:00 we plopped down and fell a sleep! I found that the higher altitude affected my appetite, but it didn’t seem stop me at dinner that night. Quinoa soup with home-made bread at Heart’s Cafe was a hearty, healthy and tasty dinner for me. Dick chose the Alpaca Burger with Onion Rings. He assured me it was good. Here is the menu in case you go: www.heartscafeperu.com/menus/. Eat upstairs for good views Machu Picchu My Way Peru Dec - Jan 2017/2018 Hiking to the Sun Gate of the main plaza. In early January it was lit with twinkly lights in the trees and a flashing starry Nativity scene which included llamas instead of camels. By day four we were ready to tackle the main set of ruins in town, simply called Ollantytambo. At the entrance we bought the multi-use ticket for a 10 day pass to 14 archeological sites and museums in the valley.
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