Incredible mountains all around. They are the main beauty of this place.
Peru 2023
Day 23: September 11
Machu Picchu - Ollantaytambo
Peru 2023
Itinerary
Miraculously, Serhiy felt better in the morning. He had no fever.
We had breakfast (quinoa flour pancakes — delicious!) and went to the bus.
There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu from the town of Aguas Calientes — either a 2-hour hike up the mountain or a 30-minute bus ride (for $12 one way per person. It is considered one of the most expensive buses in the world!).
Given our health condition (I also felt a bit strange, with severe weakness and apathy), we decided to take the bus.
How glad I am that we went by bus! Walking around Machu Picchu itself — constantly up and down — is exhausting.
The landscape here is incredibly beautiful. Truly unique; I have never seen mountains like these anywhere else.
I was struck by the fact that, despite the mountains being very “steep,” they are all covered with trees (or bushes?).
When we reached the very top and saw that legendary view from the classic Machu Picchu photo, I had a strange feeling.
As if it wasn’t happening to me. As if it were a half-dream. As if I were in some kind of haze, and I wanted to shake it off.
To fully, completely feel that I was really here.
My dream had come true. And inside, there was some kind of emptiness.
Maybe it was just exhaustion. For some reason, I could barely move my legs.
Machu Picchu :)
Then we went to see the Inca Bridge.
They say that this is the original bridge that has survived from those times. The bridge is simply a pair of wooden planks thrown across a wide gap in the trail. The Incas used this trail and bridge in case of escape. They took the bridge with them, and no one could cross the “hole” in the trail.
You are not allowed onto the bridge itself; you can only view it from a distance. The trail to the bridge is very scenic.
Let’s go see the Inca Bridge
Landscapes
At the bottom center, a hole is visible, and above it there is a small bridge
After the bridge, go down to the main ruins.
Several llamas were grazing at Machu Picchu
The famous polygonal masonry used by the Incas
Ruins
Terraces
We also went down by bus.
We had an hour and a half before the train to Ollantaytambo.
While waiting for the train, we found a local hole-in-the-wall where we ate a cheap (50 UAH) decent soup.
Aguas Calientes, the town below Machu Picchu, is a cluster of restaurants and hotels.
We arrived in Ollantaytambo around seven. It’s a small village. We’re staying near the main square.
We had dinner in a nice little restaurant — soup and an interesting dish: potatoes with a tasty vegetable filling, similar to zrazy.
Main square of Ollantaytambo. We’re going to dinner.
Peruvian-style potato zrazy :) Served with rice!