Machu Picchu, devil´s contract with the incas, and our sufferings trying to avoid monopoly

We started our trip to Machu Picchu by bus, trying to avoid the incredibly expensive direct train. So we travelled during 8 hours to Santa Maria. Interesting trip as the road was badly damaged due to some mountain coming down and destroying part of it. But hey, that only happened to us, normally the road is just fine. From Santa Maria, we took another mini bus to Santa Teresa where we spent the night. And the next day, we walked to Aguas Calientes (closest village to Machu Picchu) during 5 hours. Crossed the Urubamba river not in a normal bridge but in a mobile one, admired the flora on the way and just enjoyed the trip. On the way we met a teenager from Aguas Calientes that told us about one possibility to get inside Machu Picchu without paying. I will not write about it in here, but anyone that would like to know about it we will be more than happy to share it a private email.


On the whole, we paid aprox. 13 euros (including the night we spent in Santa Teresa) for the trip, instead of more than 50 euros by train. We really gave it a thought about entering for free to Machu Picchu, but in the end we bought the 30 euros ticket. As someone I know kept saying that you cannot visit Peru and miss Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu - Machu Picchu --- what's all that fuss about it? So many people saw it, so many people thought it was great... well, I was expecting the worst. Don´t trust that much when something is just fashionable to see. 2000 - 2500 tourists every day, it's a lot for someone that doesn't like common places.

I could only say 'WOW' when I first saw MP and understood in a moment all the praises.

MP it's a hidden place on top of a mountain, sorrounded and protected by other fellow mountains. It's no wonder, the place is perfect for the unfinished inca temple that was supposed to be. Only for a few chosen ones, with lots of temples, energy rocks and water mirrors, full of symbols and mystery. It's high, but not exagerated: 2400m, well taken care of, even though it was done only 30% restauration work. Just behind the ruins, there is a steep mountain of 2700m (Waina Picchu) that the incas decided to make their observation point. It's hard work getting there, but the view is spectacular and different.


As I said before, the incas never got to finish this incredible place. Afraid of the Spanish conquistadors, they took off to other hidden places like Choquequirau, one of the last bastions. The american proffesor that descovered it later found it in an almost perfect state of conservation, a deserted town, with most of the sacred objects in its places.

One of the guards gave us an inside theory about what happened to the incas. It is said that they are still alive in some hidden, cursed vally and caves. People that have tried to get there, lost their way and never made it. Some sort of dizziness combined with unseen mazes leads them to different paths. Also the inca treasure that is said to be great and in incredible quantities is protected by the same devilish spell. There could only be found little remains that compared to the main treasure is nothing but sand.

In the end, MP is a mystical place if you allow it to be. You can come there with a group of friends, talk loud, disturd the others and not understand anything about the place. Tourists go there with different objectives as we could observe: some really looking to find the mystical thing in every rock, some looking for good pictures and some just following a fashion wave. It's strange though that even like that, all cathegories conclude it's a great place to see.

I recommend it for the pictures, for the fashionable or for the mystical. But not for the way back!! That is another story that left us with bad memories and acking bones and muscles. We had to walk back from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo more than 35km on the train rails. Partly due to the professors' strike that haven't received a raise in 5 years and were blocking all the routes and partly because we refused to participate in the money thirst of Peru Rail and the peruvian government. We thought it was a shame and embarassment and suffered for it too! But hey, no statement was ever made without a little bit of suffering!!!

To relax and recover our poor bodies we are heading today to the peruvian beaches, hope to relax under the sun and get some brown skin. Will let you know how it goes :)