Machu Picchu

Backside of the pass, heading towards Santa Maria
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Adrian and I picked up the dirt bikes, a Honda XR 250 and 400, around 8:30am. After some initial formalities of signatures and exchanges of operational informational, we left Cuzco around 10. Matthias was already ahead of us, taking an 8am bus. After two hours of riding we dropped down into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, topping off our tanks in Urubamba and settling into Ollantaytambo for some lunch. Ollantaytambo had some nice ruins built into the mountainside. It’s also the gateway to Machu Picchu via the train for those not willing to do the hike. As we finished our lunch it started to rain, so we waited another 30 minutes before heading out. This was sort of mute because once we hit the Abra de Malagra pass (4319m) above Ollantaytambo, it started to rain on us anyway. At one point, near 14000 feet it was snowing and sleeting. Fortunately we had the warm and waterproof gear, but as we dropped into the Peruvian jungles on the back side it continued to rain heavily and it slowed us down a bit – and despite our gear we were still getting wet but mostly our feet and hands, making for a cold ride.

Looking back towards a 5000 meter peak on our way to Santa Maria. You can see the road on the side of the mountain to the right. Don't want to go too fast...
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Low on gas, we arrived in Santa Maria around 4pm. It had stopped raining and the warmth of the jungle was inviting. There were several roads leading out of Santa Maria so it took some time, as well as some interaction with the locals to find the road to Santa Teresa. So we were on our way when Adrian decided to pick up a small local boy and give him a ride home. Unbeknownst to us, his house was on the way – just not the direct way. So what should have been a 45 minute ride turned into an hour and a half, climbing up dirt roads with significant drop offs along the side of mountains, passing through small villages along the way. By the time we got to Santa Maria it was nearing 6pm and the sun had already set. Matthias was waiting, but there was no way we were going to get up to Aguas Calientas before the night. So we stored the bikes with our local contact, got some dinner and went to bed.

Adrian taking a pic of me, looking downstream towards Santa Maria
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In order to get to Machu Picchu before sunrise we woke up at 2:30am to catch a 3am taxi to the Hydroeclectica. From there we caught the 4:30am train to Aquas Calientas. Barely any gringos, this train was for the locals, mainly traveling to Aquas Calientas for work. Getting to the town at 5:30 we finally saw the influx of tourists arriving from different means to reach Machu Picchu. With everyone having the same idea (before sunrise), it was a mad rush to buy tickets to the site and the bus that would take us up. Regardless of the panic, there was really no worry and everyone made it up in time. Unfortunately the weather was not working with us as the overcast skies provided a slight drizzle that eventually cleared, but no interesting sunrise. The hard work to get up to the ruins early did pay off as the amount of tourists were little compared to amount we would see by mid morning. Machu Picchu was definitely a breath taking experience. Like most wonders of the world, despite all the pictures you see you really have to be here to enjoy it.

A closer view as I walk around the ruins
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We covered the majority of M.P. over 4 hours, including hiking to the top of Wayna Picchu. After words we hiked the 8km back down to Aguas Calientas for lunch and caught the 12:30 train back to Santa Teresa where we did some late afternoon riding on the dirt bikes. Things were going great until we had to cross a bridge over the river running through town. Coming down a steep incline of dirt and rock the bike came out from underneath me. Adrian, being a more experienced rider, had no issues and was already fucking around on the other side. So a local helped me pick up the bike, and after inspecting the minor damage, I was on my way. I was probably worse off – with various cuts and bruises – which would slow me down a bit over the next couple of days. The next day was fantastic. Our ride back to Cuzco was sunny and warm (except for the pass of course). After Urubamba we took a different route south through Huaypo Lagoon. All dirt roads, the area was somewhat secluded with small villages and very little traffic. Without the bikes we would never have seen this part of the country. We arrived back in Cuzco just in time to drop off the bikes and pay the 30 soles for the minor damage I caused to the bike. I probably could have argued about this but it was only 10 bucks and my mind was still in awe from the 3 day experience I just had.