Machu Picchu
by
David K. Johnson
I
have been surprised to have my own personal tour guide - a very pleasant guy
named Ruben. The day I arrived the manager of the tour agency, a secretary and
a driver were waiting for me at the airport. That afternoon Ruben took me to
the major churches and Inca ruins in and around Cusco (in a minivan, with driver).
The
journey to Machu Picchu February 5 was a real adventure. Ruben and the driver
picked me up at 7:00 a.m. We drove a few blocks to the tourist bus station. Our
bus contained a large group of people from Hungary, Ruben, and me. We rode the
bus for about an hour, to the town of Ollantaytambo. That's as far as the road
goes. There we waited (along with other bus loads of foreign tourists) for the
helicopters to start flying. It was raining. This location was a school that
the government was using as an airport because the train tracks (the
"normal" way to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu) were damaged by a
landslide. In the schoolyard were vendors of tourist goods and food (mainly
boiled ears of corn, and cheese).
After about 1 1/2 hours the first helicopter arrived. It was painted olive drab, and had the markings of the Peruvian army. It loaded and took off. The next helicopter arrived about 20 minutes later. It was a similar type, but a red and white commercial plane. Our tickets were for the tenth flight, but somehow Ruben got us on the 5th flight - on the army helicopter. It had metal benches along both sides where most people sat. We were the last ones to board, so we had metal "jump seats" at the rear. As we were flying I noticed that our seats were part of the "clam shell" doors (cargo doors), and I could see the ground pass by below.
We
flew for about 20 minutes through the Urubamba River valley. We stayed fairly
low, as clouds covered the mountain peaks on both sides of us. The valley was
too narrow for the two helicopters to meet and pass, so the one waited for the
other to land at the Machu Picchu end of the journey. The "airport"
at that end was a small clearing, with a couple buildings and two tents.
From
there we walked 1/4 mile to the train station. There we boarded a bus. There
was no sign that the ruins were anywhere near. All I saw was the raging, brown
river and steep mountains on both sides. We crossed the river and began a
4-mile climb, zigzagging 2,000 feet straight up on a one-lane (well, 1 1/2
lane) road.
At the top (not really the top of the mountain) there was a restaurant and a hotel. And, of course, the entrance to the ruins. After passing through the entrance Ruben led me off to the left, up a stone stairway. We climbed about 60 feet. He then had me look down at my feet as we walked along the trail. When he told me to look up I saw THE classic view of the ruins.
We spent about 2 1/2 hours walking through the ruins. Then Ruben seemed to be in a hurry to get back.
We
went back to the entrance to wait for a bus. They were "sold out" for
the next few trips, so we had coffee. Then Ruben dashed off to get us seats on
a bus. As the next bus finished loading, I heard my name and saw Ruben waving
frantically. He got us the last two seats on the bus!
By
that time it was raining hard, so the trip down the narrow mountain road was
another thrill. As soon as we crossed the bridge Ruben and I got off. We ran up
a hill to the train station, and past it towards the "airport"
because we were told the army helicopter was ready to take off. Running at
7,000' elevation isn't easy - and the helicopter took off without us. The next
2 flights were sold out, and the rain could shut down flights at any time.
About
40 minutes later the red and white helicopter arrived. It loaded. Again, Ruben
waved frantically and we got on board. The helicopter had about 8 "real
seats", and behind them the metal benches. They were all full. Ruben sat on something at the very rear and I
shared a jump seat (with an army "grunt") right behind the cockpit.
The cockpit door was left open, so I had a good view over my left shoulder. It
really is a narrow river canyon!
Twenty
minutes later we landed, and boarded a bus for the return to Cusco. The tour
agency knew we would not have time for lunch, so the manager took me to a nice
restaurant that had local "typical" entertainment. He didn't eat with
me, but was there when I finished. The band was very good, and the four
"folklore" dancers were interesting, if not all the good.
It
was a day that exceeded my expectations in terms of adventure!
Copyright 1999