Machu Picchu

There are wonders of the world and then there are places on planet earth that seem like they deserve an upper echelon category. Machu Picchu is certainly one of those places. The lost city of the Incas, also known as the Old Mountain (Machu Pikchu), is a 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 meters above sea level. Visiting Machu Picchu again for a second time was a reconfirmation of its ability to impress all over again. We toured the site, this time around with a guide, on the first day with rainy conditions in the morning and overcast by the afternoon. On the second day, it was just gorgeous and sunny outside from the moment we arrived. My biggest tip for anyone visiting Machu Picchu is to budget several days to visit the site because of its sheer size and how unpredictable the weather can be.
Machu Picchu Travel Video Transcript:
So do you think people will be able to guess where we are based on the landscape? I'm not too sure. It's quite foggy right now. Where could we be? What could be off in the distance? Good question. Should we tell? Yes. It is Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu. That is Machu Picchu guys. Breathtaking is it not?
This is a baby llama having breakfast. Breakfast time.
Can you give us an update on the current situation? So the current situation is that it has stopped raining. Yes. And it is starting to clear a bit. We're hopeful. Right now it is eight thirty six, and we're hopeful that maybe around ten or eleven, if it doesn't rain again, that we'll have some sunshine. Clear visibility of Machu Picchu. Get those iconic views. Yeah.
We know that the Quechua people were able to mummify people. But they used to mummify some important people from their culture. So they used to mummify to the royal family, they used to mummify to some people who were part of the high class people. So then they'd take the bodies. The mummies into the cave and they'd put them you know in the fetal position because they used to believe that they could enter into a different life after this life.
Rocking the new hats. The chuyos. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So the soldiers possibly used this to place the torch. The fire. Okay. But also they could maybe place here a pet which was maybe a llama or this was maybe an alpaca that they would use to sacrifice in one of the temples.
So here we're checking out an Inca toilet. Is it an en-suite? I'd say so.
What are we doing Audrey? Getting our Machu Picchu stamp. So this one is yours. Ready. Ta da.
Welcome to my home. This is the living area. It still needs to be furnished. And this over here is going to be a little reading nook and I'm put my books there, there and there.
Alright, so we found a nice quiet spot here and I want to know your impressions of coming back to Machu Picchu for a second time?
Coming back a second time. Honestly, it is still amazing. It is still impressed me. It still has that 'wow factor' like six or seven years later. I think it is just one of those sites that is I don't know, so special, and also it always looks different because the weather here changes so dramatically and it changes so quickly. So like when we first got here in the morning it was super cold and foggy and we couldn't even see Machu Picchu but now it is like the sun is starting to come out and the sky is starting to clear so it is really cool just hanging out here for a few hours and seeing how it all changes. So yeah, I'm glad I came back.
Okay, so Sam, you visited Machu Picchu about six years ago, how has does this trip compare to that one?
This is like night and day. Six years ago I was the ultimate cheapskate backpacker. I came to Machu Picchu using the cheapest transportation route possible. Basically I took this van on this really twisty serpentine off-road area and then I went across on this cable car using this wooden trolley. It was really dangerous.
Okay, so now next question. I know people always see Machu Picchu in documentaries, postcards, magazines. Do you think it is important for people to see it in person? Yeah, absolutely. It's actually one of these wonders of the world that actually lives up to its reputation. And what I really think, what I really get out of coming to Machu Picchu is just a sense of the sheer scale of the place. Like it is massive. When you come here and walk around you get a really good sense of just how big this lost city of the Inca's is. Woo hoo! Go Machu Picchu!
This is part of our Travel in Peru series. We're making a series of videos showcasing Peruvian culture, Peruvian arts, Peruvian foods, Peruvian religion, Peruvian cuisine and Peruvian people. All things Peruano. The best of Comida Peruana and Cocina Peruana.
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All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network