Finally the day came. We will arrive at Machu Picchu in the morning of Day 4. But before that, we had one last pain to swallow — we need to set off at 3 am. The gate of the national park was not open until 5 am. But if we came on time, we would end up in the back of the queue to pass the park office, which could take forever. Getting up inhumanly early was difficult but bearable. Waiting in the dark while doing absolute nothing was plainly cruel.
Russell’s plan worked. We were the first group getting to the park office. I was not surprised: was there seriously another group to get up at 2:30 am to queue? We did claim the only two benches outside the office. The group sat down and turned off the head lamps. Becca leaned on Matt to get some sleep. Russell sat straight burying under his big jacket with his eyes closed. I shared the same bench with Sandy and Anna. It was really cold. I stared into the dark and can’t sleep.
After half an hour, other trekkers started to arrive group by group. I took out my contact lens as previously I didn’t get time to put them on. Sandy helped to hold a mirror for me. Unlike her super fit friend Anna, Sandy was a bit chubby and obviously not a frequent hiker. I didn’t like her soft personality in the hike, but I had to say it’s hard to dislike her. She was such a warm person. She was very chatty on the dining table and always ready to offer help. While waiting in the dark, I heard she talked to Anna in a very low voice, “I came for Inca Trail because you wanted to do it. But it is too difficult for me. Can I choose the place when we travel next time?” At that point, I was no longer mad at her dragging Russell in the back and we might missing a lot of great stories in the front. I appreciated she got out of her comfort zone for her friend.
At 5 am, we proceed to the gate with our papers. Russell decided to hike in a slow pace with Sandy in the back and asked four of us — Anna, Becca, Matt and me — to go ahead. We will wait for them at Sun Gate. Before we four set off, Russell reminded us seriously to stick to the right side of the path for safety reason. The trail leading to Sun Gate was flat and narrow. We might get knocked over by faster trekkers coming behind. However, this piece of advice turned to be completely unnecessary. We were so excited that we will see Machu Picchu and literally jogged all the way. No one had passed us.
The final push to Sun Gate was a steep climb. When you finally got your breath back from the grueling climb, it was immediately taken away by Machu Picchu not far away. After all the curiosity, imagination and anticipation, here it was. That compound surrounded by mountains was the reason that all of us traveled this far to see. Perhaps because I had already seen so many magnificent Inca ruins along the way, I was more impressed by the panorama view than Machu Picchu itself.
It started to get warm when we descended to Machu Picchu. I took off the jacket, the sweater, the loose pants and the wool hat. A special outfit was under the layers: a pair of running tights and an equally tight tank. How can a young lady look good without showing the curve? I saved this look for Machu Picchu. With my fresh hair, I couldn’t feel better. Of course, this new look got the attention from the group. “For the photo! For Machu Picchu!” I looked back at them.
It was a completely new world when we entered Machu Picchu. After seeing dirty and smelly hikers on Inca Trail for the past few days, we were now surrounded by beautifully dressed tourists who just got off the tour bus. Just by checking their shoes, you would know they won’t survive 20 minutes on the trail.
It was not even 9 am, but we already felt burning under the sun. Russell led us in and explained the architecture along the way. Right inside the entrance of Machu Picchu, Hiram Binham’s name was framed on a medal hanging on the wall. A lot of people were arguing that Binham was not the first one to discover Machu Picchu, but he certainly was the first one to bring international attention to Machu Picchu. Life has told us the campaign always came before the product itself.
After the tour, the group was split for now. Anna will keep climbing Machu Picchu Mount. I will do Huayna Picchu climb. The rest were too tired and will just take the time in Machu Picchu. We will meet at 2 pm in Agua Caliente for lunch and from there take the train back together.
I really enjoyed this trek. It surely was not a boring one. I had a good workout and saw different things every day. On top of that, I had great conversations with varied people on the trail. Even I couldn’t figure out anything about my next moves in Hong Kong, I believed this was a good start. I was having the best of my life.