"Magical Machu Picchu i ..." a Machu Picchu Travel Page by AKtravelers

Machu Picchu is everything we thought it would be, even in the rainy season. You can look at pictures of this iconic destination for years, but you will still be in awe when you see the real ruins spread out before you from the first Inca guardhouse. What an amazing and beautiful place.
And the rainy season just added to that. Because we were warned that February was a very wet month, we planned three days at the ruins in order to improve our odds of enough dry exploring time. This proved to be prescient, as our first day was almost a total washout. But the rain stopped for day 2 and we even had bits of sun for our climb of Huayno Picchu on day 3. Meanwhile, the clouds added to the wonderful setting of this pre-conquest city.

Of course, if you want to see the famous views that you've always dreamed about since you first saw photos as a child, you have to come when there is no rain and the clouds are high. With three days at Machu Picchu, we had two such visits. When you enter the city by the first guard house, you are immediately impressed at the beautiful setting and the symetric layout of the urban areas.
The location of Machu Picchu is stupendous. It sits on a ridge between Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayno Picchu Mountain, and this ridge forms a high peninsula that is flanked on three sides by the angry Urubamba River 1500 meters below. In turn, the site is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Finally, it sits on a fault that provided a natural spring for the Incas, giving them the necessary water source to base their city on. From both a pre- and post-Columbian perspective, this place is perfect.

One advantage of the low clouds and constant rain on the first day is that it forced us to pay attention to the details of Machu Picchu. The grand vistas were hidden, so the smaller delights were brought to the forefront. First of all, we got an appreciation for Incan water management, both how they handled the water they did want (aqueducts) and the water they didn't want (drainage). We learned first hand that thatched roofs can be quite effective. Looking past the man-made, we also noticed that this lush semi-tropical environment has interesting insects.
Finally, the rain gave us time to appreciate Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu, and our wonderful hotel, the Machu Picchu Pueblo Inn. We got a chance to chat with the locals, though our Spanish often confused them: "Machu Picchu es bonito. Hoy tengo muchos heuevos (Machu Picchu is beautiful. Today we have a lot of eggs)". Yes, I kept confusing heuvos with luvia (rain).