Approaching Machu Picchu (3) 繼續秘魯丘比丘之旅 （3）

Last time on my Machu Picchu trip post, I was half way through my trek. This time I'm going to finish the rest of my trek but first of all I want to talk a bit about booking my trip.

上次馬丘比丘的文章講到一半，這次會繼續完成我的行程。但首先，想跟大家介紹一下我預備這個行程的資訊。

The classic Inca trek to Machu Picchu has to be booked through a local company and you have to join one of their guided groups. You're not allowed to trek by yourself. There is a daily limit of 500 permits a day which includes porters and guides as well. If you read my last post, you will remember there was 4 support staff just for the two of us, that means the quota for tourists isn't a lot.

要走這個經典印加步道到馬丘比丘，一定要參加秘魯當地旅行社舉辦的團體旅遊，自己是不能去的。官方每日會開放500個名額，而在這個名額裡是包括支援團隊和導遊。如果你有看到我上次的帖子，你可能會記得我倆個人就有四位支援團隊，所以其實剩下給旅遊人士的名額不是很多。

The entire route is closed every February for restoration, then you have the wet season in March to April, and October to January, so in reality you're left with around six months in the year which is the dry season. Trekking permits are thus snapped up very quickly. I went in late October 2015, but had to book my tour in March that year, that's the longest in advance I've ever planned for a holiday. Luckily, as you can see from my photos, the wet season hadn't started yet. So a little tip, if you're planning to trek the Inca trail, plan early.

步道每年在2月會維修不對外開放，然後3至4月及10至1月是雨季，所以每年大概只有6個月最適合走這條步道。而每年開放下一年名額時，旺季月份都很快會額滿。我在2015年10月下旬去，但在當年的3月已要安排旅程，是我去旅行多年以來，最早一次作出準備。幸好，從相片中你可以看到，就算是10月下旬，當時天氣還很好，雨季還沒開始。

Back to the remaining of my trek to Machu Pucchu. There are various checkpoints en route where you have to have your passport stamped by the authorities. For my 2 day trek, there were two checkpoints, the first not long after I started at Km104, and the second one at Winay Wayna after lunch. Here's the stamps on my passport.

好了，繼續我馬丘比丘之旅。步道沿路上有好幾個檢查站，而我2天的旅程(其實實際在步道上只有1天而已) 就要經過有2個。第1個在早上出發後不久，而第2個在午餐後Winya Wanya 附近。每次經過檢查站都一定要在護照上蓋上印章，這就是我護照的印章。

The afternoon trek is shorter but more strenuous than the morning. There are uphills and downhill and we went through the rainforest. Eventually we got to the Monkey Steps, so called as it was so steep that you might have to use all fours.

下午的路段比上午短，但沒那麼好走。高低起伏還要經過熱帶雨林。最後的一小段猴子梯級真的很陡，而且如果累的話，可能要手腳並用才能爬得上去。

After this final climb, we got to Intipunku, the Sun Gate, the moment that all the trekkers have been working towards. Words were beyond me when I got here, partly because I was already quite tired, but mainly because I was blown away by the beauty of the site.

經過一輪艱辛的路程，我們終於到達太陽門。這一刻是所有走印加步道去馬丘比丘遠足者夢寐以求的一刻。到達時，我實在太感動，一方面因為有點累，另一方面就是眼前看到那個景象，實在是美得沒法形容。

This is the moment where you see what you have already seen hundreds of times already on TV, the internet and magazines. Yet, this moment was special, as you're seeing it with your own eyes, it's real, it's actually in front of you, you're within reach of an incredible piece of history and culture~ Machu Picchu.

以前在電視，網上和雜誌看過無數篇，但這次是我親眼看到，馬丘比丘實實在在出現在我眼前，令我畢生難忘。

_{I'm so exhausted and look absolutely terrible here, so have to hide behind the monkey!在這時侯實在太累，樣子不能見人喔！}

At 2720km, the Sun Gate is the highest point on the trek. From here it's another hour's walk till we actually get to Machu Pucchu. I'm getting closer.

太陽門在海拔 2720高，是整個旅程最高點。從這去馬丘比丘還要多走大概1小時。我離它越來越接近了。

And we made it at last!

我們終於到達啦！

Time for a bit of loving celebration with my guide. How often do you make it to the Macchu Picchu, so yes, a bit of silliness is allowed!

跟導遊來一個愛心的慶祝。 不是每天都可以到馬丘比丘呀，所以來個可愛傻傻的慶祝我覺得絕不是太過份。

The best thing about arriving at Machu Picchu in the late afternoon was that most of the tourists have left for the day, and we pretty much had the whole site to ourselves. These are my own photos, not from internet!

在下午這個時侯到達馬丘比丘最大的好處就是其他遊人大部分都已經離開。整個地方基本上沒有其他遊人，可以好好感受這裡的靈氣。 你看，這些照片全都是我自己拍的，不是從網上下載喔。

After a quick walk through the site, we took the bus down to our camping site, where our fantastic porters had already set up our tent, and were preparing dinner. Tomorrow, we will go back up to Machu Picchu and explore this magnificent piece of history in detail. Stay tuned for my next post.

我們在馬丘比丘停留了短暫片刻，然後坐公車到山下營地過一夜。支援我們的挑工已經搭好帳篷讓我們可以休息，我們到時他們已在準備晚餐。 明天我們會再返回山上的馬丘比丘，多了解這個歷史悠久的印加族文化。下次再見。

Check out all my travel posts here or visit Steemit Worldmap