Let's get the negative out of the way first. The car ride to the train, and the train ride to the town below Machu Picchu were fine. The bus ride to Machu Picchu, which is done at breakneck speed over perilous mountain switchback roads, was not. Well, I suppose the ride itself was okay. It's waiting in line to get on the bus that is not okay.
It can take 2+ hours to wait in a line that stretches throughout much of the town. Then, after hiking all day, you have to wait 2+ hours again -- this time along the switchback road as buses come screaming by inches from where you're standing. It's a truly unpleasant experience, and you should fear it if you visit at this time of year.
After you brave the mass of humans trying to cram themselves through the narrow park entrance, conditions improve dramatically.
Round a bend in the mountain to see the landscape open up around you. You're presented with the grandest of grand vistas, containing far too much beauty to absorb in a few seconds. A few minutes. A few hours. Or, if you're to believe our guide Manolo, ever.
Mountains punch up towards the crisp, blue sky in every direction. The grandest skyscrapers are twigs by comparison. Not even twigs. Brittle flakes of tin. Single strands of hair, so insubstantial they can be blown away in a stiff breeze. No strong wind will topple these mountains. But I've seen mountains before. What I haven't seen is a remarkably well-preserved ancient city improbably perched atop one of these towering behemoths.
Terraces carved into rock encircle the mountain, creating level platforms upon which crops once grew and buildings currently sit. Taking the worthwhile trek to the Sun Gate gives you an expansive view of the entire area. Somehow, improbably, humans once walked to this place, constructing it in a location few would dare travel today without a well-worn trail ahead.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, golden light illuminated green terraces, creating deep, long shadows that fell sensuously across sloping hills and jutting stone walls.
I took photos. I took many photos. I even took a video. None of them even begin to capture the feeling of being in Machu Picchu's physical presence. With endorphins flooding my brain from the hike, and with few other tourists around, my body and brain responded physically to the stunning combination of natural and manmade beauty. It will be difficult to forget that moment.