Machu Picchu and more

On Friday morning, I got up at 4:30am to get in line at 5:30am to get on the bus to Machu Picchu.  I had arrived the night before from Ollantaytambo by train after visiting that city during the day.  The line was long already and after an hour in the dark, the sun came up and we climb up the mountain to the world-famous site.  I hired a guide and walked around with him for 2 1/2 hours.  It was just majestic.  The clouds started to lift up and by 9 am we were done and the views were even more gorgeous and clear.  Machu Picchu is situated at the end of the Sacred Valley and at the beginning of the Amazon forest so it is more humid there and the vegetation changes a bit.  After the end of my tour with the guide, I took a small break and then proceeded to climb up to the sun gate.  The views from there were outstanding as well.

I took so many pictures, it is kind of ridiculous!  But I guess I have taken so many during this trip because everywhere I go is just so beautiful.  Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real and it can be overwhelming.  I have no one to pinch me and I have to stop, breathe and remind myself that I am having a trip of a lifetime.  And then, I get tired!  Because there are so much to see and do.  So the rest of the afternoon, I came back to Agua Calientes, had a nice lunch by the river, took a quick nap, a shower and a got a massage.  I had dinner and I was done for the day.

On Saturday, I took the train back to Ollantaytambo.  This time I used Peru Rail instead of Inca Rail.  I wanted to try both and I liked Peru Rail better.  Also I got so lucky because I was sitting at the beginning of the train and I had a huge window with an unobstructed view.  I got picked up and driven to Cusco and got blessed with another beautiful rainbow and gorgeous views.

Today, was my first day in Cusco and I took a taxi up the mountain to visit 3 Inca sites: Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Saqsaywaman.  I am always impressed by the size of the rocks, the way they are put together and the water engineering.  They had no wheels or horses to carry anything and just walking around all these sites with the altitude is exhausting!  I can’t even imagine building all these fortresses and temples!

I took a stroll back down to the city.  Because it is Sunday, there was a lot of parades at the Plaza de Armas. I found a quiet spot at the Palacio Hotel and had a nice lunch.  I grabbed dessert at the Valeriana and came back to my bed and crashed for the rest of the afternoon.

I have one more day tomorrow in Cusco.  I could go visit more ruins down the valley but I think I am done with all the ruins.  There are many beautiful churches and museums in Cusco and I think I’ll just take it easy tomorrow and do that.

One word of advice if you decide to visit Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins, get acclimated with the altitude and be in really good shape! Don’t be afraid of steps and stairs because there are a lot of them!!  And at an average of 11000 ft, they will kick your butt!