Feb. 25 – Machu-Picchu

We awake at 5:00 am, and walk to the bus stop. There are already 50 people in line, and more showing up each minute. And dozens of Peruvian woman are on hand selling coca tea and coffee and sandwiches.

The buses start showing up at 5:45 sharp, and by then there are hundreds of tourists lined up ready for the 15 minute ride up the mountain to the site entrance. We are on the second bus up the road.

The site is fantastic beyond description. The pictures do not do the place justice. It is foggy when we first arrive, but clears up later. Simply an amazing experience. A huge city, built of stone by master masons, in the most inaccessible place imaginable.

Machu-Picchu

Machu-Picchu

Machu-Picchu

Huana-Picchu

Machu-Picchu

Machu-Picchu

view from haunapicchu

We both sign in to climb Huanapicchu, a large volcanic mountain that overlooks the Machu-Picchu ruins. The park administration now limits the number of tourists that can climb this trail on any one day. It is a rugged, steep climb up a nearly vertical stairway carved into the rock of the mountain, and I am pleased that I could complete the climb. The view from the top is worth the effort. Part of the magical experience of this magical place.

After hours of wandering the many areas of this amazing city, we take the bus back to the village below, get our stuff left at the hotel, and catch the train back to Cusco. The return ride is as fascinating and engaging as the ride up. We catch the train at 5:05 PM, and arrive back in Cusco around 9:30 PM. We take a taxi back to Hotel Monte Carlo, and feel like we are returning home. The local restaurants are all closed, but the hotel staff phone in an order of chicken dinners delivered to the hotel, so we eat and crash. We are both wiped out from a day of strenuous exercise.