Machu picchu

Day 4 in Cuzco , time to visit the worldwide famous Macchu Pichu.

Our day started with an early breakfast and at 7: 15 am our dear friend Omar came to pick us up. 30 minutes later we were m Pony station waiting for our train to M.P.

The train left on time and the overall trip to M. P. was 3h 30 m. the service On the Vistadome was pretty good, including some yummy refreshments and information about towns we were crossing along the way.

The only stop on the way was at Ollantaytambo, 2 hours from our departure time. From there it took us another 90 min to arrive to Aguas Calientes.

The area around this train station was a huge souvenir market, we avoided it this time and rushed through to get to the bus stop as it looked like it was going to rain and we wanted to at least have the classic M.P. photo taken.

After asking for some directions we arrived to the bus stop and 100 soles later we were along the winding road climbing up to the majestic ruins. The time, close to Noon.

Our train tickets included buffet lunch at the Macchu Pichu hotel adjacent to the ruins, we were hungry but considering the weather we opted for ruins and photos rather than lunch, the restaurant was open till 3pm anyhow, excitement was taking over us.

We followed the tips in my Loneny Planet guide and headed straight for the Lookout to get tge classic photo we see in magazines, TV, etc. The access was challenging but it paid off as the views from the look out were superb.

After hundreds of photos, laughs and llama hugging we started to explore the ruins, again my book guide came in pretty handy.

We first visited the Temples sector including the 3-window temple and the Intihuatana, then we went to the Main Plaza and down to the housing sector. We were at the Condor altar when oopss I started to have cramps in my leg. I did some last effort to reach the Circular Tower but that was the end of me. Unable to walk properly I left the girls to keep exploring while I started the torturous way back to the Main Entrance.

45 minutes later and punished by pain I arrived, so did the girls later on. After getting a M.P. stamp in our passports we went to the Sanctuary Lodge restaurant for lunch. The buffet was great and gave me time to recover.

After lunch we took the bus down to Aguas Calientes and spent the last half an hour in the handicraft market, my leg was OK but I didn't want push myself so I just took it easy.

At 5:20pm we were already in the "Vistadome" starting our journey back to Cusco.

The staff on board put up a fashion show offering alpaca clothing at astronomic rates, which some Chinese dudes were prepared to pay.

As soon as we arrived in Poroy I realized that the hours on the train had worsened my leg so with the help of the girls I made it to Omar's taxi and then back to Cusco. Omar dropped us a pharmacy were they gave me some powerful painkillers, I decided to rest and see what the the day would bring us tomorrow.........on our way to PunoRead more