Cusco & Machu Picchu by Emma

On the 18th we took a bus from Puno to Cusco. The bus took six or seven hours to get there. Then we did shopping and went to bed.
On the 19th we walked in Cusco. There are murals everywhere. If you don’t know what murals are, they are paintings on walls. The Inkas (who conquered Cusco in the 12th century) considered Cusco as the navel of the world. Then we had ice cream. After that we walked around at night and looked at all the lights.
On the 20th we visited Sacsayhuaman. It was interesting. The walls were made so well that they only barely moved when earthquakes happened. They have carved the stones to fit each other perfectly. Sacsayhuaman means satisfied eagle in Quechua. There were big rocks that looked like toothpaste being squeezed out. It wasn’t my favourite, but it was still interesting. Then we went to a small museum.
On the 21st we took a train to Aguas Calientes. It took four hours to get there. We found our hotel and settled in. Then we had lunch. After that we waited in line for the bus to Machu Pichu. We did circuit number 2. We mainly saw the outside, but it was still a nice view. When Hiram Bingham the third, found Machu Picchu in 1911, he thought he had found the lost city of the Incas. He was looking for a city known as, drum roll please, Vilcabamba. The real Vilcabamba is now believed to have be built in a jungle 50 miles away from Machu Picchu.
It was a beautiful view just looking over the ruins. One thing I really liked was how well the rocks interlocked with each other. It was magnificent. Then we had dinner out and went to bed.
On the 22nd we went to Machu Picchu. We did circuit number 3 this time. It was cool. This time we were more on the inside. We trekked back down after we visited Machu Picchu. It took one hour and fifteen minutes. We were walking through trees. There were lots of plants. There was also a dog that when whenever a bus went by, it would chase the tire. Then when we got down, we had lunch. Then in the evening we had dinner and played a few board games.
On the 23rd we took the train back to Cusco. We had lunch at the market. It was nice food. We booked tours for the following days. Then movie night and bed.
On the 24th we did ziplines. I went with somebody on every one of them. It was really fun. It was like being a bird. Then we did a swing. Andrew did it and then dad. I did not want to do. Then me and mum made a deal. Mum would do it but then I had to do it. I agreed. I did regret the deal when I was getting clipped in. so you got clipped in and then you sit on a platform. Then the platform drops. It was awesome. Then we went home and did blog.
On the 25th we did a day tour. The first stop was interesting. They showed us how you make colours out of natural stuff. Then we went to Chincheros. It was built by the Incas. When the Spanish invaded, they added stuff on. After that we visited Moray. Round terraces. With steps so you can go up or down. Then we saw salt mines. Lots of them. They were collecting salt while we were there. Then we had lunch. After that we saw Ollantaytambo. It was on a hill, so we had to climb fast, plus we only had 35 minutes. There was a sun temple at the top and a water temple at the bottom. The people that lived there, only had one God, but they thank the sun and the moon for some reason. Then we saw Pisac. It was also on a hill, but since we were very rushed, we only saw a little bit of it.
On the 26th we did blog in the morning and went to see a dance show in the evening. The dancers kept changing into different costumes every time.
On the 27th we visited Pisac again but for the whole day this time. Pisac is named after a bird you can see there. We climbed up a lot of stairs to reach some houses at the top of the hill. It took a little bit. On the way down mum freaked out a bit because we were going down steep stairs. But in the end, it was a good day.
On the 28th we went to the rainbow mountain. First, we took quads for 45 minutes then we hiked 30 minutes. Riding the quad was fun. On the way up me and Andrew played with a bit with snow cause there was some on the track. The rainbow mountain was over 5000 meters above sea level. It was really hard to breathe, but it was still an amazing view.
On the 29th we took a bus from Cusco to lima.
Emma (9 years old)Read more