Day Two in Peru - Machu Picchu

It's dark as we leave the hotel and enter the plaza.

The only people out and about are heading to the same place we are. The buses. We round the corner at around 5:15 and the line is already snaking up the street. Mister heads into a little shop for some juice and then joins me in line. There are Peruvian ladies selling fresh breads and coffee up and down the line. It doesn't take long and they start loading the buses. We are in the fourth one leaving at around 5:40 to head up the mountain side on a single lane dirt road full of switchbacks.

It starts to get light as we rise out of the valley and start to meet the first buses returning for more passengers. The drivers maneuver their buses on the narrow road. They are really practiced at this as it goes on all day everyday. It is not quite 6 yet so we line up and wait for the 6am opening. People are quietly visiting and we watch as the trail survivors start wandering in – you can walk up to the ruins, but it's steps all the way. Whew.


The gates open and we make our way to the entrance. As we stop on one of the terraces, we are greeted by a llama looking over the edge at us.

Mister and I grab a photo and then head back to take the trail further up for better views and to watch the sunrise.

The view is breathtaking. I am instantly so very glad that we did this. I am fascinated by the reserve of the tourists who are up here this early.

 

Most are not entering the actual ruins, but quietly taking up spots surrounding the monument to watch as the sun does its magic. It is almost reverent. I find a spot perched over the edge on a rock and sit down to watch the wonder of it all. So peaceful -- so grand -- so awe inspiring. Once the sun is up, we head down into the ruins. We follow our guidebook and head out. We take our time and enjoy each moment of the place and talk about how incredible it is that it is even there.

The terraces are mind-boggling in their own right and Mister is fascinated with the rock work of the Incas. We marvel at the intricacy of the work the Incas did and the absolute overwhelming size of the task. How did they do this?









There is a plumbing system that is carved into the rock and it travels through the entire city as a small stream and into a bathing area before going into the jungle. The joists for the roofs have "rock" logs to tie the thatch coverings on -- really? What a tremendous effort. We spend the entire morning wandering the city and finding so many little things that cause us to go hmm. Absolutely one of the most incredible things I have ever been privy to experience in my lifetime.

Around noon, we are tiring from all the stairs and so decide to head back to the entrance, grab a cup of ice cream to share and wait for our bus to load to head back down into town. It has been such a great morning -- one that truly gives pause to the thought of a wish to travel back in time and see the city as it functioned on a daily basis. We board the bus and head back down the mountain, stop in at the hotel to shed some clothes as it has certainly warmed up and even though Mister shed one shirt up at the top, we are quite warm still. A quick freshen up and it's lunch time.

We wander up restaurant row and stop in a little Peruvian restaurant that serves alpaca as Mister wants to give that a try. The alpaca was definitely well done, but all in all, not that bad. They also serve cuy (guinea pig) and Mister wants to try it as well, but said he would give it a try another time as we just want a light meal to share.

They had this really old pizza oven in the corner and the fire was going but I never saw a pizza go into it. It was used to heat up other dishes. 

After our meal, we walk down to the train station for tickets back to Cuzco. We find a train to Ollantaytambo early in the morning and decide to stop there and explore the ruins there before heading to Cuzco. Another early morning with a 5:30 departure.

Walking back to the hotel takes us through the market again and I am now ready to find some alpaca items -- I had spotted some nice scarves the day before and Mister had spotted something he wanted for his mom as well. We find the items again (not such an easy task if you can picture hundreds of market stalls in a maze), make our purchases and drop the items off at the hotel.

We decide to walk up to the hot springs that the town is named for.We follow the path up into the jungle, although Mister is a bit disappointed to not see any wildlife. He would be happy with a lizard but it is not meant to be.

 On the way to the springs, we pass many shops that rent swimsuits and towels if we want to jump in. We pass -- just want some photos. The walk is enjoyable and as we come back into town, we cross the river and wander up into where the locals lived.

As we round a corner we can tell that an event is going on and it turns out to be a soccer game between two local adult teams. Well, we walk up some steps to the stands and watch for awhile. It is fun to be so immersed in the local culture as we are pretty much the only outsiders attending. People are packed into the stands and on the other side they sit on the hill with banners, flags, and a small band. This is serious stuff.

 

We are delighted with the game as we watch, but my goodness it is rough. Also, it is played on an artificial turf over cement and so you knew the falls have to hurt. It is great fun and we get caught up in the game and are yelling right along with everyone else.

We continue on and walk the rest of the city. It is getting dark as we arrive back so we decide to go to Toto's for dinner and just have a light pizza as we need to pack and get to bed for an early day tomorrow.