When we woke up at 5am in our crappy hotel in Aguas Calientes, it was still too dark to tell what the weather would be like. We were hoping for an improvement over the constant deluge of rain the day before.
We got some hope from the fact that it wasn’t raining as we made our way to the bus, and by the time we reached the entrance to Machu Picchu, it was clear we were going to have a gorgeous day.
We weren’t exactly the first ones there – in fact, we had to wait in a half-hour line to get in. But then we finally got our first glimpse of this new wonder of the world:
Machu Picchu is impressive – and all the pictures you’ve seen (including these) don’t quite convey just how big it is. I don’t know how anyone can see it all in a single day.
We decided to hire a guide, because without one we wouldn’t know where to begin. The guide told us we were lucky to have this weather, since it had been cloudy and rainy the entire day before.
Each day, about 400 visitors are permitted to climb Wayna Picchu, the very steep peak which I’m told has an amazing view. We knew that would be beyond our abilities, though.
For the kids, the best part was probably the friendly llamas that roam the site, including some cute babies.
Much cleaner and less smelly than the models that roam the streets of Cusco!
We walked the site for over 3 hours, our guide explaining the points of interest as we went along. The ruins themselves are spectacular, and the site is so complete you really get a sense of the ancient city.
Even the irrigation system continues to function.
But I think it’s the location itself that makes this such a special place. The surrounding mountains, shrouded in mist and cloud, give the place a palpable sense of mystery and magic, even with hundreds of tourists milling about.
makes for some nice views, too!
Though I had envisioned spending a full day at the site, by 10:30am we were pretty exhausted. The crowds were thickening due to the arriving trains, and it looked like the rain was about to return, so we snapped some parting pictures and headed back down to the village.
We collected our luggage from the hotel and sat down to lunch just as it began pouring once again, and enjoyed a tasty lunch of trout and chicken while we waited for the train. Machu Picchu was a lot of work, but it was worth it!
You can see all of our Machu Picchu pics on our Flickr page.
{ 3 comments }
I bet the girls were in “llama heaven.”
Ok, I’m speechless. Or shall I type…typeless.
I been to a lot of the ruins around mexico city. But this is something I would love to see.
Comments on this entry are closed.