Machu Picchu

So let me start this by saying I feel lame that I had to see Machu Picchu via train and not by hiking the famous Inca Trail. I was so envious of all of the backpackers I saw during my trip and was wishing I could join my brave roommates during their four day trek. Due to the government's great scheduling of my trip and the fact that you have to book the trail about 4 months in advance , I had to take the ultra-tourist train ride to see Machu Picchu. But it was still quite an experience and well worth the time and effort getting to Cusco. The train left at 6am sharp and my travel coordinator, Julio, was at my hotel at 5:45 to shuttle me to the train station.

I sat by a friendly Chilean who helped me work on my Spanish and made fun of the way I enunciated 'grassyass'.


This is the closest I got to hiking the Inca Trail.

This is the first view of Machu Picchu up above the valley.

I was in another organized tour group and quickly discovered that they were a slow moving bunch. I stayed with them for a while, but was itching to go off and explore on my own. I had read in my travel book that a side hike up a nearby mountain was optional, took about 2 hours to complete, and had the most spectacular view of Machu Picchu. I saw this as my opportunity to finally do some hiking, so I ditched the tour and headed for the mountain (the tour guide wasn't that informative anyway). Please note the mountain mentioned is the big one behind me, to the right.

Needless to say, my visions of having a cool hiking experience in Peru were crushed when the monitor at the base of the mountain told me they only let 400 people in per day and that they had already reached their maximum. I tried several different techniques to sway him...the pathetic whine.."I came all the way from Washington", the flirty "Oh, come on please...just one more", and finally I bribed him. No dice. I certainly wasn't going to go back and find my tour group, so I spent the rest of my time exploring. It was truly a unique experience and still a very challenging workout going through all of the ruins.