(Day #10) Machu Picchu

About 90% of the houses outside of the big cities are built with brown adobe bricks made of straw and mud. Whole villages would be the same color.

We had to get up at 5:00 am to get ready to leave for Machu Picchu. There are only two ways to get here. One way is to climb the Inca Trail. This takes about four days to complete. Since animals and vehicles are not allowed, the hikers hire men and boys to carry their bedding and supplies. The second way is by train. The train ride takes about two hours.

After the train ride we then boarded a bus that took us up the mountain. The bus ride is on rough dirt roads with steep switch backs. When we finally get to the top of the mountain, there is the Sanctuary Lodge and bathrooms. The trip to the bathroom was completed by taking a bucket of water with you.

When we finally got to walk out to the site of Machu Picchu, it was breath taking!

The city is divided into two parts. The left side with the terraces was for growing crops. The right side was for temples, royalty, and the family homes. The temples and the rooms for royalty had stones that fit together perfectly. The terraces and the common family homes were made of stones and mortar.

There were remains of two temples. One was the temple of the Sun. This room had two round circles on the floor. The other temple was for the condor. Our guide took us on a tour on the right side. This tour was not as hard climbing as yesterday's activities but much longer.

After lunch those of us that wanted to climb the left side went with another guide. The rest of the group went down to the marketplace at the bottom of the mountain.

Our hiking group was running late to get back on the bus to take us down the mountain to catch the train. After we got on the bus, we only traveled about a few hundred feet when we had to stop. Our guide went to find out what the problem was. A bus traveling up the mountain had broken down in the middle of the road. Another bus had to be brought up and we unloaded our bus and walked down to the one that could take us down.

We took the train back to Ollantaytambo to meet up with our motor coach. The bus ride was another two hours to Cusco. By the time we checked into our new hotel, everyone's fun meter had run out. The picture of the church was taken from hotel room.

Ship's Escort - Leandra
Peru Escort - Dante
Tour Guide - Karina