Día 27

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Wake-up time: 5:30am... arrrgghhh. But we had to get back to Machu Picchu to see the sunrise! So we ate a quick breakfast at the hotel, waited in line for the bus back to Machu Picchu, and took the long, winding, narrow, and muddy road up to Puente Ruinas station, the starting point for our hike. But where was the sun? Ohhh there it is... hiding behind all that fog and those clouds... so much for a sunrise hike today!

But, no matter, we still planned to hike Waynu Picchu, a popular climbing point with a great view of Machu Picchu. Fortunately for me, the line to get into the trail was too long, so we hiked Intipunku instead. This was fortunate because even though we would end at the same altitude (9000 ft above sea level), the hike itself was less strenuous. Less stone stairs to climb. Hey, I have short legs! It´s more work for me anyway...

We arrived at the top sweaty and tired, and a little sore, but there was really nothing to see, as the fog was still very dense. But we did it! Hiked about 900ft... what a workout!

Had some time to shop back in Aguas Calientes before lunch, which was at the same buffet as yesterday. They have great coffee and this awesome Maracuja mousse. (Maracuja is a local fruit) And how cute was the bread display?

On the train ride back to Ollantaytambo, the servers put on a little fashion show for us, where they modeled high-end clothing made from Alpaca which would be for sale after the show. But before the fashon show started, one of the servers performed a regional dance called ¨Colla¨ in a traditional costume. I´ll let the picture speak for itself....

Back to the station in Ollantaytambo where we hopped back on our bus and Willy drove us to our hotel in Cusco, the Hotel Garcilaso. It´s a shame we had so little time to spend in Cusco, as it really is a beautiful city with so much to do. Dinner was at a local restaurant, and I finally had the opportunity to try... wait for it.... CUY!!! (That´s guinea pig for those of you who didn´t remember) Let´s just say that I am glad we ordered only one for the table. Not something I would ever order on my own. While it was tender meat, the flavor left a lot to be desired. As Lauren put it, it tasted like fishy chicken. But hey, at least I tried it right?

The rest of the night for me was at the internet cafe and back in the hotel room, trying to rearrange my suitcase so I wouldn´t have to pay another fee for checking overweight luggage... not quite as successful as I thought.

Another early day tomorrow- 6am departure to airport for an 8am flight! Need sleeeeeeppp....zzzzzzzzzz

Alyssa

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