Machu Picchu to the Sacred Valley

---

We were so lucky yesterday because as the evening wore on it started raining and how it rained. It was still raining when we awoke at 05:00 this morning but it had abated sufficiently by 06:00 for us to venture out with Geoff and Katy’s very welcome ponchos (what do you call them in Spanish?!)

Because the cloud was so low, and in the absence of all but the early birds from the nearest town of Agua Calientes and from Sanctuary Lodge, the atmosphere and feel of the Machu Picchu ruins were very different to yesterday’s. Yesterday afternoon we wandered around the site, high and low, and took loads of photos without the morning’s mass of tourists. The Lonely Planet guide puts visitor numbers at 1,000 per day but it seemed that there was at least couple of times this volume. The sky was clear and we wandered back to the hotel after a couple of hours weary and tired. Later, at the bar, a couple of pisco sours revived us and we enjoyed a delicious meal and a bottle of Peruvian Sauvignon Blanc Viogner before retiring to our lovely hotel room. We had been ignorant of the fact that Sanctuary Lodge is part of the Orient Express group and the influence can be clearly felt in both the service, the furnishings and, most of all, the price!

Back to today, and we returned to breakfast and to clear our room and pack our bags. We decided to spend the few hours before lunch relaxing in the garden behind the hotel and we chose spot overlooking the hotel and the entrance to the MP site. This was interesting not least because Jen was able to photograph a number of plants and we watched the birds and insects flying from plant to plant. Whilst we saw the humming birds on a number of occasions, we were never quick enough with the camera.

We were, however, able to capture the heavy rainfall on the foliage from the day room where we retreated to avoid being drenched. We caught up with Gerry and Mary, who we’d first met in the Colca Canyon. After a buffet lunch we caught the ’bus down to Agua Calientes for a wander around this very commercialised town with its tacky souvenir market. Back on the train we travelled along the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo.

---

Comments

[Di Theobalds]

Machu Picchu
Glad Katie and Geoff's preparedness has lived up to expectations. Humming birds are great aren't they (we have a photo you can pretend is yours if you want!!) Nothing like a bit of hotel luxury to ease a wet day - sorry to hear the weather is disappointing - working on the Sun God for you!