Day11

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Well - the day I have anticipated for many years finally arrives, started by a 4am wake up call so that we could arrive at the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu (Intipunku,) by dawn.
It was a somewhat surreal scene at the checkpoint as there were dozens of torches and flashlights which then moved in a bizarre procession around the mountain-side in the dark. After a crazy 45 minutes jog which included an almost sheer flight of steps, we reached the famous Sun Gate and looked down on Machu Picchu from a distance. Despite being within view, we still had a long walk down towards the site which was still not open. Passing a few llamas along the way, we had the opportunity for many photographs over the jaw-dropping site. A dream realised, we had a guided tour of this fantastic place, then Ollie climbed the mountain directly behind the City called Wayna Picchu. After spending over 5 hours at Machu Picchu we caught the local bus down to the town of Aguas Calientes. In this town the railway runs straight through the "high street." We had a pizza outside,whilst yards away the mainline to Ollantaytambo ran - bizarre! Whilst eating, the skies opened to one of the the heaviest thunderstorms I've ever witnessed - it "bucketed down!"
After our meal we caught the "backpackers special" train to Ollantaytambo and then by minibus back to our hotel in Cusco to find a "proper bed" for the first time in four nights!

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Photos

Machu Picchu
First light from Sun Gate