Finally to Macchu Picchu :)

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And this is for everyone who immediately asked if I was going to Mac-Pic when they heard I was visiting South America.......

Up at 5am and onto the 615 Backpacker Express. Leaving Cusco took quite some time, its steep, so theres a switchback system to leave the system (train goes past junction and then reverses up the next section of track, then goes forward etc etc and slowly zigzags up the hill). Travelled back through the Sacred Valley, sitting a little lower nearer to the river and homes lining the valley. Snoozed off....zzzz .

Woke up at Ollantaytambo, when the train filled up with all the tourists, then onto Aguas Calientes, through narrow canyons, small tunnels. River powering along on the side, farmhouses and eventually jungle as we climbe nearer to MP. Piled onto the tourist buses for the 30 minute trip up the hill to Macchu Picchu. 10 minute climb and there it was.....

It is completely spectacular and pristine.... but covers less ground space than I expected. After seeing the ruins through Bolivia, Cusco and the sacred Valley it is like the perfect finale. All of the elements of terraces, temples, granaries and the "suggested" workings of the society are all captured here.

Behind the ruins is a smaller picchu, that takes an hour to climb. I ran up 30 minutes of it and took pictures looking back across the ruins and into the valley below, shakey legs and climbing vertical rocks holding onto ropes. Then hurtled back down the hill and half way up the road to the Sun Gate. It is positively worthwhile to stay overnight at Aguas and spend a full day, hiking up to Macchu and doing the ruins.

15 minutes on the way to the Sun Gate is a vertical stone with a platform at the front, to leave offerings, stones, food. Buried Daniels spirit stone, wrapped in coca leaves from Angel Falls and left a stone in offering for myself. Scurried back down the hill, past the llamas on the terraces on the terraces and onto to the bus just as the rain began.
Amazing red plants, related to the banana, cling to all the cliffs around MP. Splashes of colour against the jungle green.

Next time Im doing the full trail, the landscape, the ruins, the jungle, mountains and clouds were spectacular, definitely worth all the press but read up on it before you go and save some money by booking the train / bus tickets yourself at the station!

And yes.... I snoozed all the way home and celebrated with an obscenely large pint of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

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Photos

Macchu Picchu
First view after climbing for 10 minutes from buses. The hill on the right is the one I ran up part of :)

Sun Temple
This is situated in the centre of the terraces and naturally at certain times of the day year, is perfectly struck by the sun!