Machu Picchu - Peru

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Machu Picchu - the lost city of gold

Having finished our incredible but arduous trek, we spent a night in a comfortable B&B in the tourist ridden town of Aguas Calientes, flush with the anticipation of visiting Machu Picchu the next day. Not even a 4:30am wake up call could deter us, and the city proved to be much much more than what we had expected.• City highlights: the extremely informative tour around the Inca ruins where Alex, our guide redeemed himself and earned (well nearly earned) his group tip; the exhausting climb up Wanyu Picchu that took 1.5 hours to lead you to the most breathtaking views of the lost city and its surrounds - also the petrifying climb back down the mountain on our hands and knees; the crazy wild llamas that inhabit the city - pushing tourists off stairs and generally just mooching about.• Misc: Never have you seen so many grubby tourists and trekkers - those who had arrived straight from the inca trail, and those who gradually built up a sweat whilst exploring the dusty city; as only 400 tourists are allowed to climb to the lofty peaks of wanyu picchu daily, it was with renewed energy that our group madly dashed towards the entrance gates to secure our ticket at 6am in the morning; having spent the past 5 days climbing, trekking, walking up thousands of steps and pooing into holes in the ground, we´re looking forward to our journey back to cusco where a hot shower, clean clothes, beer, soft bed and massage awaits us (in that exact order).

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