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Published: March 11th 2009
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We’ve been back in the states for ten days and are finally posting the last (and maybe best) leg of our trip - Machu Picchu. The ancient Inca ruins are hauntingly beautiful and surpassed our expectations. After spending a couple days in Cusco we took the Vista Dome train to Aqua Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) a small town at the base of Machu Picchu. We were down to one backpack between us because the plan was to take the train to kilometer marker 104 and hike the final 13 kilometers of the Inca Trail arriving at the sun gate in Machu Picchu. Didn’t happen! The month of February (rainy season) they close the Inca Trail (a 4 day hike if you do it all) for repairs. We ended up taking the bus from Aqua Calientes up the mountain to the entrance of the Machu Picchu ruins. We lost count of the switchbacks in the road as we climbed from 6,500 feet of elevation to 8,000. However, this elevation was comfortable since the city of Cusco, where we boarded the train, sits at 10,700 feet. We enlisted the help of one of the many local tour guides at the entrance to the
ruins. Over the next 3 hours of walking and climbing we learned many interesting facts about the Inca’s, Machu Picchu and modern day Peru. Then the rain began. We thought we could outlast it in one of the thatched roof ruins but after 45 minute gave up and took the next bus down off the mountain.
Our scheduled train the next day was at 3:45PM. We decided to leave much earlier so we could see the Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo, the next village located in the Sacred Valley. From there we figured we could take a bus back to Cusco. However, one major glitch after arriving in Ollantaytambo - there was no bus schedule! It arrived whenever! What to do? We decided to enjoy the day and hope for the best. After hiking around the ruins we sat in the main square of this little village with cobblestone streets and watched the local children engage in a water fight with buckets, squirt guns and any thing that would hurl water. Grown ups and tourist were off limits so no mishaps. Later on, we found out this is a tradition that takes place each year during Peru’s carnival. Now it’s
well after noon, no bus, so we’re becoming a little concerned. Out of nowhere it seemed, appeared Jesus, a young Peruvian guy with a taxi of sorts! Jesus was great! It turned out he could speak a little English and was a frustrated tour guide! Remember, all the villages in the Sacred Valley were celebrating carnival, so it was party time. We finally agreed to stop in Coya and it may have been the best part of the day! Coya was host to 2,000+ local villagers from around the Sacred Valley. They were there to perform their native dances in full native dress. We counted two other tourists in the town and felt very lucky to have experienced their party thanks to Jesus. Now we’re in Arizona and it all seems like a beautiful dream!
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