Machu Picchu

Nope, didn't get to sample the cuy! While driving to Ollantaytambo from Cusco, I kept seeing these piles of green hay or alfalfa in front of stores along the route. I asked the driver who informed me that most people in the region have their own caged animals and this was their version of CuyChow. We did try the alpaca tenderloin and an alpaca burger while in Aguas Calientes. This was pretty good meat IMO and would order again if presented with the option.

Melanie, having gone there now, I believe you have the best itinerary in mind. We stopped at the actual trailhead of the Inca trail while on our train ride to Aguas Calientes. I think the hike in would cover some beautiful territory and would actually overshadow the eventual arrival into MP itself. Be prepared for the eventuality of fog and clouds to spoil the sunrise moment you have planned, it certainly did for us. We climbed the mountain ( the big one ), only to summit in a cloud bank. It rained all the way up and the steep steps were slippery. This was a very strenuous climb, on all fours at times and was a relentless, dizzying workout. With no reward for our effort, we turned back downhill pretty disappointed. Being a one way trail, we then had to fight uphill traffic for a good ways coming down. The do limit the number of people who can be on this section of trail to minimize some of the conflict. We were first ones up, so coming back was not too bad.

We just got home today, pics to follow.

Cusco!

Statue is Cristo Blanco, overlooking the city of Cusco. My daughter getting selfies with llamas. These ladies were all over the place. We saw one carrying a baby alpaca on her back, inside the wrap like the ones these ladies are wearing. Town square. Last two are views of city from the foot of the Cristo Blanco statue.

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The drive to Ollyantaytambo. Stops at the Marasal salt mine and Moray ruins. The countryside was beautiful and had a Kauai 'feel' to it.

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More coming . . ..

The ruins at Ollyantaytambo. Also, the train station that would eventually get us to Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu. Amazing stone work. If you look across the valley at the last picture you will see a square on the cliffside. This is an old stone quarry. They have reportedly matched the huge rocks in these pictures to that quarry. Imagine getting blocks that size across and back up the hillside. Those huge stones are located at the top of the hills where I took the the fifth photo!

One of the things that struck me driving through the country was that most of the country is made of mud bricks today. Back in the Incan times they made these magnificent rock structures and today they use mud bricks. Kind of ironic, different set of priorities I reckon.

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Train ride to Aguas Calientes, complete with fashion show by the stewards. Not sure what the guy in the mask was all about! Third pic was shot out the window of my hotel room. Buses up and down to MP. And finally downtown Aguas Calientes.

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Finally there! The way up Waynapicchu, the bigger mountain. First glimpse of the ruins during a brief break in the fog and clouds. The guy in the pink shirt stepped off the trail ( to the right with the cable ) to hack up breakfast. It was a pretty steep climb. Last shot is the peak you see in most pics of MP, only from the back side. MP is on the other side of this peak. If you look closely, the white figure in the center of the pic is my wife. More to follow.

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It was quite a lot of travel to get there. 1 hour SAT-IAH. 6.5 hours IAH to LIM. Lima to Cusco another 1.5 hours. 2 more in a car to catch the 1.5 hour train ride to the base of MP. Then another 30 minutes up in a bus. It was a pretty tiring bit of travel, but glad we got to see it. As I mentioned earlier, the Peruvian people were great and we didn't meet anyone that didn't want to help us or answer questions. Long way, but worth the visit.

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Thanks. I haven't processed or cropped anything, just reduced em a bit and posted them up. A little time in Photoshop and some of them might be frame worthy...maybe not.

It was quite the flashback for me too. I lived in Quito from 6th grade to about the middle of 8th. The thing that really brought it back for me were the smells! Particularly when we went into the market in Cusco. Nothing quite like the smells of an open air farmers/meat market.

Your pictures are really taking me back...

I hiked the Inca Trail in 2004 - I had just done my first 70.3 - and I told the group leader I was going to carry my pack myself instead of letting the porters do it. He looked at me like I had two heads...Getting over Dead Woman's Pass was pretty memorable but nothing compared to getting to the Sun Gate over the ruins at approximately dawn. Aguas Caliente was a lot of fun, too...

We've talked about doing the Galapagos/Machu Picchu combo with the kids...your pictures are gonna make me think more about putting that in motion in the next year.

Enjoy your trip...

You don't happen to have any pics of the trail you could post here do you? I'd love to see them and I imagine Miss Melanie would too as she plans to hike the trail at some point in the future.

I took tons..

They're on a back up I have never been able to format to use on my Mac...I'll see if I can get some help and post a few...

One thing I remember about the hike was a family from Patagonia which included a really young kid - maybe six or seven. On the trail you see the same people day after day(standard 4day/3nights to complete, I think). I swear this kid was mocking me; his family started every day just in front of my group and finished the day about the same time. We never saw the kid complain or whine during the hike once - I think he must have been part llama or mountain goat.

I packed a bag of used Match Box cars from my kids' rooms and passed them out to natives I met on the trail. They were a big hit...

I tried the cocoa leaf-donkey dung combo...blech!

The trail was a great experience and we were determined to go back so our kids experience it, too...13 years later and counting...oh, well - que sera, sera.

Heh, no shortage of coca leaf in Peru for certain. I'm DOT random tested so I didn't bother trying it. Supposedly non narcotic, but some report it will flag on a UA screen. Wife had some coca tea and reported it being horrible as well.

Your pictures & notes are bringing back good memories. I was there in '08. We hiked the Inca Trail (pics to come) & stayed an extra night in Aguas Caliente to have the option of returning to MP the next day. We also hiked to the top of Mt. Putucusi. Mt Putucusi is a mountain right across the river from MP and about 1/4 mile beyond the town of AC. It might be closer now if they continued construction beyond the hotels that were going up 9yrs ago. It's a strenuous hike because of the large elevation gain & short distance, but the views are unquestionably worth the effort. To help facilitate the climb, there are a few sections of large wooden ladders. It's not for those with a fear of heights because one ladder section was 100+ rungs tall.

Mt Putucusi is the mountain on the right side in my picture of the MP ruins below. Also pictured are the largest ladder segment, a view of AC on the way up, and the view of Machu Picchu from the top.













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That looks like a pretty awesome climb and a view I hadn't previously seen. Looks like you had clearer weather too! I imagine you would have been fizzed to climb Putucusi only to emerge in a cloud bank as we did on Waynapicchu. As it was, I actually enjoyed watching the clouds roll in and out during the day, it added a bit of mystique to the site IMO. Most of the fog/cloud was blowing up the hillside and then covering MP. Made for some pretty interesting weather watching. Please post up more of your shots when you get a chance. I'm sure everyone here will enjoy them as well.

I definitely agree about the rolling cloud coverage adding to the aura. I enjoy looking back at the pictures with clouds more than the totally clear ones. The last day or so of the Inca Trail is in the cloud forest zone, so we were constantly in clouds one second and the wind would blow them away the next minute. When we arrived at the Sun Gate, we had a mostly cloudy view and light drizzle. By the time we got over to Wayna Picchu to climb it, there wasn't a cloud to be found. A couple of MP pictures before getting to my Inca Trail ones. When we got to the top of Wayna, we couldn't believe a dog (apparently ownerless) had made the climb too. I wish I had better pictures for you; this was the trip where I realized I needed to upgrade from my old P&S.











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It's been a number of years, but Llama Path was an outstanding guide company for us. I am an experienced hiker & backpacker, but the Inca Trail was my first porter supported trek. I couldn't have been more impressed with the service. My group of 2 was joined by 5 others we didn't know. Llama Path supplied 1 guide & 11 porters to carry all the group gear, food, tents, etc. Everyone else in our group hired the optional personal porter (they were part of the 11), so they just needed to carry a light day pack with water, snacks, an extra layer, and coat every day. If I had to do it over, I would hire the personal porter--not because I thought the trek was too difficult with a full pack, but because I would want to give a local employment for those 4 days. The porters raced ahead of us every morning to get lunch ready for our midday arrival. After we ate, they cleaned up, raced ahead of us, and had tents setup & dinner in the works for when we arrived at camp that night.

A couple of porter pics as well as the dining tent that was set up everyday for lunch & dinner. Trail pics to come next time I get a chance.











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