The main purpose of this trip was to finally visit Machu Picchu.......
....and in order to get there we had to go back to Ollantaytambo, the end of the road, in order to take a train to Aquas Callientes, the town now being renamed Machu Picchu.
This is the closest one can go before traveling up a zig zag 20 min. bus drive to reach the ruins. No wonder it wasn't found by the conquistadores!
We were booked into the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, just by the entrance to the ruins....
We could only travel up there with a very small carry-on. There is virtually no private transport allowed on the road up.... except presumably deliveries.....probably taking place during the hours when the ruins are not open to the public.
Checking into the hotel was easy....first a great lunch.... then our first tour of the site.....
........ exploring the upper mountain.....
This stone was used as a calendar by the Incas to plan agricultural cycles..........
It was great being able to stay overnight at the ruin site.......no queueing to go down the mountain......
and it allowed us to have a Pisco Sour lesson..........
with a tasting!!
And of course it allowed us to be there early the next morning to see the ruins rise up out of the mist.....
This was apparently not as busy as it gets in the more popular non rainy season months! We did, however, have a long queue to take a bus to go back down the mountain!
Visiting Machu Picchu was an amazing experience!
....and in order to get there we had to go back to Ollantaytambo, the end of the road, in order to take a train to Aquas Callientes, the town now being renamed Machu Picchu.
We were booked into the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, just by the entrance to the ruins....
We could only travel up there with a very small carry-on. There is virtually no private transport allowed on the road up.... except presumably deliveries.....probably taking place during the hours when the ruins are not open to the public.
Checking into the hotel was easy....first a great lunch.... then our first tour of the site.....
........ exploring the upper mountain.....
....we were amazed to see ( actually to have pointed out to us) people climbing up the mountain.... those little white specks!
This peak also has a trail but is not as popular as the other!
There was some evidence of earthquake damage in the main Sacred Plaza.....
..amazing structures...
It was great being able to stay overnight at the ruin site.......no queueing to go down the mountain......
and it allowed us to have a Pisco Sour lesson..........
And of course it allowed us to be there early the next morning to see the ruins rise up out of the mist.....
It became a little more crowded on the second visit as local Peruvians from the Cusco area are allowed to visit for free on Sundays!
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