Thursday 16.10.14 – Cusco – Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu.

Really easy start this am, we were not due to leave Cusco till 10am. Checked out at 9.00am. Slept soundly till 6am, did a couple of blog posts. Then we got organised, enjoyed our breakfast. Awki’s Dream Hotel have a great range of fruits and fresh juices, eggs-hard boiled, fried or omelette to order, but the highlight for EVERYONE is the banana pancakes, which are fat like fritters..with lovely sweet, runny honey. 

We sat and waited an hour or so, nice to sit with no pressure. Van arrived, we walked our bags up and around the corner, as the vans can’t park in our street. We were quickly headed for Ollantaytambo – just the four of us and the driver in a 20 seater. This time I was determined to stay awake, so took some photos along the way – typical countryside shots.

Typical housing in the Urban area of Cusco.

Very manual labour here, carrying long fronds.

Standing waiting, Peruvians are very good at this.

They'd be lost without our
Eucalypts, they are planted
everywhere to assist revegetation.
They use it for wood, for cooking,
building etc.

Some street art along the road to Ollantaytambo.

Working the fields with two cows. We saw this
quite often, hard to get a pic.

The patchwork farmland, with beautiful snow
capped peak as backdrop.

Burning the stubble. A common practice, but we
did see a big wildfire, out of control in the
mountains, caused by a farm fire that got out of
control.

A lake along the way.

Lots of supporters of particular political parties
will have their building painted for the party.

Typical mud brick 'home.

Another party.

And another political banner.

Tuk tuks are usid by locals throughout the Sacred
Valley.

A bunch of school kids, heading off on an
excursion, there was a circus down this street, not
sure if that's where they were headed.

Crops growing between rail line and river, this was
gladioli's.

A cow grazing on an Inca terrace, right in the town.

Inca terraces, over the river.

We arrived in Ollantaytambo about 11.50, with a train to board at 12.22. Grabbed a yucky empanada and coffee for lunch. We met up with Orlagh (the Irish girl) who had just finished walking the Quarry Trail (there are many different Inca trails, this is one of the them.) 

The train to Aguas Calientes was quite luxurious, with four of us seated around a table, with air con and skylight windows. The trip was great running along the Urubamba River, through the Sacred Valley. The train was dwarfed on either side by incredible mountains. We passed through a few tunnels and places where rock has been cut for the train to pass under overhanging rock. The train tracks followed an old Inca trail. Arrived in Aguas Calientes 90 minutes later, at 2410m, the town is basically hotels and restaurants hugging the railway line. A population of about 1000 live in some back streets and back down the track a little. 

It was fabulous to hear Orlagh’s tale of her trek. She was very glad to have chosen the 3 day Quarry trail as opposed to the 4 day Inca trail. They saw ruins and even skeletons sitting in caves, as they have been for hundreds of years (this was just like we saw in the MP Museum.) 

At the Station in Ollanta, waiting to board the train.

Orlagh and Bruce on the train.

The river ran beside the railway line.

Here's us on the train, the sun and our poor window
location made photos out the window hard.

Our train in Aguas Calientes.

We dragged our luggage to the Presidente Hotel and checked in, gave Orlagh 30minutes to shower, then Reni took us to purchase our bus ticket up to Machu Picchu at 3.00. 

Getting our gear organised. to walk along the platform.

Our room, time for a quick turn around to be ready
to head to Machu Picchu.

View from our balcony, looking across the river to
cliffs towering over the town, sheer rock, with
heaps of moss and epiphytes (bromeliads)
growing on them...that's the yellowish coloured
plant in the pic.

Ready for action, bag, camera, hat and
plenty of anticipation. Machu Picchu,
here we come.

We waited no time for the bus and were the only 4 on it. 22 minutes later – along a gravelly, dusty road of hairpin bends, we arrived at the ticket gate. Passports and tickets in hand, we entered into Machu Picchu – the anticipation was running pretty high, we saw snippets of ruins on the bus trip…

A view of a bus from our bus going up the road to
Machu Picchu.

but nothing was to prepare us for… 

We took the trail to the left and climbed towards the Guardhouse and Ceremonial stone…OMG the views were unreal, then the sun came out brightly and lit the whole place up – the Inca City of Machu Picchu was beyond words. The adrenaline was gushing, then we slowed down and absorbed the magnificence before the guards started shooing the few people left out at about 5.00pm. 

Our first view, looking up from
path into the City.

Then the view from below the guardhouse.

Then we made it up to the guardhouse. Orlagh, Me,
Suzie.

Tree in Central Plaza with Llama
grazing.

Then the sun came out, we were in Golden Hour,
the time photographers, love, as the sun is low in
the sky.

Lots of people pics. Here's me.

Here's Suzie.

The back view of the Temple of the Condor.

Yes, we really are here.

The scale of it all is awe inspiring, and the pics make
it look small. There is only 60% uncovered, so
another 40% lies still covered by jungle.

A lovely Brazilian, Isabella, asked us to take a pic
for her, then she got lumbered taking pics of us four
with all four cameras. L-R: Bruce, Suzie, Nic and
Orlagh.

My feet in my Keen's at Machu Picchu.

We were so glad that we had thought to chat with Reni about the opportunity for the “sneak peak” as outlined on Intrepid trip notes (I had read that you needed tickets for entry) and that he was able to secure us tickets, as they are limited each day. The opportunity to get up there in that last couple of hours of sunlight (magic hour) and to see the sun shining onto the ruins, was a once in a lifetime chance. 

Back down to meet the rest of Orlagh’s Quarry Trail group for our ‘included’ dinner. They were a really nice group of people – a couple of yanks, an Aussie, a few from Great Britain. There was also Reni, Bruno the guide for the Quarry trail trek and our guide for MP tomorrow, and the group guide Carolina. 

Then it was home to hotel to prepare for early start in the morning for Machu Picchu take two!