Halfway through our stay in Cuzco the six of us (Debby, Mike, Helen, Meghan, Abuela Vonnie & me) stuffed our backbacks and traveled by taxi to Pisac where wandered the Inca ruins there and "warmed up" with a long hike down to dinner and rest in the little town. Next day we used local buses to travel the Sacred Valley through Calca & Urubamba to Ollantatambo, our jumping off place for Macchu Pichu the next day. Our guides would be the expert trekkers Meghan & Helen who had experienced the Lost City of the Incas back in August. Mike and Debby would hike on their own out of Ollantatambo.
Bright and early we caught the 6:30am departure on Inca Rail and traveled in comfort to Agua Calientes where we almost aborted the mission when we bacame totally lost in the craft market that serves as a very effective maze for travelers unware. Finally locating the tourist buses that run constantly from the town to the site we settled in to navigate a series of switchbacks from the river up to Macchu Pichu. Mysteriously, upon debarking the bus, our English speaking guide Felix appeared and latched on to us for a two hour guided walk. He was very helpful, but the girls had more indepth informaton ... especially about the royal "loo!"
"Impressive" doesn't even capture the place - the stonework and the terraces are magnificent in their own right, but the setting - on sheer cliffs is what sets the place apart. Wandering the ruins of the city wasn't enough, however, for our young guides and their grandmother. We neede to ascend up the Inca Trail about a mile (it sure seemed like a mile!), to the Sun Gate - that notch in the ridgeline about a mile up the inclining trail (did I mention the mile? and that we were at 8,800 ft?!) where the rising sun and approchi
ng hikers first see the city below. My aching legs and gasping lungs were suddenly dismissed as a gaggle of European students marched right past for the view relegating me to a nice hard stone bench!
ng hikers first see the city below. My aching legs and gasping lungs were suddenly dismissed as a gaggle of European students marched right past for the view relegating me to a nice hard stone bench!An autumn rain shower on the way down soaked all of us good, but a great dinner in Agua Calientes before boarding the train for the return to Ollantatambo and our beds at the Casa de WOW! was the icing on the cake (or mountain!).
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