Machu Picchu

A trip to Cuzco would not be complete without making the short trek to Machu Picchu. The day of the great adventure our alarms went off at 3am - we needed to be up and at our bus station (which really was just a bunch of combi's/vans in an alley) by 4am. We found ourselves climbing in this van, which by North American standards fit 12 people. However, we were not North America and by Peruvian standards, there is always room for one more. As the van got filled with people, I found myself sitting in the very last row of seats, squished between two larger Peruvian women, one with a child on her lap who all ended up falling asleep on me shortly into our hour and a half drive. I kept thinking to myself, "yup this is happening right now". Heidi was seated in the row in front of me and later informed me that there was no way she could have looked behind her because if she did, she would have burst into uncontainable laughter at the gringo who happens to enjoy her personal space, smooshed between these two women. I have to admit, I found myself holding in my laughter as well. Ah, the memories.

By 6am, our van pulled into Ollantaytambo, where we needed to catch the train up to Machu Picchu. The train ride through the sacred valley was beautiful. The fact that the sun was shining and there was no rain in sight, had me completely giddy with anticipation. Not only were Heidi and I on a train headed for Machu Picchu, but we were also going to experience it in the sunshine (apparently a rare treat for those exploring the ancient ruins).

The train took us to the town of Machu Picchu, where admittently, Heidi and I both assumed we would get off the train and there, lo and behold, we would see Machu Picchu. 

Not exactly.

We got off the train and soon noticed the long line of people waiting for buses on the main street. That "ah-ha" moment came and we realized we needed to take another bus up to the actual ruins. Our deductive skills astound me sometimes :)

20 minutes of being on a bus, we finally arrived at Machu Picchu. It was exactly and nothing at all like I imagined it to be all at the same time. The moment of rounding the corner from the ruin site entrance to the actual ancient city of Machu Picchu was nothing I could prepare myself for. The only word that comes to mind is breath-taking.
It truly was!
It was again one of those moments where I needed to pinch myself to ensure that this was all really happening. Here I was, at one of the seven wonders of the world with one of my best friends and completely in awe of creation and enchanted-ness of the history I was being immersed in.  

Heidi and I opted to for-go the tour guide and wander the ruins on our own. We caught little pieces of history and explanations from passing tours but it was a lot more fun to imagine and conjure up explanations on our own :)
Machu Picchu brings hundreds of tourists together on a daily basis. Never a dull moment in the people watching department might I add. At one point in the afternoon as Heidi and I sat down in the shade to rest and the variety of people made us smile. Apparently some tourists arrived at Machu Picchu unaware of what Machu Picchu actually is. They didn't get the memo that climbing thousands of uneven stairs and hiking probably is better done not in fur vests, skirts and platforms. But who am I to judge? To each their own :)

Yup, this is all really happening.

Rather than climbing back into a van with 15-20 other people at the end of a very long and exhausting day, we opted to take a private taxi back to Cuzco and pay the little bit of extra money to do so. My personal-space loving self was so thankful.

By 11pm we stumbled back into our bedroom at the hostel. A hot shower and a bed never looked so good after a loooong day. 

To my dearest Heidi, thank you for adventuring with me. I couldn't have imagined doing this with anyone else.