6/21 - Machu Picchu

For the second time on this trip, we had to be up and ready to go at 4:00 am! We had to pack limited luggage (like a carry-on for an airplane) for the next two days, with the rest sent back to Lima.

We were to have a 2-hour train ride to Agua Calientes. However, the floods that happened in this area 2 to 4 months ago have left their mark. There are still 19 places along the railroad tracks between Cusco and Agua Calientes that are washed out. So what was to have been a simple walk to the train station for a 2-hour train ride, ended up being a bus ride to a collection point. Then we got onto a caravan of mini buses to "ride" to the next train station along the track. This ride took about 45 minutes. On part of it, the buses drove on the railroad tacks! This was a bit bumpy. And a few times the line of buses would stop without explanation. I don't know if a bus fell into a ditch or what happened. Finally reached the train station for about a train trip of about 1 1/2 hours.

So we left our bags at the new hotel (we stayed in 6 different hotels in 11 nights on the total trip!) and took a 25-minute bus ride up the switch-back road up from Agua Calientes to Machu Picchu.

We had about 3-1/2 hours guided tour of Machu Picchu. Lots of pictures above.

There is a nice video available (as on Netflix) called "the ghosts of Machu Picchu" that show the site, the hidden construction and the history that is worthwhile to watch.