We start in Cusco. We hop on a van that is an hour and a half late. There is a heated discussion between the driver and another man we cant understand as the 4 of us finally get on the van. They were supposed to pick us up at our hostel. We had one of our awesome hostel hosts call the van company when the van failed to show. They claimed that they had already picked us up. Hmmm.
Once in the van and on our way, we were treated to some beautiful sights.
At times we were literally inches from a very significant fall off a cliff. At one point our bus crossed a bridge that was literally made out of a few old boards. The back left wheel didn't even make it on the bridge
Seven hours later we arrived at a set of railroad tracks. From this point we could pay for a ticket to the base town of Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes. The other option is to walk along the tracks. We went that route. We ended up walking into the night, but it only added to the fun and charm of the expience.
Once in Aguas Calientes, we grabbed a quick dinner then went straight to bed. We had to get up the next morning around 4am to ensure we got on the first bus leaving for the 30 ride up the mountain.
Once there, the four of us were the first people into the site. We got through the gate, started running, and got to a spectacular point to view the ancient city just as the sun rose.
Of course champagne and oranges are a must for such auspicious circumstances.
We spent the rest of the morning exploring the city and imagining what life must have been like here in its prime. What a great group of people to explore with!
There, we found some great cheap street food, played a couple of games of Jenga, and met a hairless dog with a toupee.
All in all, a day that we feel very blessed to have experienced together.
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