Day 5 Machu Picchu
This was the day everybody was looking forward to and it didnt disappoint. We got an early start to the station to catch our train to Machu Picchu. The guides passed out our tickets, and after a short wait, we boarded the train. I dont get to do it often, but I enjoy traveling by train, and this trip was no exception. The seats were comfortable and roomy. We were served another breakfast. Its been a few weeks now and I dont remember what it was, except that there was fresh fruit. Breakfast was served in a small basket and the food was in ceramic bowls, which is kind of nice compared to the plastic you get on a plane if youre in coach. There is some nice scenery along the way. The Urubamba flows adjacent to the train tracks and there are some gigantic boulders and huge rapids. We arrived at the Aguas Calientes Train Station, where we had a short wait while everybody who felt the need used the restroom. It didnt take long, since this was a big, modern restroom, compared to the others we had seen. After a short walk through the town, we loaded onto the busses to take us to Machu Picchu. This is an interesting ride up a bumpy road with one hairpin turn after another. The road is narrow and runs along a cliff that drops off to the valley below. We met a nearly constant stream of busses coming down from Machu Picchu. Considering the route and traffic, the drivers went too fast, at least as far as I was concerned. I dont think I was the only one who was a bit apprehensive. But we made it safely to our destination, so no harm done. Finally, we rounded a curve and there was Machu Picchu! It was truly a breathtaking site. The driver stopped for a moment to let us take it in and then we continued up to the drop off area near the Sanctuary Lodge. It seemed to take a long time for the guides to pick up our tickets and for those who needed it to visit the restroom, but maybe it was just because I was anxious to go inside. I dont know what I expected, but a line with ticket takers wasnt it. You never see that part on the Travel Channel. Once inside though, that area isnt visible. For the first part of our visit, Harvey led the entire group on a guided tour. After that the kids went on a treasure hunt (the treasure was that days pin). Then everybody received a surprise, which I wont spoil for those of you who are taking this trip.
Next we had lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge. This was a big buffet with a wide selection of Peruvian dishes. It was quite good. Lunch was in a large public dining room. It wasnt a private buffet just for us, like the others on this trip, but there was plenty of room for everybody. A trio of musicians played while we enjoyed our lunch.
After that, we split up into two groups, one that stayed in the lower part of the ruins for a tour with Rudy and the other group went up to the Guard House or continued on to the Moon Gate with Harvey. We decided to go with Harvey. The guard house is where you can get the quintessential tourist photo with the ruins and mountains in the background. If I could do this day over, I would take my photo at the Guard House and then go back down and spend some time exploring the ruins on my own. Unless you just really want to say youve walked on the Inca Trail, there isnt that much to see by hiking up to the Moon Gate. It is a rough path, and it was wet, which made it a bit treacherous, so I spent most of the time looking at my feet rather than viewing the scenery. I slipped a few times, but didnt fall. There were a few people who fell, but luckily nobody was hurt. By the time we got back from the hike, it was nearly time to head back to the train station. I wish I had spent some time going through the ruins and taking some more photos. During the morning tour, it was hard to get good shots that didnt have somebodys head or other body part in it. Still, it was a wonderful and amazing day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can find much better photos of Machu Picchu than those I took, so Im not going to post many. But here are two to show you the difference in the view from the Guard House and the Moon Gate. It might help you decide if you want to make the trek.
The view from the Guard House
The view from the Moon Gate
The train that the ABD group usually takes back to Ollantaytambo was not running on this day, so we had to take a later train and got to spend some extra time at Machu Picchu (we knew this before we left the hotel that morning). After our day at the ruins, we took the bus back down the winding road to the town. We had a couple of hours to spend in town before it was time for our train. There is a market there, similar to the ones you will see throughout this trip, where you can shop for souvenirs and there are also several restaurants. I had some awesome hot chocolate. If you like hot chocolate, I recommend you try it, but be sure to add sugar before you taste it, because it's not sweetened.
Back at the train station, the guides, with the help of the JAs, handed out ice cream bars. Then we were back on the train for an entertaining ride back to Ollantaytambo. Our group was so large that we took up the entire car, except for 2 seats. The girls in our group got really loud on the ride back and I felt sorry for those 2 people who werent part of our group. But I think they were good sports and we didnt get on their nerves too much. We had a really good group of kids. They got a little rowdy sometimes, but it was great to see them having such a good time. I think I will omit the details of what happens on the train ride, so there will still be some surprises for you folks who will be taking this trip soon.
Since we arrived late, the restaurant at Sol y Luna stayed open late just for us. We also had the option of getting room service, for those who needed to get their exhausted kids to bed. Since they dont normally offer room service, I was afraid it would be really slow and I was anxious to finish dinner and get some rest. I tried to convince DS to go to the restaurant, but he wanted to go back to the room, so we ordered room service. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they delivered our dinner. And it was another great meal. This day was definitely a highlight of the trip!