Day 14 Monday March 18th Machu-Picchu!

Up at 4.00am for a cold shower and then we catch the first bus (recommended) for the 30 minute ride to Machu-Picchu. We have a guide for two hours and he walks us around the site and then leaves us so we can have an additional few hours to ourselves. This a terrific place, we have seen a great many of the world’s ancient sites and Machu-Picchu ranks amongst our favorites. It’s very misty but it isn’t raining and then the sun starts to lift the mist and the surrounding mountains appear and frames the background to what’s left of the 600 or so year-old development of the pre-Incas and Incas. We make the 90 minute climb up to the Sun Gate (the original entrance to the site from the old Inca Trail) but Mach-Picchu is covered in mist for about 30 minutes but then it clears and the view is fabulous. We get back down to the main site and now, even though it’s low season, it’s packed with tourists-we’re glad we took that first bus up.

We go back down to Aguas Calientes for the train back to Ollantaytambo and the mini bus back to Cusco and the Hotel Ninos. Dinner of Lentil Soup, Peruvian Beef Stew; Spaghetti with fried tomatoes, chestnuts and herbs. Red wine and a wood fire.