Author Archives: Matthew

It’s all uphill from here: Cusco, Feb. 4 to 5

Cusco is actually at a higher altitude than Machu Picchu.

I came down from Machu Picchu on the 12 o’clock bus. Then back on the train to Ollantaytambo, then back in the van to Cusco. Another G Adventures group though they had trouble with their van, so we almost loaded them into ours.

Just as we were leaving the hotel to go to dinner, the power went out in the city. The restaurant was actually lit with candles when we got there. (Presumably the kitchen ran on gas for cooking.)

The next day the older half of the tour group took a regular city tour of Cusco (by bus). In the city proper we saw the cathedral and the Dominican convent, both of which were built on top of earlier Inca Temples. The latter suffered earthquake damage which exposed the underlying Inca foundations, since the slopped wall construction is more resistant to earthquakes.
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The tour then went to several sites in the area surrounding the city Continue reading →

Machu Picchu, Feb. 4

Leaving at 5:45 am, we finally head to Machu Picchu. I was the last down to breakfast, so it’s my fault if we missed the sunrise.

There’s a rather harrowing bus ride to get up the mountain.
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And finally the pictures we’ve all been waiting for: Continue reading →

Getting closer: Aguas Callientes, Feb. 3

Even earlier today, we’re off to the train to Aguas Callientes at 6:30 am.

You can hike to Machu Picchu, you can take the train to Aguas Callientes, and I’m not sure how else you can get in. Pretty much everyone passes through Aguas Callientes.

We took PeruRail from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Callientes. (There’s also another operator on this route, Inca Rail) It’s an hour and a half to go 23 miles or so, but the view is good.
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Continue reading →