Amateur Traveler: Tuesday, May 26

So on this day we were going to Machu Picchu. We needed to meet our guide at 6:30am so we could be some of the first visitors in the park. There would be fewer crowds at that time and hopefully the light would be good for photos. But before we could meet up with our guide we had to get down to the train station when it opened at 5:30am so we could replace Becky's lost ticket. We got there right when it opened. They told us that they had been successful in getting us the replacement ticket. The ticket would be sent via one of the trains from Cusco and be here in the afternoon. It was going to cost us $20 US. It seemed very odd that they had the ability to print tickets right there in that office, but a lost ticket had to be sent all the way from Cusco. When we received the ticket that afternoon it was a small form in triplicate that had been filled out by hand. Oh the mysteries of Peru Rail.

Since we didn't have to spend much time at the train station we were able to have the sumptuous hotel breakfast before our outing. We met up with our guide, we were the only ones in the tour, so we had a personal guide. We got on the bus, it was a 30 minute ride to Machu Picchu. These shuttle buses are constantly carrying tourists up and down the mountain side via a bunch of switchbacks.

We entered the park and it was a beautiful morning, with warm sunshine and cloudless skies. The first thing we did was hike up to the guard gate that overlooks Machu Picchu. This is where all the postcard pictures are taken. Machu Picchu is really quite magical. The combination of these old Inca ruins set in a high subtropical mountainous region really makes for unique sight. After a lot of picure taking we sat down overlooking Machu Picchu as our guide gave us a review of the known history. Because the Incas had no written language, most of what is know about the Incas is theory. No one really knows why Machu Picchu was built, or why it was built in this location. It is known that the Incas did not pocess iron tools nor did they have animals to help in the construction. It was all done with primitive stone tools and human muscle.

After our history review, we took off to wander the ruins. Machu Picchu can be divided into three areas, the agricultural area, the urban area, and the temple area. The Incas were sun worshippers, and much of the construction is made to match the rising and setting of the sun at winter and summer soltices. The most odd thing about Inca construction is that they did not carve out uniform stone bricks, instead they would take a huge piece of stone and fit it into place carving out any number of angles in the stone. They would then shape subsequent stones for a precise fit. Some of the stones are several tons. They did this without the use of mortar, you cannot even insert a piece of paper between the joints.

We had lunch in the midst of the ruins and I had to deal with a work issue. Yes, I received email on my iPhone while at Machu Picchu and then made a telephone call to my partner, Eric, to work on a problem. After that we continued on with the tour until about 1:00pm. After the tour we decided hike to the drawbridge, a part of the trail that hugged the side of a cliff. There was a spot where wooden planks were used to cross a section of the path. The planks could be removed in case of attack, and so the name "drawbridge".

It was about 3:00pm and we decided to get back down to town. We caught a shuttle bus back down and went to the train station to inquire about Becky's ticket. Interestingly, Machu Picchu is about at 8,000 feet in elevation. We had no problem with our vigorus hike at that altitude. I guess after being at 14,000 feet, 8,000 is a piece of cake.

We got off the bus and there was quite a commotion in town. There was a demonstration for the protection of Indigenous people of the Amazon. Many of the signs were written in English. I guess if you want the world to know of your plight, Machu Picchu is a good place to get your message out. We went to the train station and there was a very long line. Many people were trying to get out of town before the transportation strike began at midnight. We waited in line for about an hour and received Becky's train ticket. Hopefully we would be able to leave without incident.

We went back to the hotel to enjoy the afternoon tea service and then went back to the train station to board the train

The train we were riding back to Cusco was the Hiram Bingham. This was supposed to be an elegant train ride with entertainment and a 4 course meal. It was expensive but turned out to be a great time. Wine and drinks were included, and we went to the bar car to sing along with the band. Some songs in Spanish, some in English. What fun! Then we had a very enjoyable dinner and struck up a conversation with a couple from Chile.

There was one problem, the train was about 1 or 2 hours delayed. Unknown to us at the time, some of the activists had already blocked the train tracks, the police had to be called. The police let them know that their "strike" was not to begin until midnight, so they unblocked the tracks and we went through without incident. But this meant we might not meet up with our cab driver. At one point on our route I was able to get cell phone service, I called him. We had a conversation in Spanish, hopefully we had communicated! When we arrived in Cusco there was our cabbie, Jesus, waiting for us. We took off for our hotel after a very long day. The cabbies in Peru are the best. I don't think the country could run without them.

That's us at Machu Picchu (not Photoshopped)