Machu Picchu

We have just got back from an amazing day at Machu Picchu, infact Sam said 'it was one of the best days of his life!.' We caught the train at 8:30 from Ollantaytambo station and spent an hour and a half winding our way through the Andes which were beautiful. The train was very nice, I think it's owned by Orient Express, and we were even treated to a little snack and soft Peruvian music that played as we wound our way through the valley and up into the cloud forest. Eventually we stopped in 'Aguas Calientes' and here we bought a bus ticket and our entry to Machu Picchu. The bus journey took us up the mountain along narrow windy roads and took 20 minutes, not a pleasant journey if you are afraid of heights but a brilliant journey if your not - the views here were even better than those from the train.

We entered Machu Picchu and saw the first Inca house which you had to pass through to enter and then as you turned the corner you saw Machu Picchu, just like in the pictures...an old settlement of houses and terraces with the big mountain behind, the sun was shining and I think that first sight of the settlement is one that none of us will forget. We walked up as high as we could go and then sat on the terraces overlooking the ruins and ate our packed lunch. We had picked one up in the morning from our favourite cafe here and had a sandwich a pasty a muffin an apple and a drink and it was the best packed lunch I have ever had. There was no-one around and it was really peaceful just surrounded by the mountains, we read the guide book and found out about the history of Machu Picchu.

We had a couple of hours to explore before our train home so we walked back down into the settlement and tagged on to the end of various guided tours so we could hear about the history of the ruins. We were surprised by how recent they were as the Incas were around in the 1400's and we had thought they were older - Will loved the architecture and the massive blocks that fit together with no cement and form a perfect wall!! We also took thousands of pictures because everywhere you turned there was a perfect view.

It's really hard to encapsulate how breathtaking it was up there - it's an expensive trip but well worth the money. Eventually we caught a return bus and got on the train home and got back in time for tea. We are all very tired after our days excursion so we are heading out for tea and then to bed.

Yesterday we also walked to another Inca ruin this time 5 minutes from the house, this was also an old Inca temple but much smaller than Machu Picchu - we had a lovely day wandering around the site and then walked around a traditional Peruvian market with loads of trinkets and old Peruvian artefacts - we treated ourselves to a couple of things which was really nice. All in all we have loved this part of the trip, infact it's been my favourite part so far without a doubt. Pic above of Machu Picchu and other pics from the previous days below.