Machu Picchu ~ part 1 the idea & the packing

We weren't sure where we wanted to go but knew it was going to be International.  Cierra had seen my moms scrapbook from her time in Peru with Amazon/Andes Expedition Explores Natural Health & Healing and from there the Peru/Machu Picchu idea came to light.

I am not big on tours, be there, be here and follow along.  More the wing it and see where we land kind of traveler.  That being said I do like to feel a little grounded and have some idea of what & where plus I don't want to miss something that is a "must see".   So a few months before our trip I started googling and reading blogs. Anything I could find on getting to and staying around Machu Picchu.  Mom sent her info she had saved, pamphlets and maps.  

Machu Picchu Peru is a truly majestic Inca ruins situated above the Sacred Valley and voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. When going be aware of the seasons ~ December, January, February, and March are the rainy seasons.  We went March 12 - 18 and saw signs of rain but were lucky and had perfect weather!  The currency is the Peruvian nuevo sol (PEN) and language is Spanish.

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We decided to have money exchanged prior and our local bank did it at no charge a week ahead.  We exchanged $450.00, at the time of our travel that equaled 1,420 PEN and I carried 2 credit cards.  Few things to note on our packing list...power converters - some blogs said it was the converter/adapter with pins and others said flat plug- I puchased 2 converters/adapters, one for each of us Insignia Travel adapter & converter & iConcepts World Wide travel adapter converter  we used the Pins in Ollantaytambo and the flat in Cuzco so you may need both adapters.  I purchased a cheap rain poncho at Walmart but never used it.  Was thankful we had purchased a Small backpack, this brand folds into itself so makes it so easy to travel with! A North Face light jacket as the evenings were little chilly and early am in Machu Picchu was cool.  Granola bars & snacks. Sunscreen (very important as even on cloudy days the elevation is higher and sunburning is fast & painful).  A blog we had read said use regular shampoo as bug lotion so we had little travel samples for "bug lotion" and regular insect wipes.  Our time wasn't bad for insects but I do believe it really depends on when you are there. Passport, credit cards and the bulk of our Sols I wanted to carry in a RFID protected money belt, I wasn't sure about this as never wore one but I had it on from Lima on and really forgot it was there as it is comfortable and didn't show. (After some thought and reading on the money belt I think next time I will use a "dummy" wallet instead as someone could grab your waist and feel the money belt). Comfortable hiking shoes and socks, extra camera batteries and extra sd cards. 

We kept luggage to a min. one small roller each and 1 messenger bag.  

Remember to tell your credit cards you are traveling and find out about your phone service, we have Verizon and could add International for the month.

* next blog post ~ Machu Picchu part 2 the adventure begins...

Our day in Machu Picchu

The morning of our Machu Picchu day started with a quick application of sunscreen and shampoo (shampoo acts as a bug repellent).  Check of our backpack/fannypack for snacks, our 1/2 sandwich from dinner, waters, camera batteries, tickets - both train and Machu Picchu, money and passports.  On our way out of our hotel we grabbed our sack breakfasts they made ahead for us!  The Perurail train station is just a short walk down the hill so off we headed to make the first train out at 5:05am.  We booked the Expedition roundtrip as times seemed to work and low cost.  Really comfortable, there was snacks served and as soon as it was light we could see the Urubamba River,  the train follows it along alot of the way.

 The Ollantaytambo train is booked Ollantaytamo to Machu Picchu but doesn't actually go to Machu Picchu.  It goes to the small town of Aguas Calientes. (Some people choose to stay here when traveling to Machu Picchu, we wandered the town on way back down but didn't stay long).  From Aguas Calientes we purchased roundtrip bus tickets to Machu Picchu.  Round trip guaranteed a bus down as they fill up especially toward the end of the day.  We went straight to the bus and after a switchback ride up the mountain we ended up at the entrance to Machu Picchu.   To enter we had to show our tickets and passports.  You can come and go a couple of times but they stamp your ticket each time, restrooms and food are only available at the entrance.  If you want to stamp your passport with the Machu Picchu stamp it is right inside the entrance.  

The clouds were low so we weren't seeing everything all at once, we hiked in and our first views were of the current residents, Llamas!

Cierra was happy as they were on her wishlist for the trip, they put up with the visitors, allow you to pet them, but don't come running over.  

We headed up to sun gate which is quite a hike UP!  But as the clouds started to break the views were breathtaking!

Headed down from Sun Gate we could see more people had hiked in.  We were so glad we got there early and weren't crazy crowded for awhile.  Looking out over the ruins really takes your breath away and gives you a sense of pure wonder.  Truly incredible what was built and the planning, just Wow!

We hiked down and out for lunch and restroom break.  There is a little cafe there but it is kind of pricey.  We had some fruit from there and our 1/2 sandwiches we packed in.  Headed back in to explore the ruins up close.  More visits with the llamas ~

The ruins are amazing, the aquaducts, the buildings, the whole idea this was built 500 years ago without modern tools is incredible and the engineering of the homes, terraces, whole community is so mysterious!  It is truly one of the wonders of the world! 

Now we were not booked on a return train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo until the early evening train but after a solid 5 hrs hiking around we were ready to call it a day.  We didn't do the additional hike and were ok with that.  It was getting crowded, warm out and I was starting to feel the altitude and climbing/hiking exhaustion.  We decided to catch the bus down and explore Aguas Calientes a little.  Note:  from our experience visiting Machu Picchu early morning was the best, less people, the cloud cover opened up to amazing views also wasn't as hot!

Aguas Calientes has hotels, hostels, restaurants, shopping. It is bigger than I thought it would be.   After walking around town for awhile we ended up back at the train station and were able to catch an earlier train back to Ollantaytambo, for a cost.  Earlier train time we wanted was the Vistadome which is an upgrade from the Expedition so off we went on the "first class" train back.  Now it was also quite comfortable, had snacks, but this train had a fashion show and skit to music ~ not quite sure I would up and pay for the different train but in this case the time worked better for us getting back so we would have time to eat dinner and relax after hiking. The skit did involve the devil dance and it is here that ~

Cierra "danced with the devil in Peru"

*Next blog post ~ leaving our home away home in Ollantaytambo and headed to Cusco