From Lima we took a commercial flight to Cuzco. From there we went by bus to our staging point in Urubamba in the Sacred Valley. From there we took hand luggage aboard the train to Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu. After lunch we visited for the first time and overnighted at the Sumaq. The next morning we were back on the bus up the hill for the climb to the Sun Gate. That afternoon we boarded the train back to the Sacred Valley. Overnighting again in Urubamba we took the bus back to Cuzco.
Gentle Reader There is much written about the need for high altitude drugs when visiting Cuzco. Take this advice seriously. Several on our trip were hospitalized. While neither Carrie nor I had any effects we were both taking meds.
Back to LIM airport and then on a commercial flight. I had always pictured Machu Picchu as being in the foothills, but it is closer to being on the Amazon side of Peru. We passed over a lot of mountains just to get to Cuzco.
The next morning we packed a change of clothes and caught the train down the hill to Machu Picchu.
We boarded the buses in town and set off for Machu Picchu. From the town it was across the river and then up a couple of thousand feet. The bus ride seemed like there were a bizzlion switchbacks. Finally we arrived at the entrance.
The next morning we ascended the hill again. Carrie wanted to see some of the areas we missed the previous day which did not require a climb back to the guard house. David and I wanted to hike to the Sun Gate. The trail starts from the Guard House where we were yesterday and ascends gradually to the Sun Gate.
It was not until I saw this view that I fully appreciated what an achievement Machu Picchu is.