A Magical & Mystical Christmas Day

Wow!   Words cannot describe what an amazing day I had today.  Today was the day we went to Machu Picchu.   Given our last minute travel plans, it was too late to get a permit to hike the Inca Trail, so we opted to take the train up to Machu Picchu.   I know it seems like cheating, however, we were able to secure a ticket to the Huayna Picchu entrance.   Huayna Picchu is a mountain high above Machu Picchu and they only give out 400 tickets per day to climb it. 

The train ride itself was truly a scenic journey.  The traveling hillbilly loves a great train ride.  The 30 minute bus ride however is quite another story.   The rain made the roads wet and muddy.   As we drove up the mountain, weaving our way around the mountain, the bus was just inches from the mountain on one side and there was just a steep drop off on the other side.  The bus ride two and from was quite a scary adventure!

We arrived at the station, walked to the entrance of Machu Picchu and immediately went to the Huayna Picchu entrance.  We decided we wanted to do that first and then make our way back down to explore Machu Picchu in the afternoon.  We hiked up to Huayna Picchu which is almost 1,200 feet above Machu Picchu!  It was often a very steep climb but luckily there were ropes in some of the steepest parts to help you pull yourself up.  The trail itself was wet and muddy so we were slow going.  The climb up provided the most stunning scenic views!   At times, we were completely shrouded in clouds, which only added to the mysticism of the experience.  I know the pictures will never do it justice. 

We finally arrived at the top, both winded and excited!   The view from up there makes you feel like you are on top of the world!   You realize how high you truly are when you gaze upon Machu Picchu so far below.  

Going down was an even bigger challenge but we knew  we would be rewarded with an depth exploration of Machu Picchu once we got back to the bottom.  We were not disappointed!   On the train ride to Machu Picchu my friend and I were wondering if we would be underwhelmed with Machu Picchu since we’d just done Ollantaytambo the day before.  Would it be just another Inca ruin?  Boy, were we wrong to even think such a thought!   We were completely taken aback and overwhelmed by how magnificent this lost city of the Inca’s is.   It is amazing what they were able to build and how much of this city still stands.   Incredible!

 Only 400 people in the world got to do what I did today.   It truly was a once in a lifetime experience made all the better because I got to enjoy it with such amazing friends!