Day 6-13 Cusco and Machu Picchu Adventure

Guest Writer-Meg

Baby llamas

Hello, I’m your guest blogger Meg, here to talk about our trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu. I will admit that most of what I knew about this city was based on the animated Disney classic, The Emperor’s New Groove. I was slightly disappointed to find no talking llamas with David Spade’s voice, but it was still a pretty interesting city full of street meats, markets, stray dogs, and a healthy dose of history and culture.

Downtown Cusco

On our first afternoon in the city, we did some sightseeing and finally discovered that South America can actually make a decent pizza, thanks to La Bodega 138.

On our full day in the city before heading to Machu Picchu, groups split up for different activities. Bethany and I explored the city, touring the Cusco Cathedral and Museo Inka. Our more adventurous group ventured to Sacsayhuaman - also spelled Saqsaywaman, Sasawaman, Saksawaman, Sacsahuayman, Sasaywaman or Saksaq Waman- a citadel on the northern outskirts of the city. Their tour of ruins there prepared them for the big show coming up.

Llama selfie

We traveled on Peru Rail to Aguas Calientes, the city at the base of Machu Picchu. Most everyone wandered the city, some exploring the hot springs and market. Note to any future travelers - choose your restaurants in Aguas Calientes carefully. We had some absolutely terrible food at more than one location there. Cat food does not equal tacos, let’s leave it at that.

Photo Bombs!

Our fearless tour guide, Sol, suggested we arrive in the Machu Picchu bus line at the ungodly hour of 4am, which we did. Even at that hour, we were still a few hundred people back. We waited patiently and slowly awoke as we found breakfast treats and coffee. Then we were off on our bus ride to Machu Picchu, one of the new seven wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Crew at Machu Picchu

Upon arrival, we started the hike up the cloudy ruins. Sol lead us to a secluded spot and told us the story of Machu Picchu and shared her passion with us. As she finished up her story, the clouds started to lift off the site and we got to see the full glory of Machu Picchu. It was a breathtaking sight and almost seemed unreal. We had some fantastic views, then followed Sol on a close up tour of the ruins. It is truly amazing to see all that remains there from the 15th century.

I'm not quite sure what's happening here.

After bidding farewell to Sol, most grabbed a bite to eat then wandered the site a bit more. Bethany and I took the leisurely route, relaxing on the grounds, napping and taking llama selfies. Our adventure group took a hike up to the Sun Gate to get some beautiful views of Machu Picchu.

The Ruins

By the time it was time for our train ride back to Cusco, we’d all had a full day of fun. Little did we know we were in for a FASHION SHOW on the train ride back. The crew showed off their alpaca ensembles to try and tempt us all to purchase them. There was also a terrifying clown that danced around the train car and successfully inserted himself into most of our nightmares. Who knew a train ride could involve so much entertainment?

Overall, Cusco and Machu Picchu did not disappoint. Huge thanks to Justin and Shannon for doing their homework and booking our tour and hotel. It was an amazing time!