Touring the Inca ruins

We arrive at the sun gate and tour the ruins

April 15th Saturday
We are up at 4.00, wait for breakfast and then start up the trail at daylight. Trail mostly flat and we stop to admire the flowers. The others have gone ahead but we want to enjoy the journey. We have to stop and rest to catch our breath. This is not easy. Just before we approach the sun gate there is a very steep flight of steps. Ellen is still counting them in Spanish.

ellen and Jeannette

Ellen and Jeannette arrive at the sun gate just after sunrise.

We break over the top a bit after the sun hits the ruins. Many trekkers are sitting around just absorbing the atmosphere. We sit and rest, enjoying the scene and then start down the steep trail toward the ruins.

Our first look at the ruins of Machu Picchu as the first rays of the sun fall on them.

A closer look at Machu Picchu.

We stop at this outcrop where people are taking pictures.

Jeannette

Jeannette at Machu Picchu in "I was there photo 2000".

Antonio gives us a tour of the ruins. It is very warm and hard climbing up the many stairs but worth the effort.

A closer look.

A better look at the ruins.

A classic view.

The classic view with Huayna Picchu behind.

Our guide told us he climbed Huayna Picchu and came back down it in 45 minutes. It usually takes about two hours but we decided not to try it.

The top

Near the top of the ruins.

flowers

Flowers along the way on the tour.

Urban area of ruins

Urban area of ruins with tourists walking into the site.

We were lucky with the weather being hot and sunny as quite often it rains. After the tour we took the bus down an incredible steep road to Aguas Caliente. A young boy dressed in native dress is beside the bus and hollers. He then runs down to meet us at each switch back and hollers each time he meets us. At the bottom he comes on the bus and we give him some money. We had lunch and then took the train at 2.00 o'clock back to Ollantayambo. We then caught a bus back to Cuzco. It was a great ride through the sacred valley. The landscape was so different from what we had seen. A fertile looking high plain.

Arriving back in Cuzco we went back to SAS and bought our tickets to go to Puno on Monday.

Sunday April 16th
Today I am not feeling well. I started to have cramps coming back from Machu Picchu on the train. Ellen goes out to Mass. When she comes back she is out of breath from hurrying. We are tired from the trekking and have to adjust to the higher altitude again. I start to feel better and we go sight seeing again. Today is Palm Sunday and there is a lot of activity in the Plaza des Armas where there are two large churches.

Another square in a different part of the city

Another square in a different part of the city.

We spend the day visiting more churches and museums. To bed early as we have to be up in the morning to catch the bus to Puno. It will be a long day.

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To check out some of my other adventures follow these links.
El Camino de Santiago, Spain
Bicycling in France
Trekking in Nepal
A trip to Iquitos, Peru