ArboursAbroad contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase using one of the affiliated links, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure Policy for more information.
Wow!! We were really waking up and heading to Machu Picchu for the day. This was one of our biggest dreams come true. After reading books about this place, reading blog after blog and website followed by website about Machu Picchu, we couldn’t believe we were really getting up to head into this majestic place. That unbelief and excitement might have been the only thing that actually got us up and out of bed that morning.
We met with our guide, Edgar, at our hotel and walked over to the bus pick up station to grab the 6:00am bus up the mountain.
{For those of you traveling to Machu Picchu, the buses for Machu Picchu run about every five minutes or less, on a continual basis throughout the day starting at 5:30 am, and the pick up/drop of location is right above where the train tracks cross over the “road”. When you are in Aguas Caliente you will see what we are talking about.}
The bus ride was so unreal; we really couldn’t believe we would be in Machu Picchu within the hour.
Once getting through the gates of Machu Picchu we went to the right and sat to just take in the view for a bit. Edgar was with us for the first two hours of our time at Machu Picchu, which we were so thankful for. We learned what all the different buildings and landscaping was for and learned a bit about the history of the place.
{If you’re going to Machu Picchu we strongly recommend getting a guide; you learn so much about the place and still have the whole day to really enjoy it for yourself}
After the first two hours we were able to enjoy Machu Picchu on our own for as long as we wanted. Words cannot even begin to describe our time at Machu Picchu, so the overload of pictures below will try and explain the beauty of the place.
After finishing up at Machu Picchu we caught the bus back down to Aguas Calientes to enjoy a bit of time strolling through the town before jumping on the train back to Cusco. We walked through the town a bit, checking out the vendor market, the hot springs, and all the little shops, then enjoyed a nice lunch at the local food market.
{Eating the local “street food” is the best and cheapest way to eat in Peru. During lunchtime you can usually find a place that serves the “menu” for about 6-8 nuevo soles. The menus always consist of a bowl of soup, a main course, and a drink. Always great and as long as you go between 11:00-2:00 you most likely won’t get an upset belly from the meat sitting out for too long!}
We had such a nice menu lunch. It consisted of rice, fries, chicken that was fried with an egg, and of course the soup and drink. So much food for so little money!!!
After enjoying our lunch and the town, we hopped on the PeruRail to get back to Cusco. On the train we enjoyed the scenery until it got dark, and enjoyed playing cards for quite some time before just sitting down and relaxing.
{A little travelers tip for this train.. people have gotten robbed on this train before because they fell asleep and didn’t have their belongings secure with them. So be aware of your surroundings, and as always, keep a tight grip on your money and passport.}
We were met at the train station by Alias and they took us back to our last night in our nice hotel for the trip.
