Machu Picchu Final Thoughts
In a word, GO. It is one of the truly amazing experiences in the world. But, that said, here is some advice. Do not give it just one day, as the weather can be very unpredictable. If you do not want to do the adjacent Sanctuary lodge thing, and it is not necessary at all, just stay down at the base town, Aguas Calientes. The trains arrive there, all of the buses depart from there, and it looks to be a pretty nice town right on the river. And, if you are a train buff, some of the trains go right down the main street, which is barely wide enough for walking when the train is there. Today, while having lunch, there was a big parade, I think for the Corpus Christi celebration, Followed by a train. Busy street.
The key thing is to have Machu Picchu time either at the very beginning of the day or after 3 in the afternoon, and you cannot do either if you are not close by. (The train from Cusco is 3.5 hours each way.) Mid day it is a bit overwhelming due to the crowds, but they are mostly gone by 2:30.
Tonight a quick overnight back in Cuzco, but just at a standard sort of place. It is a weird hotel, fairly new, built on a bluff overlooking all of Cuzco. But in a city where it nearly always get into the 30’s at night, there is no central heat anywhere. So the rooms and the dining are have space heaters, and the fully enclosed lobby has a fire pit so they surely knew about the cold?
Tomorrow, two flights to get to Chiclayo on the coast in the north of Peru. That will be a change!
 |
| I liked the contrasts here |
 |
| Through an ancient door |
 |
| more shots of the official MP lawn mowers |
 |
| An Orchid I think. Well positioned, huh? |
 |
| My attempt at a classic Machu Picchu late afternoon shot. One more below. |
 |
| The sun temple. The larger window left of center is for the summer solstice, The larger one to the right is for the winter one. |
 |
| Orchids at the hotel. |
 |
| Main street Aguas Calientes. Just after the big parade on the same route. |
 |
| So how can a train take 3.5 hours to go 57 miles you ask? Well, for some good time, this little girl was running beside us and keeping up! Then, with a burst of speed we must have gotten up to 20 mph and left her in the dust. |
 |
| Sunset at Machu Picchu |
t
Might be worth staying another day to get a shot from the street side of that little girl outrunning the train.
That would have been a great shot! It was a very nice train experience, but makes the Indian trains seem like bullet trains.
Hi Dan! This is so amazing. Loving the posts and pictures. This is a place I will add to my own bucket list. Keep posting – good stuff!! Hope the rest of the trip goes great!