Dad and I woke up at 4am!! We got dressed, ate breakfast and were in line by 5am for the 5:30 bus to Machu Picchu (which was a pretty long line). Down in the valley you could see the stars outlining the mountains. We started the drive up the mountain in complete darkness. Safety dad immediately started looking for his seat belt. I pointed out "if this bus gets in any sort of accident it will definitely involve going over a cliff... That seatbelt will do nothing." As we rode up along the switchbacks it began to dawn.
We got to the entrance to Machu Picchu just before the gates open at 6am (side note, you ca get your passport stamped with a Machu Picchu stamp... Which we did yesterday). The gates opened and we were in by 6:15 to begin our hike up Machu Picchu mountain to the Sun Gate (Intipunka) and watch the sun rise over the valley of Machu Picchu. It was a bit of a hike, but awesome to watch the sun rise over the Andes and watch the shadow move across the city of Machu Picchu.
The path to the Sun Gate is kind of long, and not really that bad... Except for that whole walking from just under 8,000 feet above sea level to just under 9000 feet above sea level part. Tom really wanted to hike Huaynapicchu (google it... Now), but Safety Dad kicked in:). He hiked up about half way to the Sun Gate and then stopped to get a series of pictures. Tom is the one who let me go up the mountain, not Safety Dad....
I made it up to the Sun Gate (pictures below) and it was BEAUTIFUL! I made a phone call to my nephews to tell the where I was (shocking cell service). On the way down I found Tom who had decided to try hiking up some more so I went back up the mountain for a bit... Then we were done.
We headed back down, got on the bus and took a nap before we grabbed some lunch and headed to the train.
The train ride..... Great views of the valley. Saw some oxen plowing fields and tons of farm animals. Then, something weird happened.... I closed my eyes and this really loud music started playing. Then, I heard som noise that sounded like someone walking by us. I open my eyes.... ahhhhhh!! Saqra!! Quechua for "little devil" dancing around our train. I've never been afraid of clowns... This was frightening (if there is someone in your life you want to cause emotional damage toward, tell them to do a google search of "saqra Peru rail." ). Dad wanted me to get up an dance with Saqra... I said no. It brought back memories of a Busch Gardens trip where Julie and I had to do some ribbon dance at the beer garden....
After the train we had a two hour drive to Cuzco and saw some more great view, oxen plowing the fields and locals working the fields as well.
Once back at the hotel, I went for some hot chocolate and dad went to try and get some photos of the moon rising over Cuzco. Early bedtime tonight since we woke up so early. Tomorrow we have a full day in Cuzco, but luckily that doesn't start until 8:30am!
Btw, below was what was on our bathroom mirror at the as hotel... It was odd.
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