The day after our trip to Ollantaytambo, we set out for Machu Picchu. This was one of the main reasons we had chosen Peru as a destination, but being still tired out from our previous trek, we decided to skip the Inca Trail and just head to Aguas Calientes for the early morning hike up to the ruins. The town itself was tourist hell, but the three lovely people we befriended on the terrifying bus ride in, made up for that. We woke up at 4am for the ascent in the rain and clouds, a little distressed at the fact that we could see no more than twenty feet in front of ourselves, but hopeful that conditions would improve. I went to the hotel staff and asked if we could leave our extra day-pack for the morning- "yes, of course" he said as he pointed to a chair in the middle of the restaurant. "Are you sure this is safe?" I asked tentatively. To which he simply nodded vehemently and pointed to the sign above the chair. It read "For Sell"- needless to say we took both packs with us.

Upon entering the grounds we had our first amazing experience; we got to stamp our own passports! Yes, my travel document officially says that I've visited the renowned site! We quickly realized that our guide was useless and decided to let our new British-soon-to-be-Aussie friend play leader. His explanations, while grossly inaccurate, were very amusing. At about 7am we began the one hour climb up Huayna Picchu, a neighboring mountain with incredible views. That's when our luck kicked in, the sun came out, and the clouds disappeared. The whole experience was breath-taking, both literally and figuratively. What a truly amazing place; our minds were officially blown!

We survived the nerve-racking nine hour journey back to Cuzco, convincing the driver to make a little stop for a dip in a mountain-side waterfall that had not been there the day before- Stupid? Perhaps, but too beautiful and refreshing not to take advantage of. Completely worn and exhausted we repacked our bags and got a few hours sleep before boarding our early morning bus for Puno.

Since we've decided to stay where we are for a few days and relax, and I was just handed a glass of wine, I'll finish catching you all up tomorrow. Salud!!