Machu Picchu Peru
21 Sept. We left Ollantaytambo and caught the train to Aguas Callientes, a 2 hr trip. The view from the train was awesome- the wild Urubamba River and the ever changing landscape from snow capped mountains, to high corn fields to rainforest with bromeliads and ferns! At Aguas C every tourist was herded onto buses to ascend to Machu Picchu. Greg and I and one American had an English speaking guide to ourselves. This was great as it means you can move easily. After more climbing Machu Picchu was just there and we couldn't believe it. A little bigger than the size of the MCG which our travel Agent said. Well it seems bigger. We saw and learned so much more of inca culture. Thank God the Spanish didn't ever find this Lost City. Although Hiram Bingham is credited with its rediscovery in 1911, several others including locals were aware of the city high in the mountains as far back as 1870. A must see! We were here for about 3 hours then bussed down to AC then trained back to Cusco! Everyone was swapping seats on the train as most couples were separated in ticketing! On the return, our train stopped on the middle of nowhere, probably for siding. At this point out of our window we saw a local girl just standing with a bunch of flowers. A little boy about 3 came up to her and just rolled on the grass! All of a sudden i thought of the colored pencils. Dad got my bag, I opened the window and threw 2 bundles out. The little boy smiled and waved and I then thought that this was his mother! This felt good. A busy day but worthwhile.