Machu Picchu - Inca with the highlight – Machu Picchu

5.30 AM we get up to fly from Lima to Cusco - as always Karin and the local guide provide us with information about Peru, Lima, Inca or other things we need to know. We receive high quality information all the time and it’s really worth doing this trip in an organized way - we save a lot of time and the quality is so much better than if we would have done Ecuador and Peru as backpackers.

You can look at some of the pictures from the trip at Thabela Travel click on "Fotoalbum" and "Bilder från Galapagos och Inkariket".

After a spectacular landing with mountains around us we touched down at Cusco airport. Cusco is at 3.300 meter over sea level so immediately we feel the thin air. We travel to our hotel and the first thing we get is coca thé!!!

Cusco is a fascinating town and we visit the old Temple of Sun and we get very impressed by the Incan architecture and the way they built their temples, houses to stand the earthquakes. The Temple of Sun was covered with gold - both on walls and on ceiling. When the Spaniards came 1530 they destroyed the temples and took all gold and melted it down and brought it back to Spain.

We spend the rest of the day visiting Sacsyhuaman, Quenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambo Machay where our local guide Juan Carlos tells us fascinating stories from the past and he explains the life during Inca time and the meaning of all the buildings. Did you know that Cusco was built as the shape of a Puma??

After a nice dinner with local food and dance show we get back to the hotel and have some more coca thé.

Early start again and this time we get in to a bus a head towards the Urubamba valley where we stop in a small village - Chinchero - to look at the old market place. Here the Indians have been trading since many hundred years and it’s so nice to see all the handicraft that has been produced and they trade things between themselves.

We continue to Ollantaytambo where Juan Carlos tells us fascinating stories how they built this place and how the Sun was in center for some of the constructions. Of course, it’s tricky to explain all of this here - we can just summarize it and say - THE Incas where fantastic!! For those who have been here we think you understand. Well, the Incas were those who really took advantage of the pre-Inca cultures that have been around for thousands of years. Another market in Pisac and we return to Cusco to eat the traditional Inca delicates - Cuy (or guinea pig). Sorry all animal lovers but we just had to try it as we do when we are out traveling!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was it good - well, it was nothing special, tasted like chicken.

RIIIINNNNGGG - the alarm clock wakes us up 4.30 AM to head for the Machu Picchu train. It’s a 4 hour train ride and we admire the beautiful nature on our way to this mystic and legendary place - how will it look like in real life. Another 30 minutes with a small bus up the mountain and there we have it front of us - MACHU PICCHU!!! We take some extra breaths to absorb the first impressions and Juan Carlos takes up to the ruins and explain what is known by this old Inca town. Well, a lot of things are still uncrowned and as you might know the town was found by Hiram Bingham in 1911. At that time it was completely covered by trees and bushes - it took 2 years to clean away all the trees. We wander around in the ruins for a couple of hours and we and Lennart takes us up to the top to take some photos and when we are finished the clouds comes and cover Machu Picchu and some rain starts to come - We say to each other that TIMING IS EVERYTHING!!!

We head back with the train and we are relatively tired so we just take something light to eat and some coca thé and then we go to bed (with a BIG smile on our lips - we have been there!)

Now, we where later told that the day after we went there the train was occupied by the Indians and hundreds of people where trapped in Machu Picchu and all lot of people that have come from all of the world couldn’t go there for 3 days!! We where very lucky!!!!!!!!

The Inca part of our journey ends with a visit in the old temple in Raqchi during our 400 km bus trip to Puno at the Lake Titicaca.

Time for new adventures!!

Cheers!

EvAnders