MACHU PICCHU

Let me tell you about our trip to Machu Picchu. We left our motorhome at a truck stop in Lima with a paid guard. We had private transportation to the airport which took about an hour. After we checked in at the airport, we went through security where Bill had some problems. Those of you who have been through airport security know that you have to empty your pockets, take off your shoes and belt, and then step through a sensor entry. When Bill stepped through, all the bells went off. They had him raise his arms so they could scan him with a hand scanner, but since he had lost so much weight, his pants fell down. He would try to hold them up with one hand while they scanned one side, but they made him hold both hands up. He finally made it through, but not without some embarrassment.

The flight to Cusco took about an hour. We were met at the airport with a car which took us to our hotel. We were given some coca leaf tea which is supposed to help with altitude sickness. Cusco is at 10,000 feet. The city has a European feel with cobblestone streets and huge plaza. Most of the buildings are built on Inca ruins. There are many nationalities but mostly American. We went to our room and took a two hour nap before venturing out into the night. The tour company gave us a recommendation for a local restaurant which was about two blocks away. It was small and funky with huge art works and not many tables. What a treat. We had a gourmet meal, wonderful service and even treated ourselves to dessert.

Neither one of us slept much that night and we believe it was the altitude and the fact that we knew we had to be up at 5 A.M. for a 11/2 hr. trip to the train station to take us to the bus which would take us up the mountain to the ruins. We were driven through beautiful country with cultivated fields, neat villages and snow capped mountains. The vista view train took us through very narrow valleys with steep sided mountains. It took about 2 hours to get to the bus station.

The bus takes passengers to the check in point to see the ruins. There were probably 25 hair-pin curves up the mountain on a dirt narrow road. Bill set next to a guy on the bus who was 6’5” and barely fit in the seat. Turns out he was from Naples and was familiar with the place Bill’s dad had an office.

When we disembarked we were met by our private guide. He was a delightful young man who spoke very good English. There was no rush. We took our time. The day was cloudy and not too hot. This seemed to be idea because there is little shade and the sun can be intense. We checked in and Huey (our guide) led us to our first viewpoint. We took a deep breath and there before us was one of the wonders of the world and a place that is considered to be on The List to see before you leave this world. And here we are!!!

We were not disappointed. Huey made it come alive with stories and information. We started at the lower levels and ended at the top. There were many high steps and tough climbs but we did it all. Not bad for two old farts. It was starting to rain as we were ending our tour and the rocks were getting slick so we headed back to the buses and the train. There were many serious hikers that had done the 4 day Inca Trail trip. They had lots of gear and were very fit. Everyone was tired on the train but the host made it fun with dancing and a style show featuring alpaca wool. We were so exhausted on the 2 hour rainy trip back to our hotel. But there was another early (4 A.M.) wake up call for an early flight back to Lima.

A young man who stayed at our hotel was also on our flight. He was from Canada and was a para-medic.

Norm and Mari were glad to see us and were ready to get on the road out of Lima. So we gathered things together, fueled up and drove about 160 miles south to Paracus, a small fishing village.

We had a tiring 3 days but wouldn’t have missed it. We will always remember that feeling as we first viewed Machu Picchu.