Dana's Travelogue Peru Sept '18 part3 Machu Pichu

Friday Sept 7th Ollantaytambo to Matchu Pichu

Small verbage correction from last post. No we did not climb 9000 feet. What I should have said was, 'We climbed to the top of the temple, quite the cardio challenge when hanging out at over 9000 feet elevation!'

Breakfast, checkout and Cappuccinos for everyone (except me) before we headed to the station. Had a lovely and super scenic train ride during the middle of the day. Destination, Aquas Calientes also known as Machu Pichu because it is the nearest town and jumping off point to get to the famous ruins of the city of Machu Pichu. 

Met Edgar our guide for tomorrow and made a plan that has us out the door at 5:45 am..yikes. Better catch a few zzz's now while I can.

Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru, above the Urubamba River valley. Built in the 15th century and later abandoned, it’s renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone walls that fuse huge blocks without the use of mortar, intriguing buildings that play on astronomical alignments and panoramic views. Its exact former use remains a mystery. Elevation: 7,972′

Although our guide was pretty certain that it was considered a University and religious education place that people would come to for a season.
He was a great guide and we really appreciated getting a full and informative tour of the site. 
The line for the bus takes up most of the length of town but moves pretty quick with 22 busses shuttling people up and down. The ride took less than 30 minutes but  I imagine if you were going to climb up (straight up!) it would take at least 3 hours. 
Edgar said there's a plan to put in a cable car (gondola) to take people to the top as the wear and tear of people walking and all the busses is eroding\settling the mountain. He says once it is in place no one will be allowed to hike up any longer.

Sun Temple

Goofy K

Sundial

Farming Lab

Temple of the Condor

Outside the museum

We opted to get off the bus early on the way back and go through. Good exhibit and then a 30 minute uphill walk back into town.

After showers and a snooze we had a nice dinner at the Tree House Restaurant. Very yummy! Town was hopping with parades and demonstrations that seemed like a cross between a moving party and a political rally.