Day four, it rained. No wait, it poured! We had to climb dangerously steep steps with a poncho in our face and a mighty strong wind. That was the first hour... after that it was much more peaceful, manageable.
The famous Machu Pichu... on a cloudy day. It made for a mysterious presence. I liked it.
I believe the mountain that faces Machu Pichu is called Manu Pichu (you can choose to climb it, but in this foggy case, you would barely the end of your nose from its peak).
We found that a large portion of Machu Pichu has been rebuilt or restored.
Nevertheless, they have done a good job making it look authentic.
Terracing made for an interesting effect here.
Since we arrived there at 8am, we avoided many of the buses that came in from Cuzco (four hours away)... but as time went on, the landscape began to become more and more speckled with tourists.
Some more interestingly shaped flowers near the ruins.
We took the 1 1/2 hour hike downhill to Aguas Caliente, the closest town (which also has a train station to return to Cuzco).
The train station seemed to be a town itself...
...with restaurants and tourist souvenir shops all along the tracks.
And, just like Ecuador, Peru also has massively huge beer bottles.
Finally, a return to the comfy beds and a good night's sleep at Hotels Ninos I was what we needed when we got back to Cuzco.
