We made our way up to Machu Picchu on Friday. This was my third time at Machu Picchu and I have to say that the third time was a charm. I wasn’t exhausted from hiking the Inca Trail, and we didn’t have any issues with our train tickets or other modes of transport. Everything went smoothly.
We left our hotel at 6:30am to start the three legged journey to Machu Picchu. After a taxi ride, a train ride and a shuttle ride, we were at the site around lunch time.
Once we were in the site, we took our time wandering through the sectors. From after lunch into the later afternoon is a great time to see Machu Picchu. The guide books advise going in the morning, which means most tourists do that exactly. The afternoon crowd seemed to have a different, more laid back pace. We stopped often just to gaze out at the scenery, or watch the llamas mill about.
The sun was tipping down into the mountains when we left, which created some nice contrast on the ruins as we were leaving. I tried to permanently etch the view into my brain. It’s pretty much impossible to capture the amazingness of Machu Picchu in any photo. Even the professionally produced post cards come up short.
p.s. I ran into Rick Steves’ brother at Machu Picchu too!
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