Machu Picchu

  Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Peru
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Machu Picchu - we walked straight past it! How do you do that¿ We got up at 4.00am from our luxury (really) hotel in Aguas Calientes ready to be the first at Machu Picchu but the weather had different plans. Drizzle on the way to the bus stop. 30 minutes later and in thick cloud and drizzle we arrived at Machu Picchu and started the walk up - and yes, as large as it is, we walked straight past it and walked on for 15 minutes uphill on the path to Mountain peak. Our trainee guide was conducting this tour!. When we wondered where the crowds had gone we turned back and arrived to a cloud and mist filled view. But just as u would expect at one of the wonders of the world, the cloud gradually thinned and the sun came out to reveal a true marvel. The photos dont do it true justice. The monument sits high on the mountain side in the most remote area high in the Andes but the even higher mountains and gorges with raging rapids surrounding it give it a truly awe inspiring backdrop. At only 2500m the walking was easier than other days and we felt totally fulfilled by the end of the day. Enough said, hope you enjoy a sample of our 200+ photos. M


<div style="width:420px;padding:0;margin:0;border:none;background:#000 url(http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-012b-7204-b6ea/e/74d903e939/bg)0 0 no-repeat"><embed width="420" height="272" src="http://images.travelpod.com/bin/tripwow/flash/tripwow.swf" flashvars="xmlPath=http%3A%2F%2Ftripwow.tripadvisor.com%2Ftripwow%2Fta-012b-7204-b6ea%2Fapxml%3Fed%3D74d903e939%26ref%3D" base="http://images.travelpod.com/bin/tripwow/flash/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" name="TripWow" wmode="opaque" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><!-- Use of this widget is subject to the terms stated here: http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/widget_terms.html --><div style="width:420px;padding:0;margin:0;border:none;background:#fff;font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:#999;text-align:justify;font-size:9px"><a href="http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-012b-7204-b6ea" style="color:#c60">Peru Slideshow</a>: Brenda&rsquo;s trip from <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g255068-Brisbane_Queensland-Vacations.html" style="color:#c60">Brisbane</a>, <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g255067-Queensland-Vacations.html" style="color:#c60">Queensland</a>, <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g255055-Australia-Vacations.html" style="color:#c60">Australia</a> to <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g294316-Lima-Vacations.html" style="color:#c60">Lima</a>, <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g294311-Peru-Vacations.html" style="color:#c60">Peru</a> was created by <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au" style="color:#c60">TripAdvisor</a>. See another <a href="http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/slideshow/peru/lima.html" style="color:#c60">Lima slideshow</a>. Take your travel photos and <a href="http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/" style="color:#c60">make a slideshow</a> for free.</div></div>