Machu Picchu - Such a perfect day!

I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but just a few lines to describe what was an unforgettable day...

We set off at 4am by car, minibus, train and bus to reach the ancient mountain, 112 km from Cusco. I knew we were in for a good day when I saw the white peak of the 6,372m Ausangate, the highest mountain in southern Peru, just before dawn. As we got closer to our destination, I got my first glimpse of the lush jungle vegetation, which kept this ancient site hidden until 1911 … (My avocados would be happy here!) The Machu Picchu “machine” is very well-oiled but not nearly as unbearable as I had expected. Sure, there were tourists, but not as invasive as I had feared they would be and it is Machu Picchu itself which steals the show…  More vertical than horizontal, the site itself is breathtakingly beautiful and the man-made constructions – or what is left of them – are in perfect harmony with their environment. I think the Incas who lived here must have had it good… although the ruins of what was a prison and their unexplained departure suggest that all was not perfect in paradise… The return journey was somewhat epic: bus, train, minibus and minibus, with the last rally-driven section from Ollyantaytambo to Cusco to the sound of full-blast Bob with an upside-down Big Dipper in the sky above…. Increible! (And a big thank-you to Eddy Ponce of www.innovatravelperu.com for the smooth organisation of our day).