Machu Picchu

Our day begins at 4:45am. I figure if we have come all the way to Peru to see Machu Picchu, we may as well go the extra distance and get up early to be in the first group there. The first bus rolls out at 5:30, so I leave Sam and Mom to get breakfast while I squat a place in the line, which by 5:05 is already nearly a block long. Out spot gets us in the back row of bus number two, but after a 20 minute ride up a sometimes harrowing, switchback road (full props to the people walking up the stone steps from town), we are still in pretty good position before the gates open at 6:00am.

So, was it all worth it (not just the early morning, but coming all the way to Peru for this)? Absolutely! Machu Picchu is spectacular, and easily amongst the most amazing things that we have seen anywhere. On a perfect day, as the clouds move up from the valley past the ruins, it is almost magical. The pictures won’t do it justice, but short of being there, it’s the next best thing.

After a full day on the mountain, including a 1 hour hike along the Inca Trail to the Sun Gate, we still need to make our way back to Cusco, so from Aguas Calientes, it is the train back to Ollantaytambo, and then a couple hours in a cab to our hotel. Even so, our day isn’t over as traffic in the center of town is at a standstill because of Halloween. Rather than wait it out, we bail on the cab and head off on foot the last few blocks. Walking through the main plaza, it is just packed with families out trick or treating (although here they simply say “Halloween. Halloween”, and hold out a tiny plastic pumpkin). It is irresistible, so we buy a couple bags of candy from a street vendor and start handing it out. Big mistake. I am soon mobbed by pumpkin-waving Peruvians, forced up against a wall as they all push to get their share of the candy they see in my hand. Eventually I manage to stuff the candy bag in my pocket and hold my empty hands up to the crowd to show them I am all out, and as quickly as they appeared, the rag tag group of Spidermen, princesses, Smurfs, and fairies melt back into the crowd.

Somewhat smarter for the experience, we keep the candy we have left carefully hidden, pulling a piece or two out at a time and dropping it directly into individual buckets. As we hand out the last two pieces, we find ourselves right back in front of our hotel, and with that, wrap up a completely unforgettable day. I’m not sure what we’ll do to top this one, but tomorrow we head off for Lake Titicaca, so we’ll keep trying.