Sorry about the delay in posting ... for those who are waiting for updates and pictures. Life has been hectic, but the house has been moreso.
Lac, Katrina, Mike and Lou arrived last Monday, and Mitch arrived on Tuesday. Lac and Kat were extremely tired after almost 40 hours in transit .... shattered, but still on their feet, so we kept them going until night. Since their arrival we have visited numerous markets with everyone getting right into the spirit of bargaining, much to the disgust and disadvantage of the local traders. Everyone will have a little more to carry home.
We also had a family lunch at Senor Carbon - the meat restaurant mentioned previously. We all enjoyed that too. Didn´t give the new-comers long to settle into the high altitude conditions before tripping off to Machu Picchu. Our package included pickup in the city at 5.30 - so for those of us staying with Zac, it was a 4.30am wakeup and a taxi pickup into the city. Unfortunately Katrina was really ill - but keen to go, so we headed off with a bucket and several liners.... As Zac had predicted she came good as we descended from altitude into the lower heights of Machu Picchu .... and was able to enjoy the sites of this magnificent place.
In the city we were met by a guide, taken to a waiting bus for the 2 hour ride through snow capped mountains to Ollantaytambo, then onto the Vista Dome train .... train with glass panels in the roof to enable great views of the mountainous scenery. Spectacular ... and so much better than the Backpackers Train that we went on last time. Liek planes, we were served meals ... and on the home journey the staff provided entertainment - local dancing as well as a fashion parade of alpaca garments.
In Agues Callientes we were met by another guide, taken to our hotels and then back to the bus station for the zigzag ride up to Machu Picchu - with a 3 hour tour from another local guide followed by time to wander arounder by ourselves. This place is so impressive ... amazing amazing - even if you´ve seen it before. It´s simply breath-taking .. pictures /video don´t do it justice. Even the surrounding High mountains are spectacular. I love Agues Callientes ... village with a railway as the main street and pathways up the side of the mountain. The village has grown since we were here ... and there is so much construction taking place ... all rambling with no apparent plan.
We stayed the night and had time the following day to wander around, see a demonstration of musical instruments an, and scout around the markets before the trip home.
No comments:
Post a Comment