The main attraction of the trip with my family was visiting Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is an ancient Inka Citadel built in the 1400s. It gained international attention in 1911 when explorer Hiram Bingham discovered the city.
We arrived a day early at Machu Picchu because of transportation strike scheduled for two days. There were no buses, taxis, or trains running during the strike. Strikers were protesting the rising gas and food prices. The people of Peru work very hard and cannot afford to feed their families. Striking during the Easter holiday with a record number of tourists is a way to get the government’s attention. Many tourists could not get to a Machu Picchu for their tours because of the strike.
We took the Peru Rail train ride from Ollantaytambo through the Andes Mountains. The train ride is about an hour and a half. During Covid, there is no food service on the train, and masks are required.
Rolling into Machu Picchu between steep, untouched mountains on the train is magical. The small town of Aguas Calientes is a hidden gem tucked into the montains. There is the main square and several hotels, restaurants, and shops.
We stayed at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel. It is a bungalow-style hotel with a lot of steps. Walking through the property feels like you are walking through a wild jungle and not a 5-star hotel.
We got to sleep in on the day we went to Machu Picchu because our tour did not begin until 10:30 am. We took the 10 am bus from town up to Machu Picchu. Our guide, Pedro, met us at the entrance.
There are several paths you can take through Machu Picchu. We think it is a good idea to go for two days because there is a lot to see. The way up to the top where the paths begin is steep, but not too hard.
After climbing up the mountain, we walked out onto a surreal view overlooking Machu Picchu. We have seen it in pictures and documentaries, but seeing it in person is an amazing experience. We spent over two hours exploring the ruins.
Machu Picchu was lost to the world for centuries. It is well preserved for being so old. It is incredible to see how advanced the Inka civilization was. They had irrigation and earthquake-proof architecture. They had a purpose for the things they built.
Michael, Jonathan, and Emily went back a second day to hike Huayna Picchu. It is a difficult hike for people 12 and older. There are very steep and narrow parts of the hike. It took them about 3 hours to hike it. Lucas, Henry, and I stayed back at the hotel with Milo, my dad, and Kay.
We had train tickets back to Ollantaytambo that day at 3:20 pm. We would have been back in Cusco by 7 pm, but the trains did not run because of the strike.
We waited around the hotel for a couple of hours to hear if the trains would run at all. We were told they would not so we checked back into our hotel rooms for an extra night in Aguas Calientes. About 30- minutes after we checked in, our guide, Pedro came to our hotel and told us evacuation trains were running that night to get guests back to Ollantaytambo.
We grabbed our bags and went to the train station. We waited for an hour and thirty minutes to board a train back to Ollantaytambo. We were given priority because of Milo and my dad, and Kay. The train left at 9 pm. We arrived in Ollantaytambo at about 11 pm and had another two-hour ride to our hotel in Cusco. We checked into our Cusco hotel at 1 am. Milo was wide awake. We got 4 hours of sleep before we had to board another bus to Puno.
