Some of us went back up to camp for breakfast: omelettes and tea. We ate fairly fast so we could get back to the line where we waited about an hour. When the gates opened, the race was on. We were almost at a jog to get to the Sun Gate first, before the other groups. Most people fell behind when we reached the steep staircase. In fact, we were so fast, our guide said it normally takes and hour and a half to get there and we did it in 45 minutes.
We were excited when we saw the ruins of the Sun Gate. And there it was, from the Sun Gate, we could see Machu Picchu. It had the same look as I had seen in pictures, but pictures obviously don't do their justice, we sat and enjoyed the view for a while until everyone else arrived. Our guide took pictures of the group with Machu Picchu in the background before we continued.
It didn't take long to arrive at the ideal picture spot, where most Machu Picchu pictures are taken. Our guide gave us a little history on the tomb that was next to the picture spot before we kept on hiking.
We finally arrived in Machu Picchu and our guide let us spend some time taking pictures. We had to go to the ticket gate and store bags because the park won't allow large backpacks. When we were there, more people started to show up. You could easily see the difference between the types of people there: the smelly people who experienced the Inca Trail an the clean people who rode an hour on a bus.
We all met our guide and he took us through the ruins and gave the history of each spot. The day started out warm and sunny, but halfway through the tour, it began to rain. It seemed like the rain stopped by time the tour was done and our guide gave us 2 hours to explore and explore we did. I was going to tell you all about the things we saw, but Machu Picchu is something that can't really be described in words, or pictures. You just have to experience it yourself.
After Machu Picchu, we were to take the bus to Agues Calientes for lunch. We also had the option of hiking an additional trail to get there. The three Getmans and I were the only ones who did the additional hike, which was rewarding. When we arrived at the restaurant to meet with everyone else, our guide bought us our meals and drinks for doing the additional hike.
During lunch, we collected a large tip to give our guides and one of the girls gave a thank you speech to our guides and gave them the tips. Our guides gave us our certificates saying we survived the rugged Inca trail. I passed mine around and had everyone sign the back. One of the girls got all of our contact information on the back of hers and will add us to a group on Facebook for us to share our pictures and videos and stay connected.
After lunch, we were able to leave our backpacks at the restaurant and walked to the hot springs. About 9 of us hung out in the hot springs for about 2 hours to loosen our muscles.
We hurried back so we could get our backpacks. On our way back, we ran into the Germans who were staying in Aguas Calientes for the night. I kind of wished I would have decided to stay as well. It was a neat little town. We gave the Germans hugs and were able to say our goodbyes before heading to the train station.
On the train back to Ollantaytamba, I met 2 others from America and 1 from England. We talked most of the way. In Ollantaytamba, we got our bus and headed 2 hours back to Cusco. I think most of us slept on the way back.
We were dropped off at the plaza and all agreed to meet for dinner the next evening (where only 3 of us showed up). I had a long walk to my hostel where I checked in, then walked back to my old hostel to retrieve my bag I left there during the hike. I stayed at Pirwa hostel when we got back and I didn't care for it as much. It was a little more upscale, but wasn't busy like I'm used to and didn't seem to be intended for backpackers.
The whole trip has been amazing and, as our guide said, a trip I'll never forget. I will do a part 2 to this post to sum up what I thought of the overall trip.
Last day in Cusco:
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