Machu Picchu, Peru - Day 7

Welcome back to our Peru adventure. This post is the one everyone has been waiting for! Our experience at Machu Picchu! This post is going to inundated with photos, especially those from my real camera. I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do!

Our day started early as we had to catch the train at 6:30 a.m. We jumped (crammed) into a little taxi and headed to the depot in the town of Urubamba.

At the train depot, we got up close and personal with the train.

 The boys were eager to get on and find our seats.

Little Miss Reeve was not quite ready to sit yet, so they stayed outside enjoying some freedom before boarding the train!

I was trying to get a good picture of the boys, instead I got a serious photo!

The train trip was around two and a half hours. We enjoyed the scenery, passing many small towns , other ruins, and watching the terrain change from dry and rocky to forest. 

The train follows the path of the river. The boys commented on how much the river changed during our trip. Areas that were incredibly wide to very skinny. The train had sky windows allowing you to almost see the tops of some of the majestic mountains. 

There was a really nice mother and daughter sitting across from Jared and Jaime. They encouraged the boys to try "Chicha Morada". There faces show how they felt about the drink! This Peruvian drink has its basis in corn, specifically Peruvian purple corn. 

Some more of the views from the train!

As all parents know, when the baby sleeps, you sleep!

As the trained pulled into the town of Aguas Calientes, our excitement grew. According to Google, "Aguas Calientes is a town in the Urubamba River Valley, in southeast Peru. It’s known for its thermal baths and as a gateway to the nearby Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. The town center is full of eateries and shops, anchored by the central Mercado Artesanal, a craft market."

We boarded a bus for a 30 minute ride to the top of the mountain. Upon arrival, we grabbed some snacks, some of us rushing to eat before and others stuffing into backpacks.  The boys looked over the edge and down the side of the mountain while watching the butterflies flying around.

Before beginning our tour, we took in the surrounding area. 

We hired a guide and began our hike up the mountain through the ruins. The first part of our walk took us on part of the Inca Trail. We learned that the Inca Trail consists of three overlapping trails: Mollepata, Classic, and One Day. The trail starts from Cusco on the Urubamba River and depending on the starting point can be up to 88 km (55 miles) long.

As we climbed higher, more and more of the city came into view. 

Reeve was enamored by the different colors and textures of the area. 

The boys were excited to see the wild llamas in the area. They are not phased by the humans and go about their business as natural lawn mowers!

As we climbed higher, we had to keep posing for pictures! The sites were unbelievable. 

Please note our shirts!!!  #gillespiestrong #flexoncancer

17000 steps and 127 floors - totally worth it!

As you can see, the place is HUGE! Seeing the granite stones up close, trying to figure out how the city was created without modern tools, and exploring the different buildings takes your breath away. In order to maintain the ruins and allow visitors to enjoy their time, only a certain number of guests are allowed to enter each hour. This helps make it easy to move through the massive city.

As we moved through the outer areas, we headed to the main entrance to the city.

The 'children' posing in the main entrance archway.