Pinching myself in the "Lost City of the Incas"

Expectations
People
Inca
Cloud

Horrible 4:30am alarm can only signify one thing, it's time to get up to go see Machu Picchu. First bus leaves at 5:30am, but people tend to start queuing at the bus stop from before 5. We check out of the hostel for 4:45 and the waiting begins.

Bang on 5:30, the first bus opens its doors, quite a few people are ahead of us but there is no panic as the city has loads of buses lined up and as soon as one is full they start loading the next. We hop aboard and reach the entrance gates of Machu Picchu for 6am. Gates do not open until this time anyway so no need to fret. This is one of the first places we have been to that has been a major tourist trap. 3,500 visitors descend upon Machu Picchu, (Quechuan for 'old peak'), every day and boy the crowds are heaving already.

One look at the sky and it's going to be a grey overcast morning. Steve and Karen who went to the site yesterday as well tell us that they had beautiful blue sky the morning previous - great! The masses are heading to the sungate in their droves. Decision is made that there's no point in heading up for sunrise as we'll see nothing spectacular. Instead we make for inside the site, trying to get uncrowded photos of the lower levels. We can then head up to the sungate later on, once the cloud lifts, and our guide Odon assures us it will.

Come mid morning the cloud has disappeared and it's just pretty blue sky. For a place to live up to expectations is unusual, for it to completely surpass your wildest dreams is awesome. Machu Picchu is such a place. Pictures cannot do it justice. It's jaw-dropping, it's inspirational, it's everything you could hope for and more.

Odon and William were our guides again. For about three hours we got useful info on what the site was all about. Having spent a few days with the guys we had built up a good rapport with them and so the tour they gave was very laid back and humorous. After a jaunt up to see the guards house and get a nice overview shot of the site it was time to climb the mountain Huayna Picchu (Quechuan for 'young peak'). The Incas built a trail of steep steps up the side of the mountain and built temples and terraces on top. The peak of Huayna Picchu is about 2,720m. Slowly but surely I made my way up this punishing mountain. The views from the top are absolutely stunning, breath-taking even - although that reaction could have been caused from the huge climb (I jest, I jest!).

I happily spent about half an hour just chilling at the top, sitting on one of the terraces, surveying the scenery of dense forested mountains, the Urubamba river and of course the entire site of Machu Picchu. It is definitely a day that will stay with me for quite some time, and I would happily go back there in a heartbeat.