Here are some more pictures of Machu Picchu.
On day 5, we woke up at dawn and hiked up a zillion steps to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu. It was a little foggy, but the view was still amazing and it was worth it just to get a few pictures of the place sans other tourists.
After breakfast, we began the hike up Huayna Picchu (the mountain right behind the citadel in all the pictures). There is a temple on top and the views are amazing, but the hike was horrible.
Everyone told us "an hour there, an hour back - no problem!" Yeah right.
This was more of what it was like for us: An hour of the steepest stairs (more like a series of small walls) straight up the mountain - crappy but kind of adventurous, spirits are high. View at the top - amazing but crowded. We decide to take the long route back thinking it will be downhill and easy- so stupid. Another hour of the steepest stairs ever but this time downhill - my legs are shaking with each step. We reach the very bottom of the mountain and realize "Oops! We have to hike all the way up again to get back to Machu Picchu!" - despair. Another hour and thirty minutes of hiking back up the steepest steps in the world - I'm ready to kill myself. Caton and Levi leave us and go on ahead - a relief cause Rachel and I can go as slow as we want now. Rachel and I finally literally crawl back to our hotel, warning everyone along the way to NOT TAKE THE LONG ROUTE!
Overall, the hike was crappy. For some reason, everyone - besides me - had forgotten to bring an extra set of clothes for the two day Machu Picchu trip and so by the train ride home, we were all a little sore and a little smelly.
Also - after the hike - Levi got a pretty violent case of food poisoning. I'm talking rolling-around-on-the-floor-while-puking-your-guts-out violent. I really should have got it on video, but we were all too busy trying not to laugh at the whole show. It was dramatic...and I know dramatic.
Day 6 we did NOTHING. We slept in, ate good food, shopped for souvenirs, and got massages. I didn't take a single picture.
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