Anne’s Post (Will upload photo later)

Machu Picchu might have inspired the adage about the journey being as important as the destination. It is still hard to get to, even going in the most expeditious and comfortable way possible as we did.

I left the hotel in Urubamba at 9:45 am and returned about 9:30 pm. Of those almost 12 hours, we spent two hours touring MP. The rest was spent getting to the train, on the train, walking through the chaotic base camp town of Aguas Calientes to get to the bus up the mountain to the site, and then doing the bus, walk, and train, and shuttle back. Still, there’s no doubt that it’s worth it. And if I weren’t going there the luxury route, there’s no doubt that I never would have made it on this particularly difficult day.

Our first-class train resembled the dining car of the Orient Express with tables for two and four laden with linens and stemware. Before we boarded, we were offered champagne in a special waiting room and a three-course lunch with wine during the 90-minute ride to Aguas  Calientes. Except for water and tea, literally none of it was what the doctor had ordered and I said “no gracias” to 99.9% of it, feeling like a rude guest. My table companions, two midwesterners traveling solo who’d been assigned to room together but already seemed like old friends, were sympathetic companions. The scenery provided extra diversion and I was busy taking photos to try and capture some of the experience for Ray, who weighed heavily on my mind and spirit.

Once there, we climbed, and I panted, up a twisting stone staircase with no rail that must be wicked slippery after rain. After the climb, our first view was panoramic and breathtaking. The day was mostly clear and cool but not hot.  The ancient village spread out in all its glory. It does look like a place where humans could live, too, unlike most ancient ruins, nestled in a cleft between massive mountain tops with the river flowing far below. There’s little to no modern signage or other clutter to mar the allusion that this improbable almost impossible place really exists in some ways as it has for hundreds of years. And you’re allowed to sit on the smooth, cool stones, as long as your feet touch the ground.