"Welcome to Machu Picchu City!" Well, Liam was accurate on that one. Our guide was overly overenthusiastic. Other guides had approached us at the entrance, but we picked this woman because she seemed kind and gentle. In order for the guides to enter Machu Picchu, they need an agreed tour booked. So we entered with her and she abruptly began her script. It was as if someone had put a quarter in her to start the performance. The memorized lines were synchronized with her Vana White hand gestures. We hid our discomfort. We glanced at each other here and there, but no one dared laugh.

About 30 minutes into the tour, she stopped and suggested that we leave to climb Machu Picchu Montaña. We had paid an extra five dollars a person for the option of climbing the Montaña. We had to enter by 11:00 and it was about 9:30. The tour was supposed to be 90 minutes, so she felt it would be a better use of our time. Also, the weather could change and rain later making the climb more dangerous. We think she just wanted to find another tour, get more money while we were gone, and then continue with us. That was fine, since we hadn't paid her yet.

We set off for the path to the mountain. This trail takes an hour and a half to two hours to climb up and takes at least another hour down. This gave us plenty of time to share our thoughts on our guide. We had our tickets and passports ready. We knew someone would be at the entrance to check our tickets and identities. About half an hour in, we put them away, because no one checked. This was suspicious, but not enough to stop our hike.

Michael was carrying his backpack full of our gear. We had rain jackets, rain pants, extra layers and food. We didn't need the extra layers as it was pretty hot - not at all what we were expecting. It's pretty difficult hiking with a large backpack, but he did not want to check it before entering. We decided we'd hike about 3/4 of the way up. We could enjoy the views as we went. Along our trek, someone said we were almost there, so we decided to keep going.

Full of pride, we arrived at the top. Unfortunately, it wasn't the top of the Montaña. It was the Sun Gate. I thought it was a little crazy that we got to the top in about an hour. UGH. We couldn't do the mountain now, nor did we want to. We were close to the same altitude, just further away. In addition, this hike was mostly an inclined plane as opposed to the 90 minute stair climb we would have done for the mountain. So all in all, I think things worked out for the best. We wouldn't have been able to complete the mountain stairs in that heat or enjoy the scenery on the way up. We stopped at the Sun Gate, enjoyed the views and ate some lunch.

View from the Sun Gate. You can see the road up that the bus needs to take. That would be a heck of a hike.

After we refueled, we headed back down. We were amazed to see people far older than us heading up the hill. The walk down was so much easier and faster. I think our guide was shocked when we finally found her as she finished her other tour. We told her about our hike and she said, "Didn't you see the sign?" Uh, obviously not.

We continued our tour. We learned about the different parts of the city and the architecture. We heard stories of the 'important' people and the Incan practices. Yes, the stories were animated and energetic, but that was fine. It was Machu Picchu after all. It was a glorious day, and the scenery was indeed, epic.

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One thing our guide was right about though, was that the weather began to change. We could see the clouds and rain approach us. It did rain, but not too much and certainly not enough to ruin our visit.

Apparently the doorway designed for 'important people'

Another amazing adventure! We could have spent hours just walking around the ruins. Eventually, we had to catch the bus down the mountain and back to our scheduled train to Ollantaytambo. The lines for the bus are long and unpredictable. Only one bus can fit on the road down the mountain and they do some serious maneuvering to manage some of the curves when another bus is going in the opposite direction. The rain could add to this, so we had to leave. Good-bye Machu Picchu.

The line for the bus down to Aguas Calientes. It wraps around behind me as I took the picture.