We then arrived to Aguas Calientes, the little town under the Machu Picchu mountain, where we took the bus to Machu Picchu. After 25 minutes through hairpin curves with amazing views, we made it to Machu Picchu. The excitement vanished for a few minutes when we had to use the deplorable restroom facilities. Get this, 2500 visitors per day, sharing a single bathroom (the men's bathroom was broken, so everyone shared the same bathroom), we had to get toilet paper outside the bathroom before entering after standing in line to get in. We later discover that all ruins in the sacred valley have horrible bathroom facilities, most without toilet seat, toilet paper, soap, etc. Bring your own toilet paper and moisture towels. You'll thank us for this tip.

But the memory of this bad experience quickly disappeared at the first glimpse of the Machu Picchu ruins and the spectacular views from the top of the mountain. Except for the large crowds, this is a breathtaking experience.










Our tour guide was Johnny. He liked to be called Johnny Walker (we called him Johnny Machu Picchu Walker) and every sentence he uttered started with the words "Please (pause) listen". He was a great tour guide and very passionate about the Inka culture and for a good reason.























































After touring the ruins for about 5 hours we took the bus down to Aguas Calientes and visited the beautiful Inka Terra hotel near the train tracks, where they have a great bar with free tea and pastries. If you have time, visit their orchid farm, which is unique in the world. We drank coca tea and Cuzquena beer. We then proceeded to take the train back to Ollantaytambo to be entertained by the train crew to a fashion show and Andean devil dances, where Regina danced with the Andean devil. We made it to Ollantaytambo but the traffic was horrendous because they were having festivities in the town.

We enjoyed the marches and dances while we waited in traffic. Then back to the gorgeous Tambo del Inka for an excellent dinner at the hotel (the restaurant also has a huge fireplace).