Machu Picchu is one of the most amazing places that Jay and I have visited together.  Even before we met, it had been at the top of both of our travel lists for a long time so we made sure we spent enough time there to fully explore the Lost City of the Incas.  Most visitors only spend a morning there but Jay and I ended up spending two full days from dawn until dusk discovering the ruins, taking a gazillion pictures, and even hiking up both Machu and Huayna Picchu.  I’m definitely not a hiker but I’m so glad Jay encouraged me to do both climbs.  You must know that in order to hike up Huayna Picchu – which is the big mountain behind the site in the first picture below – you have to be one of the first 400 people to get a ticket from a booth that is located inside the site.  In order to secure our spot we woke up at 3:30am to make sure we were at the site by 5:30am and we literally ran through the ruins in order to reach the ticket booth in time.  It was quite a unique way to see the site for the very first time!  We were in the last group of people to get tickets so we definitely felt a big sense of accomplishment when we got them but of course, we still had to climb the mountain!  The hike up was treacherous but the views were wonderful and well worth the climb.  The next day we hiked up Machu Picchu, which is the mountain directly behind you when facing the ruins.  This hike isn’t as popular among tourists because it’s even more treacherous than climbing Huayna Picchu.  However, it offers amazing views of the ruins and it’s an impressive climb.  It was so amazing that I actually cried when we reached the top!  Here are two of Jay’s pictures – one of the ruins and the other of the furry friends we made while at the site.  I hope you enjoy Volume 4 in this series.

 Machu Picchu │ Peru

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