From the Drab Seastars blog: "Took the train from Cusco to a town called Aguas Calientes- basically just the basecamp for tourists going to visit Machu Picchu (which, for those who dont know, is an site of Inca ruins situated in the Andes- 2,400m above sea level- discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, a professor from Yale. The city, never discovered and therefore never looted or destroyed by the Spanish, is impressively preserved.) Went with James, our southern gentleman(Tessa just calls him Georgia), and stayed in an Eco-lodge called Rupa Wasi. A bit of a splurge...and a disappointment! We planned to catch the first bus up to Macchu Picchu at 5:30AM so that we could see sunrise over the site. Rupa Wasi staff said no problem, organic breakfast at 4:45AM and packed lunches to take to the top. Well, at 5:10AM, no coffee and no eco-brown bagged lunches! Aggravated, we left without food but thankfully still managed to catch the first bus up.

Pricey entrance fee (120 soles, about US$36) which Georgia calls "gringo rape"!

Being first into the site was worth it though- looking out over the ruins at dawn, dewey grass, llamas grazing...appreciating the magnificance of this massive civilization, which was desserted years ago and not seeing a dozen tour groups, priceless! Lost Tessa in the first 10 minutes (and did we mention that the site is massive?). James and Sasha found her about an hour later playing with the llamas- who would have thought?!?

Without our packed lunches we had to eat at the Macchu Picchu lodge- their posh breakfast buffet set us back $20 each. Ouch!
After fueling up James and Sasha set off to hike up Huayna Picchu, the mountain right beside the site that provides overhead views. An hour of stone steps later, and slightly out of breath, we sat and admired the Inca site from the top of Huayna Picchu, a once in a lifetime opportunity. And Sasha, of course, insisted on doing some yoga poses right on the edge before heading back down. Wobbly legs at the bottom was a small price to pay! Recommended to all!"