Saturday 6 July 2002
This morning we were awake at 4am in order to reach the Machu Picchu at sunrise. The guide office just forgot to tell us, that we had to bring our own flashlight. Ane's condition was improved, but I still suffered from having a bad stomach. At a time Ane had to continuously pull me up the stairs. This was really a challenge.
The walk was an incredible experience. We started in total darkness. Then the moonlight appeared and we could see how the clouds were hanging under the mountain peaks. Then came the sunrise and with this light, colors and the sound of bird twittering.
Of course we did not reach Machu Picchu before sunrise. This was normally a 1.5 hour walk, but we did it in impressive 3.5 hours. It did not harm us that much. It turned out that Machu Picchu was overclouded this morning and when we arrived the clouds had disappeared, leaving the perfect sunspot on Machu Picchu, just as the one you would normally see at sunrise.
When arriving Machu Picchu we were out of breath. Nevertheless started the guide her tour around the ruins without a pause. The 2,5 hours walk in the ruins was unbearable hard as the sun was strong and pretty warm. The place is located 1,000 meters lower than Cuzco.
After the "city tour" we just needed to rest, but were unable to find any shadow in the place. Ane took off her boots and socks to cool down, which turned out to be a mistake. Small mosquitoes bit her feet, making her unable to walk properly for the coming 3-4 days as they swelled up pretty much.
The guide left us at 11am and the train back would go around 4pm, so we had plenty of time to spend at Machu Picchu and the close by city "Anguas Calientes" which means hot springs.
The bus drive downwards to the city was pleasant and a local boy ran downwards accompanied us with his greetings at every hairpin bend. Finally he got in the bus and received his well-earn money from the tourists.
Anguas Calientes was a pretty little town. We had a nice lunch and both of us started to feel better.
The train left at 5.20pm and later after a hazard bus drive in the dark, we arrived Cuzco 10pm - very tired and very pleased with our efforts and experiences.