I went to Lima, Peru for work in April 2008. Two co-workers of mine from Mexico City were on the business trip as well. We flew in a few days early so we could adventure off to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world.

Jorge and Erick flew in from Mexico City and I flew in from Phoenix. We stayed the first night in Lima to leave our work bags. We made off for Machu early in the a.m.

There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu from Lima....the long way and the super long way. We obviously chose the later of the two. I am really glad my two friends spoke fluent Spanish.

The first leg of the trip was a plane from Lima to Cusco...a cool mountain town. The first thrill of the trip was our taxi driver in Lima though. He rammed a toll road gate and went right through it without paying and then proceeded to drive 60+ mph through 3 red lights. Yeah I almost needed adult diapers at that point.

Quick side note: when we arrived at the hotel in Lima they gave us a welcome drink...the Peruvian Pisco Sour. I've seen this drink on the show "Three Sheets with Zane Lamprey". It's a tough drink. Well I'm a tough guy so I thought it was a match made in heaven. Ummm, I think I better hit the gym. I almost puked on the floor in the hotel lobby. The drink tasted like diesel fuel.

Ok back to travels....So we get into Cusco and instead of taking a train directly to Aguas Calientes (town at the base of Machu Picchu), we decided to really see the country side and take local buses the majority of the way. It made our 13 hour travel day really long, but in the end it was worth it. It was a great experience to be in these cramped little buses with the local farmers. Plus we got to see a lot more of the Andes Mountains than we would have if we had taken the train.

I mean, we would have missed out on the 6 year old sheep herder and 8 year old boy waving a battle axe in the air. I mean great stuff here!!

So we get into Agues Calientes late dinner time. It was really cool. This train literally strolls right in the middle of this village. You step off the train and right into a patio of a restaurant.

We had the best thin crust pizza.For some reason, every place had pizza.And it was good.Peru = good pizza.Wouldn't have bet on that one.Another great surprise was the delicious libations they served.Cusquena beer!

Cusquena Beer is made from the finest natural ingredients including pure glacial melt water from a staggering 18,000 feet up in the Peruvial Andes. Cusquena is a true super premium lager. It is stocked in exceptional venues and loved by people who care about authenticity & absolute quality.

So after a few of those we staggered around town and found a youth hostel and crashed.We had a long day ahead of us.First bus to Machu Picchu left at 5:30am and we needed to buy bus tickets and Machu Picchu tickets before that.So needless to say we were scrambling in town at 4:30am trying to find the ticket venue.And yes, they do sell tickets that early for last minute idiot travelers.

40 minute bus ride in the dark up about 79 switchbacks was cool….or not.I tell you what though…..witnessing a sunrise in Machu Picchu at 7,500 ft above sea level was an unreal experience.

We took in the scenery and then set our mind to tackling Huayna Picchu.This was another 2,000 ft above Machu Picchu.My breakfast the morning after a few too many Cusquenas was a Gatorade and snickers bar.The climb started at 7,575 ft.At about 7,600 ft. I started to feel altitude sickness.By the time I got to the top I was making sure not to get too close to the edge of the mountain.

The pictures I took from Huayna Picchu made Machu Picchu look like the size of a micro-machine car.It was incredible!

Overall….great trip with two great friends.