We're woken at 3:15am to get up to the entrance of the trail to the world famous sun gate... As usual were given a great breakfast of omelette of coffee but eating in the middle of night doesn't feel right even at kick out time of woodys and the world famous sheerness wood street kebab house...
Were first in the que and have just over an hour wait to start the 45minute trail to the sun gate.. Once let through I'm so excited I'm practically running there, after the last few days of hiking its not what I expected or need to be honest but never the less here I am on the side of some great mountain scenery running at 5:30am to see the world famous machu picchu....
I was the third person into the sun gate on the 13th August 2012, some people don't ever get to see it but here I was standing, high on the side of the Andes staring down on the ruins of machu picchu.... Breath taking it really is, not from the run either but just the amazing site of the ruins themselves... It was very misty/foggy like the bunny bank at midnight but the breeze helped the mist over the site to reveal glimpses of the site and tease us with thoughts of sunshine and glorious inka kings walking the grounds....
We walk down and finally arrive on site at the famous picture spot about 8:30am with very few tourists there, that was soon to change... We grab some drinks from a cafe at the entrance, get our passports stamped and chill before our tour of the ruins... They are very impressive and larger than expected... I climb the famous mountain of Huayna picchu always seen In the background of all photos of the ruins.. It was the last thing I wanted to do after the four days through the jungle and Andes but climb it I did... The view here is a good one but after 6hours on site I had had enough and wanted to get some food and wash... Many people have said the same and I found that only the day trippers tend to stay longer as they have only arrived on a bus that morning, but four days in I was tired, happy an in need of food...
That day turned out to be a 22hour day as I didn't arrive back in cusco at the hostel till 1am, the train journey back was a sleepy one and I couldn't wait to shower... I was also keen to get settled back into travelling life and start moving again... Cusco had brought so much more than expected, meeting old friends, making new ones, parties, good strange new foods and of course the inca trail and ruins of machu picchu... It was time to head north.... Either Trujillo or huaraz would be my next stop after a 24hour bus ride to Lima, all that could wait for the next chapter:
north Peru, fake pyramids and a small place similar to paradise....
Peace out much love Micky xxx