We travelled by train from Cuzco down to Agua Callientes and then completed our journey to Machu Pichu by bus, up the winding track. When the train left Cuzco it moved slowly backwards and forwards climbing out of the time before beginning its long slow descent towards Agua Calientes. The track wended its way like an alley between the houses. At some points the train was so close to the neighbouring houses it seemed as though an arm streched out of the window would be enough to touch them.
Our guide was very keen for us to see the Sacred Valley and the Inca sites. We saw and learned a lot on our whole day tour, but in the meantime here are some shots from our video.
We flew into Lima in October 2000 to start our short tour of Peru, Equador and the Galapagos.
After a very short night in the most lavish hotel I had, at the time, ever stayed in - the bathroom was marble, with three showers and bigger than my bedroom - we were served breakfast in our room and whisked off to the airport for our onward flight to Cuzco. In sharp contracts to the hotel, the minibus was in a terrible state with exhaust fumes coming up into the cab through cracks in the floor. Fortunately it was a short journey and we could breath the outside air through the open window.
After a night, or part of one, in Lima we flew next day to Cuzco, high in the Andes. As our flight gained altitude it never quite managed to leave the ground far below and for parts of the flight we were flying lower than the surrounding peaks.