Machu Picchu

I got up early for Machu Picchu.



The first buses start at 5 am, and the line starts forming before 4. By 4:30, the line went most the length of town. The early mornings are reflected in the breakfast hours at the hostel:



After an hour or so in line, I got on a bus for Machu Picchu. Here, there was another massive crush of people, and another long wait, but I finally got in.








I took LOTS of photos today.











Here, the Incan Bridge, reachable only by a narrow ledge along the cliff face.



The bridge itself was inexplicably closed to the public.



Steep paths along the edges of sheer cliffs were a theme here.







This was the hike to the mountain above Machu Picchu, only open for a few hours each day. It's not totally apparent from this shot, but there are cliffs on both sides of this path:





Along the way back, I saw a girl, hiking as part of a group, who seemed nervous about the nearby cliff, and I warned her that the hike gets worse. Just after passing her, I looked back and saw her going into a full-blown panic attack, panting and cowering against the wall, and shrieking when her friend tried to remove her backpack to help her. They reassured her, "Come on, you can do it, come on, we're almost there."

Me: "Um." Pause. "Actually... you might want to consider turning back here."

Girl:"It gets worse?"

Me: "Much, MUCH, worse."

(It did - she was on one of the easier sections, with longer, steeper, narrower stairs and sheerer cliffs coming up. A guy died here recently after taking a selfie while jumping in the air, at the edge of one of the cliffs).

She very wisely decided to turn back, and I walked back with her. There are times when you need to know your limitations.









I walked back to town instead of taking the bus, then stopped briefly at the hot springs before taking the train back to Cusco.





The train featured a dancing beast-clown.



For some reason.