Peru, Day 3 -- Machu Picchu

Today was my last full day in Peru (Deepa, Vidhya, and Pooja are here for one more day), and it was spent visiting the famous Machu Picchu.

We set off at 6am on a train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, a small town at the foot of Machu Picchu. The train offered panoramic views, and the ride was absolutely gorgeous. This photo does not do justice to the views from the windows and ceiling of the train, but here it is anyway:


After we reached Aguas Calientes, we took a bus to Machu Picchu. We then climbed the mountain until we had postcard-like views of the incredible ruins. Here is a picture of me and Deepa in front of the ruins below:



After exploring the mountain and the ruins for a few hours, I took the bus and train back to Cusco, where I will spend the night. Tomorrow, I will head back to Ecuador, where I will spend one week taking Spanish classes at the beach. I will stay at the Alandaluz Hosteria. After two weeks of non-stop travel and sightseeing, I am really looking forward to relaxing on the beach and working on my Spanish!