As a child in grade school, Kathy read a National Geographic article about a magical place in Peru called Machu Picchu. The huge building stones were fit together so tightly and with such precision that earthquakes couldn’t level them, and you couldn’t slip so much as a piece of paper between them. Looking back, Kathy realized that might have been when she first got the travel bug. From then on, she knew one day she would see this place with her own eyes.

Fifty years later, Kathy and I did visit Machu Picchu and fulfilled Kathy’s dream. What is there to say about Machu Picchu that hasn’t already been said countless times? It truly is a magnificent site.

As we entered, we saw the citadel in all its glory. To me, it was like a scene from “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy and her friends first see the Emerald City in the distance, and they run toward the city excitedly. We didn’t run, but we were excited to see Machu Picchu.

In Lima, and in Cusco the capital of the Inca empire, we visited ten Inca sites and museums. We spent six weeks exploring these sites, but we saved the best for last. By the time we visited Machu Picchu, we had learned a lot about the Inca civilization.

We are not going to write about the history of Machu Picchu; instead, we want to share our experience and journey to Machu Picchu.

The Plan

Getting to Machu Picchu requires planning and coordination. The site is northwest of Cusco and because there are no roads leading directly to Machu Picchu, we had to have a plan for getting there. Our guide did the planning for us including coordinating the timing of transportation, buying train tickets, bus tickets, and tickets to Machu Picchu.

The plan consisted of a driver to drive us to the town of Ollantaytambo. From there, we planned to take a train to Aquas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu and, finally a bus up to the mountain to Machu Picchu. We planned to visit Machu Picchu on two different days; in the afternoon on the first day and the morning of the second day.

The Journey

A driver picked us up from our apartment on the morning of our trip. After a 90-minute drive, we arrived at the small town of Ollantaytambo. This is the last stop by car or bus because the road to Machu Picchu ends here. From this town, we boarded a train to Aquas Calientes. The train station in Ollantaytambo is very quaint and there are a few small restaurants, a nice plaza with outdoor seating and an indoor waiting area.

There are two train companies to Machu Picchu providing basic and gourmet service in which food and drinks are served. We chose the basic service.

Our train arrived at the station on time, but due to some problem with the locomotive, our departure was delayed two hours while waiting for the next train to arrive so the other locomotive could pull all the cars to Aquas Calientes. The train offered beautiful views of the narrow Urubamba river valley and some of the passages were through narrow tunnels. On both sides of the valley, mountains rose up over 19,000 feet and we could see other Inca sites along the way topped by snowcapped peaks.

After 90 minutes, we arrived at the final station of Aquas Calientes. The town consists mostly of hotels, hostels, and restaurants serving Machu Picchu tourists. There are no roads in or out of the town so there are no vehicles. We found this town to be small and quaint and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Cusco. The Urubamba river runs through the town and we wished that we had more time to explore the town and the hot springs (Aquas Calientes means “hot water”).

The Final Destination

From Aquas Calientes, some travelers take a 3- or 4-day hike on the Inca Trail to reach Machu Picchu and camp along the way. We decided to take the easy route which was a bus up the steep and winding road to reach Machu Picchu. We met our guide at the bus station and with bus tickets in hand, we hopped on the bus.

Because of the train delay, we did not arrive at Machu Picchu until 4 pm. At that time, there were very few tourists at the site and the setting sun on Machu Picchu was majestic. Although we had read about and seen photos of the site, there was nothing like seeing it with our own eyes. Photos just can’t capture the majesty of Machu Picchu.

We spent two hours with our guide who showed us the most important buildings and some of the less well-known areas of the citadel. The time flew by, but we knew we were coming back the next day.

The next morning, as we headed back up the mountain to see more of Machu Picchu, we really appreciated our guide’s recommendation that we visit the site over two days. Five thousand tourists visit Machu Picchu every day so there are long lines of people waiting for the buses, at the entrance and to enter the buildings.

As we walked around the site on the second day, it was so crowded that we waited in line as people posed for pictures with the citadel in the background. (There are websites on how to pose and what to wear for the best photos at Machu Picchu and some people struck pose after pose.) (Instagram annoyance.)

Nevertheless, our visit was amazing, and we were awestruck being up close and personal at this amazing site.

As noon approached the second day, it was time for us to head back to Cusco. We took the bus back down to the town and boarded the train back to Ollantaytambo.

The train ride gave us an opportunity to reflect on our visit to Machu Picchu. While in Ecuador, we thought, we are so close to Peru, we have to go there. During our stay in Peru, we thought, we are so close to Machu Picchu, we have to go. Machu Picchu is one of the seven modern wonders of the world so we couldn’t imagine not taking the opportunity to see it. Going to Machu Picchu is like a pilgrimage. We couldn’t see it from Cusco, but we knew it was out there, off in a distance and it was calling us.

There are hundreds of Inca sites in and around Cusco, but no other site is as big and complete as Machu Picchu. This site was not destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadores because, luckily for all of us, they never found it.

Now that we have visited Machu Picchu, our stay to Peru is complete and we are moving on to Mexico. We have been to many cities in Mexico but have never visited Guadalajara. We plan to stay in Guadalajara for 2-3 months and then return to the states for a month or so. If all goes according to plan, after visiting family and friends, we will hit the road again.