Cusco... the gateway to the Lost City of the Incas - Machu Picchu... was without a doubt our most inspirational city in Peru. This elevated archeological capital of the Americas centred around a spectatular Plaza de Armas built on the stone foundations of the Incas and from which branched many characteristic, cobblestone streets. Our early morning arrival brought us to some pre-booked accomodation
located at the top of a steep hill - Loki hostel... a restored building in which there were currently over 100 travellers (it reminded us of our university days seeing pyjama wearing cliques engaging in fry-ups with pints of beer... and admittedly it also made us feel old). It was easy to spend the rest of the day and the best part of the next losing ourselves within the twisting alleyways and absorbing the cultural mood. At 
the same time Preya weaved her Spanish magic with various locals in order to research and book our train journey to Machu Picchu for that next morning.We arose at 5.30am to catch our tourist crammed 4-hour train to Aguas Calientes (from where it was a short stop to Machu Picchu). The claustrophobic face-to-face seats on board required strategic positioning of 
our knees with our opposite, but meant that we were introduced to 2 very cool Florida Fellas - Fabian and Tim... we struck up some funny conversations with them for the remainder of the trip when the 4 of us weren´t flicking in and out of sleep. The train journey itself was initially quite an unusual one involving several switchbacks (optimal route)... when we eventually got going, we followed a rippled emerald green river against a 
backdrop of snowcapped mountains and rich green hills to our destination. Having pre-reserved some basic accommodation, we were greeted at the train station with a board held aloft bearing our names - impressive... the last time we had this treatment was on our honeymoon. Fabian and Tim decided to join us at our hostel and thereafter the 4 of us headed out for lunch. Coincidentally, we were all 
wearing black tops and Tim coined the phrase... ´The Black T-Shirt Club´- a new fraternity had been formed and we stood by our motto... ´once you go black, you never turn back´. The quaint village of Aguas Calientes was nestled within deep valleys giving it a real sense of isolation and a community feel... we continued to loiter around the few select plaza benches indulging in chocolate-rich cakes whilst getting to 
know each other better. After attempting to visit the hot springs (which turned out to be chlorinated roman baths), Preya impressed the Florida Fellas with her conversational haggling at the local market. And we completed a fun day drinking beer, pisco sour and dining at a quiet restaurant which we filled with tears of laughter.
our knees with our opposite, but meant that we were introduced to 2 very cool Florida Fellas - Fabian and Tim... we struck up some funny conversations with them for the remainder of the trip when the 4 of us weren´t flicking in and out of sleep. The train journey itself was initially quite an unusual one involving several switchbacks (optimal route)... when we eventually got going, we followed a rippled emerald green river against a 
backdrop of snowcapped mountains and rich green hills to our destination. Having pre-reserved some basic accommodation, we were greeted at the train station with a board held aloft bearing our names - impressive... the last time we had this treatment was on our honeymoon. Fabian and Tim decided to join us at our hostel and thereafter the 4 of us headed out for lunch. Coincidentally, we were all 
wearing black tops and Tim coined the phrase... ´The Black T-Shirt Club´- a new fraternity had been formed and we stood by our motto... ´once you go black, you never turn back´. The quaint village of Aguas Calientes was nestled within deep valleys giving it a real sense of isolation and a community feel... we continued to loiter around the few select plaza benches indulging in chocolate-rich cakes whilst getting to 
know each other better. After attempting to visit the hot springs (which turned out to be chlorinated roman baths), Preya impressed the Florida Fellas with her conversational haggling at the local market. And we completed a fun day drinking beer, pisco sour and dining at a quiet restaurant which we filled with tears of laughter.5.30am was once again the theme for the following 
morning when we had arranged to meet our guide and join the hoardes of gringos queuing for the bus to Machu Picchu. The narrow, steep winding road up the flanks of the valley was not for the feint-hearted and our lack of breakfast was fully justified. After assembling the group, our guide Adriel led us through the entrance and up the zig-zagging staircase to Funerary Rock where the ruins stretched out below us... for several minutes we 
stood wide-eyed and marvelled at the untouched citadel. As the sun rose above the surrounding valleys, it revealed the perfect postcard picture. Proceeding around the vast maze-like structure for 3 hours, Adriel explained the purpose of the different rooms, how the Incas carved their fire stonework and how they 
relied so immensely on the sun. When the tour came to an end, the time had come for the notorious ´Black T-Shirt Club´ to run riot around Machu Picchu... we lounged, lingered and explored for several more hours before closing the chapter on this world-famous lost city. Exhausted from our long days, we boarded our train back to Cusco in time for a final dinner with Fabian and Tim. As we continued to joke 
and reminisce about the previous 2 days, we were really glad that we had shared our experiences with the ´Black T-Shirt Club´.
morning when we had arranged to meet our guide and join the hoardes of gringos queuing for the bus to Machu Picchu. The narrow, steep winding road up the flanks of the valley was not for the feint-hearted and our lack of breakfast was fully justified. After assembling the group, our guide Adriel led us through the entrance and up the zig-zagging staircase to Funerary Rock where the ruins stretched out below us... for several minutes we 
stood wide-eyed and marvelled at the untouched citadel. As the sun rose above the surrounding valleys, it revealed the perfect postcard picture. Proceeding around the vast maze-like structure for 3 hours, Adriel explained the purpose of the different rooms, how the Incas carved their fire stonework and how they 
relied so immensely on the sun. When the tour came to an end, the time had come for the notorious ´Black T-Shirt Club´ to run riot around Machu Picchu... we lounged, lingered and explored for several more hours before closing the chapter on this world-famous lost city. Exhausted from our long days, we boarded our train back to Cusco in time for a final dinner with Fabian and Tim. As we continued to joke 
and reminisce about the previous 2 days, we were really glad that we had shared our experiences with the ´Black T-Shirt Club´. The following day marked our 3rd year wedding anniversary, and deservedly so, we checked ourselves into a plush hotel offering all the luxuries and most importantly a minibar. The next 2 days involved champagne, massages, fine dinners and plenty of bedtime stories. Next stop in Peru... Puno.
2 comments:
ahh congratualtions, great place and time in your life to be celebrating..3 yrs!
love nargis
x
Many, many congrats on your wedding anniversary - like everything else you guys do, you sure did it in style!
Machu Picchu looks amazing - so serene and beautiful. Can't wait to see all your photos.
Ravi.
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