Bidding horses, mules, cooks and wranglers goodby, we cross the roaring Urubamba River on the new government suspension bridge in time to catch the morning narrow gauge train heading down valley. An interesting hour of click, clack and sway with all of the accompanying sounds and smells of rural Peru takes us to our final destination, Machu Picchu. The day is unstructured as arrival by the notoriously late train is never certain. We plan to visit Machu Picchu early the next morning before the Cusco tourist trains disgorge their camera carrying hoards. Assuming early arrival, options are rest and recharge, organize a cloud forest hike to a waterfall and hidden swimming pool, or enjoy the town and nearby hot springs.
Dinner is pizza and beer at a local night spot.
Some of us may opt for after dinner pisco sours and dancing at the place on the hill. The famous lost city of the Inca is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth. Situated on the spine of a jungle cloaked granite peak towering some 2,000 ft. above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced through by the powerful equatorial sun. Constructed from precisely sculptured granite blocks carefully joined with the projecting exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the new world. The morning is yours to explore and photograph.