Andes
Cusco is located at about 11,000ft above sea level. One of the noticeable things when you arrive is that your ears do not pop when descending to land, this is because the air pressure is so low at this altitude.
On arrival we walked into the city center. We had to walk at half-pace and breath heavily because the air is so thin. Because of a flight delay getting there we had less time to aclimatise to the altitude before our walk to Machu Picchu: we were concerned.
The town is so different to the Amazon region. Different people, different driving style (much better!) and different dress.
After the 3 hour train journey from Cusco we arrived at the start of the Sacred Valley walk, kilometer 104. It's called km104 simply because its 104kms from Cusco and there is nothing more than a sign at the side of the track. We requested the train to stop so that we could get off. We were on the rather smart tourist train and no one else got off with us, everyone else was taking the train to Aguas Calientes to catch the bus to Machu Piccu. We look happy at this point and very excited!
A beautiful waterfall along the walk. I can't remember how far we were into the walk at this point, but I know we were allowing the guide as much time as he wanted to talk about things of interest and welcomed every opportunity to stop and listen.
After walking from about 9am we finally arrive at Machu Picchu at about 5pm. Here we are standing at the 'Sun gate' with the main buildings in the background. Just looking at pictures does not do justice to the steep mountains around you and incredible views. Arriving this late at the site means that almost everyone else had gone and its a great opportunity to take photo's.
This is the 2nd day when our guide was giving us a very informative tour that lasted about 3 hours.
On the day we were leaving Cusco we hired a taxi for the morning and visited the market at Piscu. The colors are so vibrant and people do still dress in this traditional style. The market is well worth visiting.