Tuesday 10th October 2006

DAY 6 - TUESDAY

TO OLLANTAYTAMBO, AGUAS CALIENTES and MACHU PICCHU

by bus and train

5.15am: Wake Up Call - view from my tent. It had been a colder night as I lost Fran my tent mate this last night to the hotel in Ollantaytambo due to altitude sickness.

The view inside!

A fond farewell to our trusty tent "B5"

Condors

Photographing Condors

Presentations to the guides, cooks, chemical loo attendant (he got the biggest cheer and tip), etc.

the horsemen

Jacqui singing 'Wild Mountain Thyme' to our Peruvian helpers

... lots of weeping going on at this point ...

... even 'hard man' Kelso was looking a bit emotional...

Lewis in his poncho!

Kelso and the guides

Kelso (Leader), Dr Marc, Sally (Skyline) and Simon (Assistant Leader)

Our leadership team with the exception of Charlotte (Skyline) who was in Ollantaytambo due to sickness

Mark (Assistant Leader), Graham (Dr), Kelso (Leader), Marc (Dr), Sally (Skyline) and Simon (Assistant Leader)

The view from the loo ............. and the loo!

The loos and the buses to take us to Machu Pichhu

our bags ready to be loaded on the bus roof to head back to Cusco

7.15am: Leaving camp for the last time

8am: Inca terracing on road from Patacancha to Ollantaytambo

8.40am: Coffee in main square of Ollantaytambo - Nina and Gary

9am: Getting onto the train to Machu Picchu

10.30am: Aguas Calientes station - town at the foot of Machu Picchu

The local marketplace

Note the man fixing the electric cables which we'd all had to duck underneath as they
were hanging low across our path. There was a power cut that evening for about 1/2 hour

First sighting of Machu Pichhu

Looking back down to Aguas Calientes

Dot

Val

12:30pm: 33 out of 48 trekkers were fundraising for the MS Trust

Tracey - fundraising for the Red Cross

Nicola, Jackie and Nina - fundraising for Mental Health

Cyra and Tony

Val

Jackie and Brenda

Roger, Wayne, Janet, Bill, Phil, Tony and Cyra - the Royal Marsden Fundraisers

A few of us walked up to the Inca Trail Sungate - the classic point of entry to Machu Picchu if doing the famous portion of thre Inca Trail - usually approached in the early hours to see the dawn rising.

An orchid?

This is the road up from the town we just took on the local bus

Nancie, Dot and Liz at the Sun Gate on the classic Inca Trail

Val at the Sungate. 2720m. 1.45pm.

Machu Picchu is a lot lower than where we had been trekking so warmer and lots of insects to bite us!

Val

Sue

Wiñay Wayna Orchid

Wiñay Wayna orchid

Coming back down the classic Inca Trail approaching the ruined gatehouse

Sacrificing Tony on the altar! (this is what happens if you aren't fundraising for the MS Trust)

Sue back in contact with the world!

The mountain at the back of the Inca ruins is Huayna Picchu. It's a near vertical climb to the top and only a few hundred people are allowed to do it per day. Kelso, Dr Marc, Mark, Ed, James and Lewis and Mags did it I think. Next time for me! This was while we were walking up to the Sun Gate. The others took tours of the ruins with Aussie and co.