Exhausted!

Yes, we are all pretty much exhausted. I apologize for inviting people to follow and I have had very little time to sleep let alone blog.
Monday - we got to bed at 3:45AM and were picked up at 8AM and started on our first tour.
We went to the llama place, the Urubamba Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas to visit the fortress of Ollantaytambo. Before that we went to Pisac to buy handicrafts. We were supposed to haggle with the street vendors---John was frustrated that Erin & I didn't do that very well .... haggling part...we were good shoppers though. Erin, Lynn & Allison bought cool rings. Sorry, can't share what Alisha bought as she also got something for her sisters.

We ate lunch outside  at a place called Sol Luna. I felt like I was in Hawaii. Pear trees with pears you could eat, blooming flowers, bright green grass and delicious food!
I wish I could remember the name of the place we stayed..... I think it was Arawana Spa. The style was contemporary, Spanish, Inca & a Catholic design rolled into one! This is where John had cuy...guinea pig and Mike had alpaca.  On our way to this hotel I had second thoughts, we turned off of a highway and drove down a muddy, rocky road with cows, kids & families walking with huge loads on their back. We traveled this road which seemed like miles but it probably wasn't as you can't go very fast when you have to stop for cows, people & dogs. Anyway, it turned out to be a really cool place. We wish we could have been there for another day to take advantage of the spa...girls anyway....but as schedules prevailed, we were being picked up at 6:30AM so that we could catch the VistaDome train to the Machu Picchu area. This meant a 5:30 wake up call so we could have breakfast, pack & be on the bus.

Marisol is our guide. She is wonderful as all of them have been. It is so great to have a guide. We were running a little late and got in "train" traffic!" We jumped out of the bus and headed to the train so we wouldn't miss it. The train ride was 1.5 hours. Great views of the Urbamba river, the sky, and mountains. Now the HIKE!
Let's just say THANK GOD I didn't sign us up for the 4 day trek! Shirley, Mike says this was 10 times as long as the  Mist trail in Yosemite. The weather can be sunny one minute, sprinkling rain the next, and pretty much VERY humid with very high altitudes.

Mike provided some of the entertainment (thankfully we can laugh about it now). He slipped on one of the rocks and went down...rolling toward the edge. Thankfully, he is still with us. About 50 yards later, Marisol, our guide, pointed out where one of their guides had died during a mud slide as well as 2 other people. Mike later revealed he had seen a snake on the begining of the trip. Our guide said this was bad luck according to their gods. My spill was not as dramatic, a little slip on a wet rock and went down to my knees. The places we hiked today were called:
Chachabamba archaeological complex
Choquesuysuy Complex
Winaywayna
Intipunku or Sun Gate
One of the areas had 362 steps straight up!
Then we entered into Machu Picchu

Tomorrow we meet Marisol in the lobby at 5AM and head back to Machu Picchu
Can't remember the name of the climb but they only let a few hundred up a day....800+ rocky steps up!
We think we are going to try it!
Then off to Cusco!
Lynn