Today I visited Machu Picchu – an ancient city once inhabited by approximately 800-1,000 Incas spanning three generations, but abandoned when the Spaniards were invading Cusco. Over time, the jungle covered the region and it was rediscovered in 1911 by a professor from Yale University.

To get to Machu Picchu, the tour picked me up at 6:30 AM, and we drove 20 minutes to the train station in Poroy. We passed women selling fruits and vegetables at the side of the road. And so much poverty. Stray dogs everywhere: in the middle of the street, sleeping at the side of the road, and diving into dumpsters for food.

From Poroy, I caught a Peru Rail “expedition” train to the town of Auguas Calientes. The “expedition” train meant that it had a lot of windows which allowed me to snap a lot of pics during the 3.5 hour ride (92 kilometers.) We passed farm after farm, sheep and cows tethered to the side of the road so they wouldnt go on the tracks, stray dogs, but everyone we passed had a smile on their face. Kids running around, women carrying a lot on their backs — sometimes a child all bundled up, and sometimes food. The topography changed over the 3.5 hour ride as we dropped 2K feet in elevation. It started off very dry and cold and a lot of red rock, to the jungle and eucalyptus plants.

Once the train arrived in Auguas Calientes, I met a guide who walked me through town to the bus stop. From there, the bus drove slowly up the side of the mountain on the dirt road. 20 minutes later, a couple from Belgium and I met our tour guide who brought us to the entrance of Machu Picchu — almost 5.5 hours after I had left the hotel!

But the trip was so worth it. A stunning view that words cannot describe. We had a two hour tour, of which I am not going to go into details here but have posted some pictures below. You can find a good overview of Machu Picchu here: http://wikitravel.org/en/Machu_Picchu

After the tour I had an hour to myself. I found a rock to sit on away from the tourists and enjoyed the view. Ate a boxed lunch that the tour provided which had enough food for three people. No food pictures today — too hard to juggle my water bottle, two jackets, my purse, and the huge take-away food bag without things blowing away.

As I sat there on the rock, I thought a lot about how lucky I am to have had this experience. I thought about missing Damian’s first soccer game and the four goals he scored. But I also thought about my family and friends who were so supportive of this adventure.

In my profession, an opportunity to travel is very rare, let alone travel to such a unique destination. I am blessed that so many encouraged me to take the leap, and for that I am eternally grateful.