Hola Amigos! Meeting our friends in Aguas Calientes (June 20, 2006)

We were very excited when we got up this morning because today is the day that we were meeting up with Jessica, Phillip and Kathleen, our friends from both Ottawa (Jess) and San Diego, California. They were arriving on the train from Cuzco at 10:15, so after breakfast we kept ourselves occupied by wandering around the handicraft market and buying some gifts for ourselves and other people. Finally, their train arrived (it was right on time, but we were excited) and hugs were shared all around. It is so strange when someone from back home comes to join you for part of an extended journey, like all of a sudden there is some familiarity in your life instead of every day being an unknown adventure. I felt this when Charlene came to meet up with me in Bangkok and Cambodia four years ago. It’s like a fun little vacation from your vacation.

We dropped their things off at the hostel, and went out for lunch before heading up to Machu Picchu. We didn’t get there until around 1:30, which was a good time to arrive because most of the tour groups were all leaving and the crowds were thinning out. We were really glad that we came back a second time, because there was much of the ruins that we had missed the day before, and also the light was better this afternoon for taking pictures and they turned out better than the day before. We stayed until the sun set, which wasn’t spectacular because there were too many clouds, but the lighting was good and the view was fantastic from up near the Watchman’s Tower. Lincoln and I decided that we wouldn’t come back again tomorrow morning for the summer solstice, just to see the shadow on the Andean cross. Jess, Phil & Kat were coming back for the sunrise and to climb Huaynupicchu, so they could take pictures for us. Even though we were able to get student prices for our tickets today, it was still pretty expensive when you add in the return bus ticket. We walked back down the stairs again today, and it was dark by the time we returned to Aguas Calientes. We were all hungry so we ate at almost the first place we stopped at that had a cheap tourist menu (which means we get an appetizer or soup, a main course, and a dessert for 8 or 9 soles). The meal wasn’t very good, but it was cheap and filled us up so it wasn’t so bad.