We got up this morning, had breakfast and then headed back to Machu Picchu feeling refreshed and ready to explore again.

We all walked to the gate for the 2 hikes together. Ed, Nicole B, Katie and Maria decided to hike Wayna Picchu but I had had enough hiking and decided to hike Huchu’y Picchu – Machu Picchu’s greatest secret.

This twenty minute hike had a few challenging bits that were actually a lot of fun but was relatively easy. In the 2 hours that I sat up on this mountain, I only saw 7 people.  The view of Machu Picchu was amazing and it gave me a chance to be by myself for a bit, reflect on the previous weeks adventure, gather my thoughts on all that I have to be grateful for and just enjoyed the energy from the ruins and the views of the dramatic surroundings. It was by far one of the best decisions I have made on this trip.

So much fun to use the rope to climb up the rock!

The top of the mountain:

The amazing views of Machu Picchu from the top:

Views from the back of the mountain:

The view of Waynu Picchu:

The clouds started to come in and we had agreed to meet back at the gate at 12:30pm so I came down the mountain and enjoyed the views of Machu Picchu from the ground level.

This lone tree, standing by itself in the middle of the ruins was very symbolic for me. Initially I coulnd’t help but  think of all the interesting stories it would tell if it could talk. It also reminded me of the tree of life connecting the heavens and the underworld.

The gang had an amazing hike and were equally as excited about their adventure. It was a win win. We had a quick walk thru Machu Pichu on our way to catch the bus and stopped to do a few more yoga poses for the fun of it. Nicole has totally mastered the Birds of Paradise move! I struggled to stand on one leg to be honest.

We caught the bus back down to Aguas Calientes. It was one of the curviest roads I have ever been on and the drivers had some serious skills to go up and down this road at the speeds that they did. You can see the road we drove down in the picture below.


The train ride home was also amazing. The views were stunning and out of this world. Combined with the rocking of the train made for a perfect end to a perfect adventure.