Machu Picchu

because of our lack of planning and spontaneous attitude, we didnt buy tickets for machu picchu (mp) or bus to mp in advance. we woke up at 415am and headed down to bus stop to get in line. if u arrive at mp early u can get tickets to waynu picchu, a mountain next to mp with great views. but they only give out a limited amount of tickets, hence the early arrival. when we got to bus stop everyone else had all their tickets. so i waited in bus line, while girls waited for bus ticket and mp ticket station to open, 3 different lines. a little stressful, but all worked out well and we were one of the first people to mp! unfortunately it was super super foggy and rainy when we got there, so was a bit hard to see. but once fog lifted a little, the magic of mp appeared. me and katelyn had lost the girls (a recurring theme for the day between them and us...spent a bit of time on my own, but actually enjoyed it more. was nice to be exploring mp on my own). we decided to hike to sun gate, although didn't realize it was an hour hike up the moutain. unfortunately it was still foggy and couldn't see mp, although from the gate u should be able to view all of mp. oh well. had a nice hike.

missed getting a tour guide, so kind of just wondered around the site. a little bummed about that since i would have liked to understand more about what i was looking at, but was still amazing and nicole filled me in the next day on some of the things they learned! plus, joined tour groups to listen in whenever possible.

found girls just in time for hike up waynu picchu. fog just starting to lift, so views were great. let me just tell u that this was the hardest hike i've ever done, not that i am that hard core, but if u notice how far away from mp we are in the photos, i hiked it! My legs were super shaky on the way down...

many more photos to share of mp and whole trip. while i'm relaxing on beach in florida on next leg of my trip, i'll post photos on fb and/or create an album to send out with commentary.