Taking the Machu Picchu Express

Short on vacation time, the Brawny Sherpa and I opt for a quick trip to Peru. Sure, we’d love to languish in the countryside for a couple of weeks, learn all there is to learn in Lima, gain clarity with the ayahuasca, canoe the Amazon. Right now, there isn’t time. Our goal is Machu Picchu; we have exactly one day.

To pull this one off, we’ll need to get up early. After spending the night at the Inkallpa Valle Sagrado Hotel in Urubamba, we are up before dawn to catch Peru Rail from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. Sipping some coca tea while watching the wild water of the Urubamba just outside our window, I feel like a pioneer heading west on the transcontinental railroad.

This will be just the beginning of our journey back in time.

—Lori Tripoli

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Planning a trip to Machu Picchu? Consider these posts:

• Practical Picchu
• Long Weekend in Machu Picchu: Getting There
• To Peru in a Whirlwind