Dream Chaser #1: Journey to Machu Picchu

One of my dreams is to visit all seven wonders of the world.  I have been to the Great Wall of China and Chitzen Itza so this summer when my wife gave my a choice to chose our vacation for our anniversary, I thought this would be a great chance to cross another dream off my list.  Intitially, we were going to go to see the Colosseum in Rome but at the last minute, we decided on Peru and Machu Picchu.  I am so happy we did!  This trip was truly a Dream Chaser Trip not to mention another affirmation as to why I love my wife!  There was so much planning involved and I am not a planner, I'm a doer.  My wife however is a planner.  She makes plans on top of plans and corrects plans when others fail.  There is no way I could have done this alone as is true with most dreams, you need a team.

We arrived in Lima, Peru late Sunday night and took a cab to the Hilton.  The hotel room was nice and spacious but after traveling all day, we showered and went to sleep.  The next morning, we ventured out into Peru and had lunch.  I always like to see how another culture is and to my surprise, Lima was very modern with a mix of very old buildings.  The most noticeable thing was the heavy police presence.  After a few hours downtown, we went back to the hotel and found out the company that was supposed to take us to Machu Picchu canceled on us because there were no more tickets.  I had a moment of doubt but that is when "Super Wife Planner" kicked in.  She jumped on the net and started researching every possible way to get to Machu Picchu.  I wasn't worried at all.  I knew we would get there.  Long story short, all we could do is get some train tickets to assure we go to the town below Machu Picchu but no guarantee we could get in.  No worries.  We enjoyed our night in Lima and prepared to fly to Cusco, Peru in the morning. 

The next morning early, we flew out to Cusco and than drove an hour to Urubamba, Peru.  Where we stayed at the Tambo del Inka Resort and Spa.  After another long day of traveling, we relaxed and had a wonderful dinner.  By the way, did you know that Guinea pigs are a delicacy in Peru?  We also planned a couple excursions and a massage for the next day Wednesday.  The next morning after breakfast, we headed over to "Hike with Llamas".  Our guide Carla explained how the Llamas were very shy and how our walk would be a pleasant stroll for a couple hours while she shared information about the history and culture of Peru.  The stroll was up a mountain!  Carla told us it was a level one walk but trust me, if you are not mountain ready like me, it was a level 10!  Still the information shared and time walking and talking was great!  While we walked Carla shared that she and her boyfriend also owned a restaurant, ATV business and horseback riding if we were interested.  We decided to go ATV as it is a tradition with my wife and I when we go away but first an afternoon siesta.  After a little rest, we were picked up and driven to the hotel where we met Giovanni.  I loved the energy of Giovanni!  Great guy!  If you ever visit Urubamba, Peru make sure you see Giovanni and Carla.  Giovanni took us on a two and a half hour ATV ride through the city, up mountains and to a glacier.  What a great time!  When we got back to the restaurant it was time for us to get back to the resort for our massages.  We had a hot stone massage after dinner in our rooms and a hot shower.  One piece of advice if you ever get the hot stone massage, don't go with the hard option.  Go with medium!  Trust me.

The next morning, we were up again for our Journey to Machu Picchu.  No tickets but faith.  By the way we had to be back to Cusco by 7pm to catch our plane back to Lima.  We took the train to the town below Machu Picchu.  We got the tickets to Machu Picchu for the next day (what?!).  We took the bus to Machu Picchu up the mountain.  We got to the gate and..we got in! 

Machu Picchu was AMAZING!  WOW!  WOW!  WOW!  Words, pictures and video can't describe.  You must go!  We walked around in amazement of everything for a little over an hour.  To be honest, we could have spent an entire day there.  There is so much more to see but we had a train to catch, to a car for a hour and a half ride to a plane back to Lima.  At the end of the day, we made it back and I'm ready for the next adventure.  Moral of the story, NEVER STOP DREAMING!  Check out the pictures and videos below: