Check that off the ol' bucket list

Once we arrived in Aguas Calientes, we made our way to our hostel (which was really close to the train station). We asked someone there if we could hail a cab, and, they were sweet and didn't laugh at us. This is, of course, before we discovered that there are no cars in Aguas Calientes since it's so hilly and mountainous (although there are a few service vehicles in town).

We checked into our hostel, which was decent, but lacking in hot water. Thankfully, I spent a month living without hot water when I went to Guatemala. I've become an expert at the hokey pokey shower (that's where you put one limb in at a time). A little video from where we stayed:


Then we decided to hit the town, get some food, and relax. Oh yeah, and take some pictures.

A kid who lived nearby and insisted on being in the picture with Keith. After I snapped the photo, he promptly reviewed it, determined he looked good, and then attempted to try to teach me how to use my phone. He probably knew more about my iPhone at 4 than I ever will.

The next day, we set the alarm for something ridiculous like 4 am, so we could be first in line to get to Machu Picchu. Little did we know, everyone else seemed to do the same thing so there was a quite a line.

But, when we arrived, I was absolutely blown away! Words (nor my crappy cell phone pictures) cannot remotely do it justice. I was in awe the entire time. It was truly, truly amazing! I've wanted to see Machu Picchu for so long, and I think my jaw was open the entire time.

At the entrance, Keith and I quickly met up with a British woman, named Julie, who we split a tour with (since you can get your own private tour at Machu Picchu). We shared laughs and astonishment, and we joined her for lunch before leaving back to Cusco on the train.

Anyway, here are the pictures (be warmed, there are far too many of me shamelessly posing):

With our new friend, Julie.

The fog and clouds rolled in and out all day, and they were breathtaking.