Tuesday, April, 26, 2011
The Sun Gate is located 2,600 meters above sea level on the south east flank of Machu Picchu mountain. The grade was about 45 degrees with some large rocks to climb up. The views were spectacular. We could see the road we came up with all the switch backs. We could also see Aguas Calientes as well as Machu Picchu. Along the way, we saw beautiful flowers, butterflies, some poisonous spiders as well as a centipede like you never saw before. He was about 6 inches long and 1/4 inch round and was all black with red feet. There was also a llama on our path. In contrast, Troy’s hike was a vertical climb up to about 2,540 meters.
After the hike, we had another fantastic lunch. Peruvian’s know how to cook, they have over 300 varieties of potatoes and the few we have tried are very tasty. They also serve several starches with a meal so it is normal to have both rice and potatoes with a meal. After lunch and a brief rest, we went back into the park to see more of the sites.
Tomorrow is our last day here. We will do one more walk around the ruins and then head down for lunch. Then we will take the train to Ollantaytambo and then a car back to Cusco where we will spend the night.