Cusco is a fascinating city because much of the architecture is original Incan stone. Also there are tons of cultural markets where they sell Alpaca clothing. Alpaca is a huge industry in Cusco and alpaca fiber makes very nice clothing. It is warmer than wool although you don't sweat. Alpaca's are similar to llamas. You can also bargain for cheaper prices, which I think is very enjoyable. Cusco also has delicious food. They sell guinea pig, which is considered a delicacy to eat, although I didn't have a chance to try it. One day we did some touristy stuff and went to see an Incan agricultural area and some salt mines.
Finally the night before we went to Machu Picchu we met our guide Saul (pronounced S-a-oo-l) and he gave us a briefing of what we were going to be doing. The next morning we got up at 5am and headed out in a bus to Machu Picchu. When we got there we learned that we were going to have to hike an extra 4k because the regular road was closed for construction. The first day was relatively easy and we didn't have much difficulty. Lunch was an awesome 3 course meal complete with table and all. Afterwards they let us have a half our nap before continuing. It really was glamping (glamorous camping). When we reached our campsite for the night we passed out. We got to sleep on a pad, air matress, and sleeping bag, so it wasn't uncomfortable at all. The second day was definitly the hardest and we hiked over 13,500ft. We skipped lunch so that we could keep going but it was really difficult. Almost all of it was uphill, and the summit was amazing as it was above the clouds and almost half way done with our journey. It was also the highest I've ever been and it was enjoyable to have a half hour break and eat beef jerky. By the end of the day my legs were practically dead. Day three was easy and awesome until dinner. We hiked through a cloud forest and had the coolest campsite ever.
Sadly that night we all got very sick, a combination of food poisoning and altitude sickness. I threw up 15 times in three hours and by morning I still wasn't better. The fourth day we all had to stumble down a slippery mountain slope for three hours with practically no strength left before we made it to Machu Picchu. My first glimpse as I passed through the Sungate was amazing as we were actually higher than Machu Picchu and we had to hike down to get to it.
Instead of staying to explore, we took the bus to the bottom where we then walked to the hostel that we were staying in. We took a hot shower, had some awesome pizza and then went to bed. The next morning we took a bus back up to Machu Picchu where we had our formal tour. No one actually knows how or why Machu Picchu was built, and what we see today is actually thirty percent restored after the original strutcture collapsed in places. I learned that Yale University has many artifacts from Hiram Bingham's expedition, despite a deal that they made with the Peruvian government, and they won't give any of them back.