Day 14- July 9th

Allinchu cashiankichis? (Hello, how are you? in Quechua) Yesterday, we woke up around 5 in the morning to catch the early train to Aquas Calientes. Allie and I took moto-taxi through the perilous streets of Ollantaytambo to the train station.  We went on the Inca Rail through the mountains, into the vast unknown of the Peruvian jungles. You could see the clouds enveloping the mountains and even some of the snow-capped peaks. When we got the Aquas Calientes station, we met our guide, Beto, and took a bus up to Machu Picchu. The bus ride felt more treacherous than the taxi ride! There was no railing, and it was a one way street.  After we finally reached safety at the entrance of the site, we quickly passed through the gates and entered Machu Picchu. Our guide took us on an extensive tour of the complex and told much about the history of this mystical place. He explained how a fellow Grotonian parent, for which our boathouse is named after, was the first one to document and name Machu Picchu. There are 18 different kinds of architecture, some finer than others, depending on their religious importance. Also there are LLAMAS!! They even posed for a couple selfies. There were pretty white flowers in one part of the complex… but don’t let their beauty fool you; if you get too close you will start to hallucinate. After the guided tour, we took a group picture on the famous ledge where all those picturesque Machu Picchu pictures are taken.

Then we had the option of hiking the Incan Bridge or the Sun Gate. While most of us opted for the easier Incan Bridge, a few of us with adventurous hearts decided to climb the harder and longer hike to the Sun Gate. We had to stop a couple times to catch our breath because of the thin air. When we got up there, it was well worth it. The views were spectacular. You could see everything from up there! After we were done, we met back at the entrance and took the treacherous bus ride back down. We ate lunch at a hotel buffet in Aquas Calientes. I’m never taking cheesecake for granted again! After lunch, we went upstairs to watch the Argentina-Holland game. Those penalty kicks were one of the most stressful moments of my life! In the end, Argentina won, and I can’t wait to watch Argentina win the World Cup in Lima on Sunday, though I wish Brazil had won and that would have been an even better final to remember. After the game, we got on the train back to Ollantaytambo. When we stepped off the train, we all walked back to our respective homes. I went straight to sleep because I was so tired. I can’t wait for our soccer rematch today against the Lakeside kids!
-Malik