A picture from our hotel balcony showing the train entering Machu Picchu city from the jungles further eastward. After settling into our hotel, we walk through the city to a lovely French-Peruvian restaurant in town. It looks like a chalet in Switzerland, and the food is outstanding!

After lunch, we get on the bus for the ride to the base of the ruins. It is a scary ride, with hairpin turns, narrow roads slippery with mud, and the constant threat you'll meet another bus coming downhill and will have to get around each other on the tight slopes. Here we walk into the first part of the ruins. The full extent of the ruins are still hidden from us behind walls.

Finally, we enter a narrow opening on our way to the grand view of the whole ruins...there is great anticipation. This is not an original entrance. Machu Picchu originally had only one well-guarded entrance. This entrance was opened up to accommodate tourism.

Our anticipation mounts as we round the corner of the narrow opening and begin to see the view on the other side.

Finally, Machu Picchu is there before us, exactly like we've all seen it in countless travel pictures and books! It takes our breath away!