The Beautiful Machu Picchu:

I woke up at 6, and thought to myself in 3 hours I will be standing in front of this unimaginable place, one of the gorgeous wonders of the world. I got changed, and sprinted towards the big marvelous restaurant to eat breakfast. At the same time, I socialized with my friends and got ready to leave to the train station. I personally enjoyed everything about Machu Picchu because it was very unique and simply incredible how the Incas were able to build this sacred place in the top of the mountain like a secret temple. I highly recommend to visit Machu Picchu with friends in order to take a lot of pictures and selfies together and have a lot of fun at the same time. Also, it is better to go with a guide to learn more about this place because there are literally many facts that you did not expect to listen. In my case, I went with my entire grade and it was quite difficult to organize ourselves, like a bunch of monkeys in a new zoo. We were all excited to go ahead and visit Machu Picchu as a gigantic colorful group of 8th grade student.

We learned a lot specially on the animals in that area like the Llamas and Alpacas. One of the most important things we learned was that they both have many differences. First of all , the Llamas have a longer neck and legs and simultaneously show an elegant and upright posture. In return, the Alpacas are smaller and have small ears and at the same time like to be sometimes alone like a deer in the forest. This is one of the few facts that I learned on this trip. Despite all that, here are some useful facts and opinions that will help you on your marvelous trip.

In order to get to Machu Picchu, you need to first buy a train ticket from the Ollantaytambo station or the Poroy station. You can also do it in the airport, travel agencies, and online at perurail.com There are a lot of trains that you can choose from that differentiate in costs. There is the Vistadome, Expedition, Belmond Hiram Bingham, and the Andean Explorer. When you arrive to the train station and enter the train, it takes about two hours to arrive to Aguas Calientes station. Aguas Calientes is the city that is below Machu Picchu. When you arrive to the station, you need to go to the bus station (actually it is outside in the street passing through a big market) and get in a bus with your bus ticket (you can also buy the bus ticket in the airport and in travel agencies). It takes about 30 minutes from the bus station to Machu Picchu. When you finally arrive to Machu Picchu you can then, with or without a guide, climb up the stairs and enter this amazing place. After climbing up the stairs, you will be in the perfect place to take the classical photo of Machu Picchu.

There is nothing to buy up there, but down by the train station there is a big market. In the big market there are a lot of t shirts that can cost around 20 to 30 soles and hats that cost you around 30 to 80 soles. Also, there are a lot of souvenirs that can vary on price. There is a restaurant and a hotel before climbing up the stairs (where the bus drops you off). On your way to Machu Picchu either on the train or in the bus, you will see a lot of varieties of plants and crops. In the train you will see the big river which leads to Aguas Calientes, and in the bus you will see a lot of jungle plants since Machu Picchu is located in the High region of the peruvian amazon. You can also see if you are in the train the snow on the mountains that are far away. You have to be aware what time of the year you are traveling in because the best time to visit Cusco is from June to mid-September due to the dry season. It is really a unique experience and you will without a doubt enjoy all about it.