On most tours of Peru, seeing Machu Picchu is a one-and-done experience.  You get one opportunity, so you better hope the weather is good that day.  Our Overseas Adventure Travel tour had us scheduled for the afternoon with the opportunity to return early the following morning to see the ruins in different light conditions with far less tourists.  There was the hope, too, that if the weather was bad during the afternoon visit, it would be better (or at least different) the next morning.

Well, we hit back-to-back grand slams!  What a gorgeous morning!  Exploring one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in uncrowded conditions under sunny, blue skies was magical!

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Following our steep, switch-back drive down the mountain from the ruins, we enjoyed a delicious lunch together before exploring the town of Machupicchu (aka Aguas Calientes).  Situated on the Urubamba River (aka Vilcanota River), the town is just 3.7 miles from the ruins of Machu Picchu, so it is a busy tourist destination.  I thought it had a great vibe, though.  Sure, there are tons of restaurants and shops to serve the tourists, but it is beautiful in some respects, too.  Surrounded by lush, tropical mountains, the town is hilly, and the river runs right through it. 

This was the view from our hotel room window. We left the windows open to enjoy the relaxing sound of the water:

Our lunch at a local restaurant was beautifully presented and delicious!

There are also amazing stone sculptures scattered throughout the town, and Raul took us on a walking tour to see them.  These are only some of the many we saw:

Raul also took us to see the cemetery, which was quite different than what we normally would see in the U.S.A.  There were high walls of cubicles with a casket in each one.  Family members decorate the front of the cubicle with the favorite things of their deceased loved one.  While we were there, parents were decorating the cubicle of their deceased daughter in memory of her birthday.  They were arranging beautiful flowers, and they stopped to talk with Raul and our group.  Their daughter had died in her sleep at the age of 22, and they never learned why it happened.  There was no hospital in the town and an autopsy was never done.  It was very sad, but we were grateful they shared their story with us.

Coming up next: PERU #12: COLONIAL CUSCO