So we woke up nice and early for our hike up to Machu Pichu.  Both Edwin and I agreed that, unless you are unwell, you can´t just take a bus up to Machu Pichu.  Since we didn´t walk the inca trail, since it was closed, we had to earn our way up there somehow.  The guide books said you could walk up and that it was a ¨heartbreakingly steep 2 km hike up hill¨ Sounds good right?  Heartbreaking has to mean heartbreakingly beautiful, right?

So we met Darren and he was up for the hike too.  This wasn´t good for us because he is very fit, but he had a cold so it brought him a bit closer to our general level of fitness.  We took off and walked down the dirt road along the Rio Urubamba.  This river was insane.  It was huge and bright brown and running like wild.  It scared me.  I am a wimp.  It was an easy downhill walk to the bridge, we showed our passes and then walked across the river over a crickety bridge.  Then we started up the mountain.  In the beginning, I said ¨I am really glad we are doing this¨and Darren said ¨Wait until you get to the top¨.  Well he was right.

Holy shit.  Holy high steep steps.  2 km STRAIGHT UP the mountain.  It was beautiful, about 8 am when we started up and we did it in about an hour, but it was killer.  We walked slowly, but even slowly, it was insane.  Machu Pichu is also kind of jungly.  Lots of heavy foliage and humidity and running springs.  We were sweating so much that we had to put our heads in one of the streams.  It was both funny and painful at the same time.  Darren and our pride kept us moving.  But damn.  It was hard.  I was at the head of the group for the very end and pulled up into the bus stop staggering.  There were two funny American ladies as we pulled up and they said ¨Hiiiii! Well, my oh my, did you all walk up!!! What?  You young people.  In our day we never thought of doing these kinds of things, of traveling like ya´ll do!¨and then darren said ¨well in your generation they didn´t really have planes like they do now.¨ I´m sure what he meant was that it wasn´t as easy to fly around, but it came out this way and the ladies shrieked! ¨Why honey, we aren´t that old!!! How old do you think we are?¨

It was hilarious. Totally hilarious.  Darren went into the mountain and Edwin and I rehydrated with the best refreshments we´ve ever had.  I realized that I had sweat so much that there was no way I could walk around all day in the tunic thing I had on.  So I had to take it off.  And walk around with my bra on and jacket all day.  I think while de-robing, I scandalized an elderly tour group, but at that point I didn´t care.