Read the rest of our Peru adventure here
Day 4
All aboard, Penny Pressers! For this ride of the trip, we hopped on the luxury Hiram Bingham train for the ride of a lifetime to Machu Picchu. This enchanting voyage took us through the Andes Mountains into the heart of the Inca empire, all while riding on a 1920s, Pullman-style carriage. Not only were we wowed by its Gatsby charm, but we felt like the main characters of Wes Anderson’s next big hit. Murder on the Orient Express…minus the murder?
This experience could not have been farther from the Amtrak. The brass and wood-paneled interiors, decadent drinks, and back deck looking out at the highland jungle fading into the distance behind us all added to the dreamy experience. It’ll be awhile before any road trip tops this one.
Since the food was a bit fancy for our tastes (read: five tiny pieces of rabbit gnocchi that looked more artistic than edible), we expected the “live music car” we were promised to be equally stuffy. We were delighted to find our expectations crushed. While a live band performed lively Peruvian music, tipsy riders formed conga lines, shook maracas, and sipped on cocktails at the bar.
After three hours of winding through the lush mountains, we finally made it to the foot of 1/7 of the world’s wonders. After a quick (depending on who you ask) hike up the side, we emerged with our breaths taken, both by the uphill trek and the view itself. Our experiences at other global tourist hotspots warned us we’d be let down by the site in person – but the view of Machu Picchu was almost spiritual. Pictures could not bring justice to the overwhelming sense of beauty, history, and connection we felt (though our sisterly bickering up the hill may have punctured that feeling).
Surrounded by Pandora-esque mountains and bathed in sunlight, the spot could be a movie set even without a 15th century Inca citadel atop it. But that’s what we came for, and we weren’t going to leave without letting the “Lost City of the Incas” tell its story. We spent most of the day touring the grounds with our guide, who pointed out royal chambers, schools, and even an astronomical observatory. Though seeing this mysterious icon of history up close was entertaining enough, he had plenty of anecdotes to add even more to the trip. We even learned the namesake for our train up, Hiram Bingham, was the man who “discovered” the site in 1911 – and went on to serve as the inspiration for Indiana Jones.
Winning the award for shortest commute anywhere ever, we exited Machu Picchu to the front steps of our hotel for English-style afternoon tea after a day of hiking (more or less). We stayed at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, which once served as a government research building at the foot of the Lost City. Nestled into the hillside, our rooms had french doors that opened out to a patio overlooking the tropical mountains.
That night, we stayed at the hotel for dinner (though we had no choice, seeing as we were in the only mark of modern civilization for miles). Ellie again showed off her adventurous eating – this time trying alpaca steak. It was much better than the guinea pig. And much less guilt-inducing since we never had pet alpacas. We tied off the night with a pisco tasting where we learned to make the country’s national drink, pisco sours. By the end of the night, we had “tasted” enough to be ready for bed.
Day 5
It was on this patio oasis that we spent most of our fifth day. Since our train back to Cusco didn’t leave until the evening, we had planned to make a trip back into Machu Picchu for another glimpse at the view. Our plans were foiled by a thick layer of fog all morning, which turned out to be a gift. We ended up using the surprise downtime to laze about on the porch oasis. We explored the hotel’s mini jungle backyard, then spent the rest of the day reading and sipping lemonade on lawn chairs overlooking the vista.
This day was also Ellie’s 23rd birthday – so a lazy day in paradise felt appropriate. The train back was even more fitting: since it was an evening ride this time, the bar car was extra turnt. Many of our traveling companions had stayed at the hotel with us the night before, so we’d picked up quite the cohort of friends – a group of women from Ecuador who’d just hiked the Inca Trail, a stylish couple from Miami who worked in event planning, and others. Together, we belted karaoke to the guitarist’s rendition of “Sweet Caroline” and transformed the train into the Studio 54 Express. It could not have been a more serendipitous and jolly way to wrap up our most scenic leg of the trip.
After one more night at the Monastery Hotel in Cusco and a few glasses of muña tea, we lulled ourselves into a slumber before the next day’s journey to our final stop, Lima.
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