"Ruins and stories to match" a Machu Picchu Travel Page by Zirpsis

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Typical view at the ruins

Machu Picchu

This was an unforgettable trip even though we did not climb the traditional Inca Trail but took a train from Cusco to the foot and then bus to the top of the mountain. What a marvelous place to visit! I did not know that the ruins cover such a large area, actually a town. They used to cultivate the steep hill sides as you can see in the picture. What is funny is that you always hear a different story, in other words, the explanations of what's what vary from one guide to another. They are obviously just stories to please the tourists because nobody knows why the town was abandoned and what really went on in there in its prime. So, you can believe what you want but, nevertheless, the place is incredibly beautiful!

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Train line at the Altiplano of Peru

Train from Puno to Cusco

This was a train experience I'll never forget. The Inca Express train was slow and the trip took all day. The train track went very high in the mountains and I think the highest point was about 4,000 meters. The mountain slopes were steep and sometimes scary. There were always a lot of people trying to sell us stuff (from water bottles to furry hats) at each stop. Then we started to wonder why we always saw the same faces over and over again and realized they were traveling with us in the last carriage and jumped out at each stop to make some money out of us. Not everybody of the locals like tourists as a rock was thrown through a train window and landed in our feet when the train was finally approaching Cusco. Fortunately, nobody got hurt. I'm not sure if the trains are recommended for tourists anymore, or if they run at all, for that matter.