Machu Picchu... again.. :)

I have just been reading Troy's amazing blog posts and am just so looking forward to experience some of the stuff he has seen.

I also think it is probably prudent to have a refresher course for everyone following along on where everyone is, and how we got there.

1.  Troy and Tim (together) travelled from Colombia through Ecuador and Peru and arrive in Cusco, Peru at the beginning of April.

2.  In early April, I (Tim) flew back to Colombia to spend some more time with Vanessa.  Troy stayed in Cusco, Peru for a bit more, then began his trek south through Bolivia.  In Bolivia he hooked back up with Tutu, who we had met and travelled with in Ecuador.

3.  It's now the Middle of May, and I have flown back to Cusco, Peru from Colombia with Vanessa.  Troy is now in North Argentina and heading south.  

4.  Tim and Vanessa will be leaving Cusco, Peru to travel south toward Bolivia in the next few days, depending on repairs to my motorcycle.

Ok, everyone clear?

Now, back to the blog:

While still awaiting the part for my bike, we had nothing to do, but saying we are "stuck" in Cusco at the Loki Hostel is not really fair, as it is a ton of fun.

I knew taking Vanessa back to Machu Picchu would be on the list of things that we must do, and to be honest, it is such an amazing place, I have no problem going back.  However, I still had bad memories of the 5 hours bus/train ride back when Troy and I went, and was not looking forward to reliving that experience anytime soon.

But with it looking like we would be sitting here for at least a few days, I booked the tickets and surprised Vanessa.

I would like to comment at this point on what it is like to experience things with someone who has literally never traveled before.   Everyday, I have to stop and appreciate what Vanessa is going through.  To put it into perspective:

1.  She had never been out of Colombia.

2.  She has never had a passport.

2.  She has never been on a train

3.  She has never been in a hot spring (or had a hot bath before in her life)

4.  She has never experienced "cold" weather, being from the coast of Colombia, it is 30 degrees C there, all year round.

Taking her to Machu Picchu was the most magical thing she has ever seen or done.    It makes the experience all the more special when you see someone overcome their fears and uncertainty of the unknown, and truly wonder and marvel at the world.

It was amazing to experience that with her.

Look in the background at the fully circular rainbow.  It was there for about 2 minutes, then the clouds moved through and it was gone.

Vanessa on the top of Huayna Picchu.