Bug Bites and Train Rides!

Before I start off on this little blog, I have acquired over 900 pictures on this trip, and there are a couple of folks who probably want to see more of them so i put them all online!!!
http://www.modmasters.net/southamerica



Agues Calientes is at the bottom of Machu Piccu, we took the train from Cusco, a 5 hour ride which is a good view,but a little cramped.
We arrived and got in our hostel it was a little smelly but the town was cute and 100% geared for tourists. You have to purchase you Machu Piccu ticket then you have to get a your bus ticket, there is a fleet of 20 buses that just go nonstop from the town up to Machu Piccu and back in a circle all day.

Well we rested up that night and got up at 4:45 am to catch the first 5:30 am bus because we wanted to see the sunrise. Well, , , when we got up there its was completely covered in fog and mist, but it was cool ! We found llamas roaming freely (llama's in the mist!!!) and petted them, and then it cleared up and BAM!!! What a sight to behold. I usually take a month to drain my camera battery, we drained it (it was freshly charged) that day I tell you, the pictures are endless; hence the new website I put a BUNCH of them up on. We spent about 10 hours trekking the ruins.

At one point Maggie and I laid down and fell asleep when we awoke there was a bunch of these weird vines that had covered our legs!! Here is the pic:

JUST KIDDING!!! I made the mistake of taking my pant legs off for about an hour (MAX). I was eaten ALIVE, Maggie said, "Lane, look at your legs!" It had no less then 20 of these sand flies thingies eagerly feeding off of my virgin white legs. They sure like us Seattle boys!!!!!!

Well it does look bad but they don't itch near as much as it looks, Maggie packed some benedryl so everything is gonna be ok. I have been used to Cusco which is in the high dessert, there are virtually no bugs, so I was unprepared for Machu Piccu (my bad).

We are headed into the amazon rain forest in the couple of days but FEAR NOT!! I have 100% DEET on standby for those little biting bastards!!!!!

Well we are back in Cusco now and planning out the rest of our trip. We are gonna go shoot down some rapids (Urubamba river) with a tour, one day, and then we are off to the amazon rainforest for a 4 day adventure with Eco Amazonia and then its back to Cusco, then off to Puno on Lake Titicaca, then off to La Paz, Bolivia then down to Argentia (if we don't run out of time) then fly back to Lima to head home....

until then, Chow!