Saturday, February 14th - Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Yesterday we spent the day traveling by boat to Iquitos then by plane to Cusco, Peru - but Cusco was not our final destination. This morning we are going to take a 4-hour train ride to the small town of AGUAS CALIENTES. This ride will take us through beautiful scenic areas of Peru. Upon our arrival in Aguas Calientes, we will take a 30-minute train ride that goes through the Urubamba Valley (The Sacred Valley of the Incas) to the fabulous mountaintop ruins of MACHU PICCHU.
Located 120 km northwest of Cusco, the Inca city of Machu Picchu lay hidden from the world in dense jungle covered mountains until 1911. This 'Lost City' is one of the world's archaeological jewels and is one of South America's major travel destinations. Machu Picchu was never discovered by the Spaniards. For centuries it was buried in the jungle until Hiram Bingham "rediscovered" it in 1911. We will check into our hotel for a two night stay and spend the rest of the day exploring these ancient ruins. I'm particularly thrilled that we'll have two opportunities for Machu Picchu sunsets and two opportunities for Machu Picchu sunrises. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to see Machu Picchu in the mist. We've saved the best for last and I expect the next two days to be life changing. Read more about Machu Picchu. | 
