Train ride throught Urubamba Gorge - Explore Machu Picchu.

Another amazing day… as in we went to the Seminario Ceramic Studio in Urubamba and saw the work of Pablo Seminario and Marilu Behar. They use techniques and designs originating from ancient Peruvian cultures. Very cool stuff to look at and… photograph. Prices in the gallery were reasonable (being at the source and all), and would probably have been much more expensive at galleries in the states, but… again, we will always appreciate the quality of their work in photos.

From Urubamba, we took the bus to Ollantaytambo and spent about a half hour walking about checking out the local sights. Then we caught the train to Aguas Caliente, a trip of about two hours through the gorge next to the Urabamba River. Then we took a bus up a switch-back road to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, one of the highlights of the tour that Peggy and I, and other members of the our tour group, were looking forward to. We had been told to prepare for any weather possibility: hot, cold, rain, and mosquitos. So we had our rain coats and hats, ponchos, sun block, and mosquito repellent. Well, the Inca gods provided us with perfect weather. It was overcast, but no rain. Was bit by mosquitos only three times. Couldn't have asked for a better photo op day at one of the most amazing places and examples of human ingenuity anywhere on the planet. And with Freddy's knowledge and passion for its history along for the experience, yeah, it was perfect.

A group of us decided to walk back from the entrance to the national park instead of taking the bus route back, a distance of about 3 miles back to our hotel. The bus route is longer; the hike route is shorter, but requires navigation and perseverance down steep, granite steps. Kudos to Peggy, Sarah, Cindy, Rick, Vic, and… and Richard, Freddie's assistant guide, for making the two thousand foot descent a success…

And making it back in time for dinner with the rest of the tour group, despite a temporary power outage and innovative, ambient lighting techniques with our iPhones… as I said, another amazing day.