Our Amazing Peruvian Adventure: A Prologue

Phil and I have been talking about going to Machu Picchu for at least 15 years. We never put a plan in motion to get there, it was always kind of a “we’ll do that one day and it will be cool but not right now” situation. It’s not that going to Peru is such a difficult thing or really even all that expensive, especially for a budget traveler, and Phil and I certainly know how to travel on a budget. The thing is, even early on in our in our traveling days, when we most certainly needed to travel on the cheap, we knew that Machu Picchu was a place we wanted a bit more freedom to loosen the purse strings.

Unless one chooses to hike the Inca Trail through the Sacred Valley (a four day trek of hiking and camping), train travel is the only way to reach Machu Picchu. On many travel shows discussing Peru and Machu Picchu over the years, we had seen segments on the Hiram Bingham, a luxury train with an old-world feel that transports travelers from Cusco to Machu Picchu, or more accurately Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu (formally known as the town of Machu Picchu). From the first time I saw Anthony Bourdain enjoying a mimosa on that train, I knew I wanted to take the Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu.

Our unspoken wish eventually became a spoken plan regarding a trip to Machu Picchu. We knew we wanted to do it at a point in life when we are near the height of our earning years, yet still able bodied enough to deal with the extreme elevation and the physical demands of trekking around the citadel and surrounding mountains. So, at ages 43 and 45, respectively, we made a plan to see this wonder of the world.

The plan began to come together (I love it when that happens) last year when Phil first told me about the Sanctuary Lodge, the hotel (and only hotel) that is located right beside Machu Picchu, the entrance gates literally like 50 feet from the hotel entrance! As such…the hotel is quite expensive. We started pondering, however, if staying one night might be worth it to have access to the citadel early in the morning and late in the afternoons when the other tourists have not yet made the bus trip or have caught the last one down to Aguas Calientes.

During this pondering, we discovered that Belmond, the folks who own the Sanctuary Lodge, also own the Hiram Bingham train. What’s more, they offer tour packages of Peru complete with guides and drivers and tickets and accommodations at their other hotels, which helps to even out the cost of the more expensive experiences (A night at the Sanctuary Lodge) in the package.

Phil and I don’t have kids, and we no longer own a home, so we figured we’d take all of the money we saved by not having to buy braces and soccer gear and putting on a new roof and put it on one heck of a vacation. And so we did, the first stop a flight from Raleigh to Miami.

Next up: Lima