So, at 4am I headed to EZE the international airport in Buenos Aires. We boarded the plane at like 7 and after 5 hours, we landed in Lima, Peru. From that airport, we headed onto another plane for Cusco, the biggest city near Machu Picchu. We got to Machu Picchu at about three in the afternoon and we knew that there were ruins around Cusco, and we wanted to see them before heading to Agua Calientes and Machu Picchu the next day. That afternoon, I saw the ruins at Sacsayhuaman, an Incan town almost five hundred years ago. Seeing the ruins were amazing and our tour guide explained about a lot of the symbolism that was involved with all of the ruins. That night, we headed to a restaurant and got pizza for the night.
The next day, after another early wake-up, we headed for the train to take us to Agua Calientes. Although it was cold and early, the train ride took us through the beautiful mountains of Peru in about three hours. That day, we focused on getting tickets for the bus and for Machu Picchu in the town of Agua Calientes. But that afteroon, as I was walking on a trail around the city, my camera broke. I thought it was done for good, so I ran out and grabbed a disposable one for the next day.
The next day, at 530am, we headed out to the bus station that took us up to the top of the mountain of Machu Picchu. After twenty minutes, we arrived at Machu Picchu. Getting there early was awesome and we were able to see the sunrise from Machu Picchu. Then we spent the day at Machu Picchu, learning all about the ruins, including the clock, Intihuatana, which is one of the great relics of the Incan civilization. A few years ago, the clock was damaged by a crane. There were also tons of terraces that were devoted to agriculture and cultivation of both animals and plants. The history of Machu Picchu is still much of a history as its location was perfect as a way to hide the town from the rest of the world. 
That afternoon, we climbed the Mountain Putucusi which was a ladder on the other side of Agua Calientes with a great view of Machu Picchu. The hike was pretty treacherous, as there were about ten vertical ladders that we needed to climb to reach the summit. The view was really worth it though and after four hours on the mountain to go up and down, I was pretty proud of what I had accomplished.
The next day, we spent most of the day in the city, visiting the fairs and the local shops. We headed back on the train to Cusco at 500 that day. It was supposed to only be three hours, but it broke down, so it took us five hours to get back. Once we got to Cusco, we headed back to the hostel for the night, as our flight back was really early in the morning. We headed back and arrived in Buenos Aires with no problems at 8pm that night. It was a great weekend and I'm really glad I was able to get to Peru during my time here.
This past week has been good too. I did really well on the midterm I got back. And last night, I went out for dinner and drinks with one of my friends from the university here. It was great to hang out with someone from Buenos Aires out of the classroom.
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