The farthest point from home
5/9/2025, Machu Picchu, Peru
Whenever I travel, I am always aware that there is a single moment, in a single spot, when I am farthest from home. That place represents the transition from your journey away to your journey toward home. For us on this trip, that moment came yesterday when we reached the peak of Machu Picchu and looked down upon the complex:
So, in that sense, today represents a turn toward home. But first! Back to Machu Picchu. Our original itinerary included one day at the site, but I figured a journey this long deserved a second day. The park has three official trails take you to different parts and views. Yesterday we took trail #2, which leads to the top. This morning we took trail #3, which skirts along the middle and bottom sections.
Our day began with a 6:30AM breakfast in the hotel, then 7AM on the bus, reaching the park entrance around 7:45AM.
The park is well regulated, so we had to present our passports and tickets which were good for entrance between 7 and 8 AM. Once inside, you can visit as long as you like.
Despite having been here yesterday, we were once again gobsmacked by the view with its unique blend of manmade marvels surrounded by spectacular natural beauty:
We learned about the functions of each building within Incan culture. When it was time to exit, no one wanted to leave.
But leave we must. We took the bus back to the Pueblo and enjoyed some free time before lunch:
BUT FIRST! We invoked Eric's Rule for the third time on the trip:
Lunch at a local restaurant with (of course) the mandatory Peruvian pan flute band playing American hits...the most popular being a Simon &. Garfunkel song "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail, yes I would" but which I was told was originally a Peruvian song. Another interesting cultural note: Paddington Bear is very popular here:
During lunch, we found out that our 1:30pm train was delayed until 4pm. Luckily we have no later appointments today so we can just roll with it. The students used this time to relax, use the hotel WiFi, shop, wander, pet the street dogs, and refill water (everyone has a reusable bottle that we refill from large boxes of water):
We ended up sitting in the dusty train station for an hour or so:
But nary a complaint was heard. Troopers and road warriors all!
We boarded for our 1:45 ride, which was pretty comfortable:
Upon arrival, we were met by our driver John and his van. Then came a 2 hour drive to Cuzco. We are expected to arrive around 7:30pm and head right to a restaurant for dinner. I expect to be pretty beat by then, so I decided to post the blog now.
A special thanks to Lisa and the rest of the crew at Holbrook travel who put together this amazing trip! So many behind the scenes details have contributed positively.
Best wishes from Peru,
Prof. Eric J. Simon
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