Many people have Machu Picchu on their list of places they plan to go before they die. I had the good fortune of going before I was 40 years old almost by accident. The dot.com that we worked for went bust and my colleague and I were gifted a trip to visit the parent company in Peru as a sort of consolation prize. It turned out to be a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous experience in Lima, Pucallpa, Cusco, and Machu Picchu.
One of the Satellite Sisters recently went with girlfriends to Machu Picchu and recommended reading Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. I downloaded the book and marveled at what I did not know when I saw these amazing ruins. I recommend that do read the book if you plan to go. And know that you will still enjoy the experience very much if you do not because it is so profoundly special. Machu Picchu cannot fail to make an impression. 
People sometimes ask if I will go back. Alas, probably not. I am susceptible to altitude sickness and I became very ill in Cusco and felt better at Machu Picchu because it is a little lower. There are just so many places to see and things to do. If I am going to risk feeling miserable on an adventure it will be seasickness to see penguins in Galapagos or Antarctica.
On this Throwback Thursday I am looking at my photo album and remembering meeting German tourists at the back of the tour bus and staying at the amazing Monasterio Hotel in Cusco, swimming in the hotel pool and experiencing an amazing Christmas party in Pucallpa, disappearing after one Pisco Sour in Lima, and meeting people from Sacramento on the terraces of Machu Picchu.
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