We left our hotel in Cuzco very early this morning to drive to the Sacred Valley to board our train to Machu Picchu. The moon was still out at a rest stop along the way.

The sun is coming up and making a mountain golden.

I was on the wrong side of the bus to catch this beautiful photo taken by Lisa, one of my tour mates.

At the Ollanta Station, about two hours from Cuzco.

The door is open for us to board our train. There are three rail companies for the Machu Picchu run: Peru Rail, Inca Rail, and the very upscale Belmond Hiram Bingham where white table cloths are used and you are served wine. We took Peru Rail, but we did have snacks served.

My tour group inside the train.

The train route took us through the Sacred Valley along the Urumamba River. It was an hour and 50 minute ride.

Beautiful scenery along the way.

The Urubamba River.

Surprising to see desert plants here.

Scenery along the way.

Scenery along the way.

We were told that this bridge is part of one of the Inca Trails that you can hike on to reach Machu Picchu.

Closer-up. You can make out some hikers on the trail.

Farther along.

Terraced Inca agricultural plots can be seen along the river.

Our train made at stop here and some hikers got off. This is the start of one of the hiking routes to Machu Picchu, a hard, about a 2-hour hike.

Farther along.

We are arriving at Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu (sometimes spelt as one word).

From the town of Aguas Calientes, we took a shuttle bus up the mountain to Machu Picchu, about a 20-minute ride.

Near the end of the ride, we got our first view of Machu Picchu.

We got off the bus here and joined the crowd waiting at the entrance. You need reservations to enter and also must show your passport.

Because my foot was so sore, I had a private guide for the tour of the ruins. I was joined by one of my tour mates.

Walking from the entrance.

The scenery here is spectacular. The altitude of Machu Picchu is a bit less than 8,000 feet (2438 m), about 3,000 feet (914 m) less than that of Cuzco, but I felt like I was at the top of the world.

The rest of my tour group climbed up to the top of the hill.

The top of the hill.

The Caretaker's Hut, which had a good view of the site (Lisa's photo).

They would have had this view (photo taken by Lisa). The photo shows the many steps that had to be walked up on. Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel most likely built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. It was built around 1450, but abandoned about 100 years later, when the Spanish arrived. It is believed to have served as a religious and a solar worshipping sanctuary and as an administrative center of the Inca empire.

The Spanish never found Machu Picchu and, therefore, much of it is still intact. American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to world attention in 1911. It is known as "The Lost City of the Incas." View of the top (also Lisa's photo).

My walk in the bottom middle of the ruins.

These buildings were used for storage.

Closer-up.

Closer-up.

Machu Picchu was divided into an upper town and a lower town, with the temples in the upper town and warehouses in the lower town. View of the lower town.

Closer-up.

Close-up of the agricultural terraces.

Closer-up. About 30% of Machu Picchu's about 200 buildings have been restored.

Closer-up.

Still closer-up.

Tired tourists taking a rest in one of the ruins.

On top of one of the hills is a rock called Intihuatana, which precisely indicated the two solstices, a method used to plan agricultural cycles.

Closer-up (Lisa's photo).

Closer-up.

Closer-up.

Below the steps to the right is another area with the Sacred Square and religious buildings.

Ahead were some of the about 200 buildings of the site. The round building in the photo is the Temple of the Sun.

Closer-up.

Lisa's photo taken from above these buildings.

Another of Lisa's photos.

The Temple of the Sun, which served as an astronomical observatory.

Another view of Machu Picchu.

Closer-up.

A llama on one of the terraces.

Another llama.

Two llamas.

Another llama was following the second llama.

My tour mate, Tina, who joined me on the private tour. I don't think she knew a llama was right behind her.

A very pretty llama. You can see part of the lower section of Machu Picchu in the photo.

A man and a llama.

More of the lower section.

Looking across the agricultural terraces.

Straw roofs have been placed on top of the buildings so they would look like they did during Inca times.

Close-up.

Close-up.