Day 18: Sacred Valley and the Sol y Luna Hotel

We all could have stayed on the overnight train for another day (week?) but they kicked us off after breakfast at 7:30am.  

We exited to a hilarious round of applause from the staff — particularly embarrassing because there were 28 of them cheering for only 7 passengers. The kids loved it.

We then made the 2 hour drive into the Sacred Valley, stopping at this overlook for a quick picture.

We’re staying at the Sol y Luna hotel for the next three nights with a day trip to Machu Picchu on Saturday.

We have two connected “casitas” surrounded by countless varieties of flora.

There is also a ranch with 20 horses including one 3-month old colt with whom we are obsessed.

It was really nice knowing we had nothing planned for the rest of the day or tomorrow. We took a swim, had a leisurely lunch, played some card games, dinner then bed.

This all sounds lovely but the day wasn’t without it’s challenges: none of us got great sleep on the train. James was overtired and was a pain in the ass for most of the day. He refused a nap and was a zombie at dinner — this has become a familiar look:

We’re learning our lesson: the kid needs his sleep or we pay dearly.

Meanwhile, Willa has been an angel. So mature, easy and excited. Here she is with Grandma Lobsy on the way to dinner.