Companion

I forgot to mention one small anecdote from our Machu Picchu adventures.

As I set off at dawn from Aguas Calientes, on the morning of our visit to the ancient city, a small dog sitting outside a store decided to follow me. I assumed he wanted breakfast and would just head back after a few hundred yards. Instead he joined me as I reached the trail to climb up the mountain. Remarkably, he stayed with me all the way! Practically by my side at all times, my new buddy stopped when I stopped to rest, and ran on ahead when I got up. I didn't feed him or anything, he just wanted to hike. It was so strange, I couldn't imagine why he was following me - maybe his owner was at the top and would ask for a tip for the walking partner (we saw crazier money-making schemes there!), but when we reached Machu Picchu, he stayed right with us. I have to admit, the companionship was quite nice. Even as we waited in line to climb Waynapicchu, my faithful friend never left, and incredibly, he followed us up the steep path to the summit. Others gave him food along the way (we had none), but I was the chosen one, and he was never far from my side. Six hours later, when we had come back down and stepped outside the park limits for lunch, he was exhausted and took a nap. I have no idea whether this was a regular excursion, or if he just got lonely and wanted a friend for the day. But I've never seen anything like it.