You could catch one of the late trains on the 8th day to Aguas Calientes. Days are short at this latitude. If you are touring with Percy on the 8th, you can start in Cusco and end in Ollantaytambo. Check the train schedules yourself on www.Perurail.com, select "Sacred Valley-MP" and "search by Departure Time". There should be a 7 pm train and a 9 pm train. Try to get the 7 pm train, daylight should be done by then. I think the restaurant at El Albergue would be able to make a dinner for you while you wait at the station for the train. Alternatively there are early trains the next day. BUT they often sell out. So do decide now!

Thanks for your input! Jackie, we ended up going with your suggestion of doing the afternoon train. We are going to just take it nice and easy in the morning in Ollantaytambo and then catch a 1pm train from there into AC. We won't be doing anything when we get into AC other than just check out what little seems to be there. Then the next morning we will head up Machu Picchu early in the morning and spend the whole day there. We are going to do the 10:00am hike up Huyuna Picchu. We are then taking a 5:30pm train back to Cuzco and we will get to Cuzco around 8:40 and have a late dinner.

I'm hoping we will be able to eat some breakfast before we leave our hotel (Andina Luxury) and then we'll eat lunch up at Machu Picchu (it appears there is only one option).

P.S. It was very helpful to get the link to www.Perurail.com. I had been on the site before but honestly forgot that I could check the train times and availability on there!

Sounds like a good plan. There are two options for lunch at MP. One is the buffet lunch at the hotel/restaurant, the second is a sandwich/snack shop. We ate at the sandwich shop. Food was okay. Your hotel may offer boxed lunches--that might be a better route.

I think the buffet isn't bad, it includes nonalcoholic beverage, and makes a nice midday break. Cost is a bit over the top but when you consider there isn't tax, tip or beverage on top, and it costs you $16 round trip into town, it isn't really all that bad. Plus you can use the restroom inside the hotel.

I just returned from Rio on Monday... If you haven't already booked your tours in Rio, I definitely recommend going to a tour company store front to do so. If you try to book thru the hotel they will add at least 15%, and never book thru the guys on the street even if they seem legit.

We booked thru Rio Line Turismo (on Rua Xavier da Silveira, 13; one block behind the Hotel Othon - the tallest hotel on Copacabana) and our tour guide, Raphael, was awesome. He was knowledgeable and spoke very good English. We did the Rio Express Tour in the afternoon (2:00 - ~7:00 pm). This will take you to Sugar Loaf, the Corcovado, and includes a short city tour as well. Getting around Rio using public transportation was not as easy as I thought. We definitely saved money by doing the trip with a guide.

Peru is a lovely country and the food is amazing. Make sure you take the time to acclimate to the altitude in Cusco, if not drink plenty of coca tea and keep hydrated overall. If you start to get a headache, take the time to rest. For MP, there is only one restroom just outside the main gates before you enter (and like all restrooms in Peru, you have to pay to use it, cost is ~1 sole). In general, keep some tissue or TP handy in Peru at all times. Also, before you head up to MP, buy a large bottle of water and a snack to take up to the mountain with you, you will need the boost after climbing up to HP.

I look forward to reading your feedback on Percy. My husband and I run a small B&B in Cusco and need good tour guide recommendations for our guests. Have a great time in Rio and Peru!

Thank you very much utdee! We are doing a Gap independent tour for Rio. Here is the link to that:
http://www.gadventures.com/trips/rio...e/TSZRXC/2011/

From what I had read this seemed like a good way to go. I am somewhat skeptical about the hotel we are staying at, Hotel Copacabana Sol, but Gap has assured me it is a safe hotel.

Your tips about going up Machu Picchu are very helpful!

Does anyone have any tips about getting money? I went to the bank ahead of time to get both Brazilian Reals and Peruvian Soles but the woman at the bank said I was better off (i.e. cheaper) getting it at the airport upon arrival. Does anyone have any tips on that? Should we use an ATM or go to an exchange? We will have a debit card with us and of course credit cards (one credit card does not charge international transaction fees).

Based on Jackie's recommendations I was going to get a lot of small denominations from an exchange in the airport in Cusco. I hope I can do that there. I was thinking of getting the equivalent of $150 USD for Reals and $150 USD for Soles.

Oh and I think we are going to book this. I think others that might read this thread might find it interesting as well:
http://www.cookinrio.com/

Just thought I'd share some feedback on my experience with Percy prior to us leaving...I wired him the money ($500 worth) on Monday and it's a week later. My bank told me it would take a max of 24 hours. On Thursday he said it still had not arrived yet and I've e-mailed him twice since then with no response. His last response was the following on Thursday 10/20 (it's 4 days later):

Hello,
I´ve been in the morning in my bank, doesnt arrive yet , maybe tomorrow, I will let you know ASAP, dont worry. your hotels are booked.
Sincerly
PErcy.

I'm sure everything is just fine, but if you're used to paying for things with more of a guarantee (i.e. an established company) this is a bit tougher to deal with especially a few days before you leave! Part of that is on me for booking things so late in the game though.

Percy got back to me saying he got the money today and that "everything is ok" .

Just wanted to quickly update this thread after returning today and say that we had an *amazing* time in Peru. The Brazil portion was great as well. I'll post a trip report in a separate thread sometime over the next week or two.