Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Peru

Visiting Machu Picchu is one of the biggest reasons I came to South America to begin with.  It is a site that you hear about from everyone that has gone to Peru, and that is known the world over.  It has a huge reputation to live up to, and let me tell you, it doesn’t fail to deliver.  It’s as majestic, beautiful, and mind-boggling as everyone tells you it is. 

The classic shot

The mountain behind is Huayna Picchu, which we greulingling climbed later that day (see other pics below)

All of the rocks they used to carve the bricks we found on the mountain, they weren't brought in from anywhere else.

The temple of the sun - designed specificall to signal the start of the summer solstice (when it was the begining of the solstice the sun shone so as to hit the round rock thats in the middle)

Triangle shaped walls were once covered with thatched roofs.

The room of three windows - notice how the stones here are larger and smoother?  It signifies importance.  Plus the site was abadonned before they completed building, so some structures have smooth and rough stones on them.

Terracing for planting crops

Huayna Picchu

The three rock peaks mirror the mountain in front

Llamas on the property

 This same day we also got to climb up to the top of Huayna Picchu.  Being as sore as I was, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but man was it worth it!  At the very top, you can see all of Machu Picchu and the landscape around it.  Huayna Picchu is actually another Inca ruin, built at the very peak of this mountain.  The trail on the way up is paved with stone stairs, for which you need to use the rope provided, at times.  It was really, really steep, but really, really cool.  It absolutely should not be missed by anyone visiting Machu Picchu.  You do have to buy a ticket in advance though b/c they only let 200 people climb it at two time intervals per day.  If you don't have a ticket, you can't go up.

Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu in the background

So pretty.

Winding trail at the top - at the ruins

View of Machu Picchu from the top

The rock I'm sitting literally leans out over the edge of the mountain - its honestly a little scary just sitting there

This is what we climbed up, and had to climb back down - the steps were probably half a foot in depth, super narrow and super steep

Another shot of Machu Picchu on the way down

The ruins on Huayna Picchu

 Even after visiting Machu Picchu, the fun of this day was not yet over.  Later that day, I took the Perurail vistadome train from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco (which was was also included in the price of my trek).  The vistadome train itself is awesome, it has windows on the roof, allowing you to see the mountain peaks above you, as the train chugs along.  In addition, we were served a complimentary snack and treated to some cultural entertainment: a traditional dance from the Andes, performed by a costumed man, and a full on fashion show in which the stuartists were models!  In the middle of the Andean dance (which unfortunately, I don't remeber the name of, only that it is danced on rooftops), the costumed guy grabbed my hand and made me dance with him in front of a packed train...I got into it, it was great!  Then all of sudden this techno/pop music came on with a heavy base, and we were treated by a formal fashio show in which the stuartists were modeling Alpaca fur pieces...too funny!

the dancing costumed guy

fashion show!

They were pretty good, at what they were doing!