I thought yesterday was rather amazing, but I had no idea what was in store. Machu Picchu is truly a place of a lifetime. Words will do it no justice, and what could I add to the wealth of prose already in print? I can only say that I have never been anywhere so jaw-droppingly incredible, and I probably never will. The day started early with a very steep 1-hour hike to the top (alone, as everyone else preferred the more logical bus-ride), through a path in the forest. Ruins aside, the landscape itself is ridiculous - sheer tree-covered mountain faces dropping into lush valleys - the scale almost too much to take in. One can't help but notice the dramatic colors - green peaks with occasional red rocks showing, reaching into white clouds with blue sky poking through. The idea that we would try to scale these mountains seems outrageous, even less in a bus. But somehow we climb, clinging to the edge of the cliff, trying to forget the depths below. Add to this the thought that the Incas decided to build a city at the top, and you start to imagine why this is a wonder of the world. I'm very glad I walked. The ruins themselves are huge, much bigger than I had imagined, and literally hang on a mountain ledge, with several-thousand-foot dropoffs on either side. The city is brilliantly constructed, including vast agricultural terraces, perfectly cut rocks, and windows aligned for solstices, to keep an accurate calendar. A marvel of engineering, especially for a "primitive" 15th century culture. Next to Machu Picchu is a huge peak (the one in all the pictures) that rises over 600 feet almost straight up above the city - named Waynapicchu. What else would you do with a mountain like that, but carve a path into the side and build more at the top? So they did, and we followed, climbing an impossibly steep trail to get a view from above. It doesn't look climbable, and they don't exactly provide a system of safety rails. Our hearts stopped a few times both ascending and descending as we peered over the terrace edges. Did they really live and carry out daily activities here? The view was worth every agonizing step. Dad and Laura and I all made the trip up, and talked about the obvious questions the whole complex begs - how on earth did they do this? And why? I suppose people have been researching and speculating on that for years. After the hike, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city and its surroundings. I walked through all the rooms, overheard some tours explaining the significance of certain parts, but for me it was enough just to be there, to sit and soak in the beauty and history. We all agreed that it hardly seemed real, it was just too much for the senses. To top it all off, just before I left (a bit later than everybody else), a slight drizzle left a beautiful rainbow arching across the valley. I'm all out of superlatives, but I can simply say that we departed in absolute awe of Machu Picchu.
Inside the City
View from above Machu Picchu
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