PERU...Machu Picchu

Usually one can take the train from Cusco to Aquas Calientes, the small town at the base of the Machu Picchu area, but the track was washed out in January of this year. Now you take a bus until you come to the last third of the track that had been repaired by the time we arrived. Then you load onto the train for the last hour and one-half of the beautiful trip.



The bus drive is quite nice, going over a pass of 13,000 feet where we saw some great views and farming areas.



Being close to the equator allows them to farm at a much higher elevation than we can in Montana.



To arrive at the Machu Picchu ruins you must survive a narrow road with 15 switchbacks to get to the top. The shuttle bus drivers probably drive it 12/15 times a day, so they have no fear….but it gave us quite a thrill.



The first view Machu Picchu is overwhelming and more majestic than imagined. How it was built is amazing and that the Spanish did not find it and destroy it is even more amazing.



We spent the entire afternoon looking around with our guide explaining the different areas. This included the many terraces that were used for farming during the Inca occupation. Now, the llamas enjoy the grass and keep the area "mowed".



No one knows exactly what this mountaintop citadel was used for and why it was abandoned. Lots of theories abound….



The next morning when we returned it was completely fogged in….which is pretty normal.



It stayed foggy for the first hour and one-half on the trail



Using our walking sticks, we headed uphill on an old Incan stone trail interspersed with steps. Our destination was the Incan “Sun Gate” which was a lookout/checkpoint/gate for people who wanted to enter the city.



As the fog began to lift, the views seemed “forever” .....



and all the flowers ...

and lichen took on a new brilliance.



There were many birds soaring in the big open sky including a falcon which we got just a glimpse of. The guide said the trip was about 5 miles round trip and my legs certainly agreed with that estimation.



We were rewarded with a great lunch, then caught the train and bus back to Cusco.



After a night in Cusco, we headed back to Lima and our trip back home. It had been a very special time to enjoy some of the different “faces” of Peru and to meet such hospitable and handsome people. The last musical sendoff at the airport was a delightful, enjoyable surprise.