Machu Picchu

There simply aren't any words in the English language that can describe the feeling of arriving in Machu Picchu. We left Cusco (with an altitude of over 11,000 feet) at 5:40 to head to the train station. At 6:40 we boarded a four hour train to the village called Aguas Calientes, below Machu Picchu (and about 1,000 meters below Cusco). From there, we took a spectacular 30 minute bus ride, zig zagging up the mountain before arriving at the entrance. After presenting our passport and admission pass, we entered into the park, hired a private guide (120 soles) and began our journey. It had just started to rain and I had to purchase a pancho to stay dry.

Within 10 minutes, we were treated to one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen in the 65 countries I have visited to date. Constructed during the Inca empire, not much is known about this historical site. In fact, it was only recently (in the early 1900's) discovered by a US historian (there is an ongoing battle between Yale University and the government of Peru over some of the artifacts in Yale's possession).

After about two hours of on-and-off again rain and showers, the sun finally peeked its head out and I was able to get some great postcard-like shots of the famous ruins and the gorgeous backdrop of the Peruvian Andes.

Rather than bore you with the history of Machu Picchu, simply click here to read the fascinating background of this absoutely incredible and beautiful landmark. My parents and some of my friends have already been here and prepared me for what to expect, but their descriptions (and even my photos) do not do it justice. This is something you have to see for yourself to believe. In a future post, I will include a link to all of the 100+ photos I took while here. (PS: You can click onto any of the photos above to enlarge them for more detail.)