Machupicchu!

We are now back in the USA but still wanted to complete our blog in case anyone is still keeping track! Our nearly 3 month adventure culminated with an incredible visit to Machupicchu. We spent a few days in Cuzco exploring the beautiful city, dodging the hordes of tourists, and sorting out the hundreds of ways to get to the sacred ruins. After considering the train or various treks, we luckily met a guide who sounded very different from the commercial companies and quickly decided to leave on a trek with him the next day. We drove through the sacred valley stopping at the town of Ollantaytambo, the only Incan village remaining where people still live in the original stone homes and walk the same stone sidewalks. We also saw a ruin site where the king kept the many beautiful women he had selected as they grew up waiting to be come his wives. The second day Pepe let us on a trek along the fringes of the Peruvian Amazon jungle. We climbed high into the hills and walked along sections of a recently discovered and cleared off original Incan trail. There are only 3 sections remaining of the Incan trail to Machupicchu from the South. Very few tourist make the trek along this Incan trail, where as the famous "Incan trail" from the North requires reservations 6 months ahead of time.

Paint from the seeds of a plant

Pepe teaching us an Incan prayer using sacred coca leaves

Tasty seeds

Learning the Incan dance of the Pachamama at a coffee farmer's house along our hike

Badly behaved monkey biting Jordan's hand

A Picuro, a very strange jungle animal

This is how pineapples grow!

Incan trail to Machupicchu from the South

Very well constructed rock walls and stairways

Coffee beans grown in the jungle

We spent the next day hiking around the base of the mountains upon which Machupicchu sits.

Approaching Machupicchu from below

Wayna Picchu and Mount Machupicchu above

We camped close enough so that we could begin the 1 hour vertical climb up restored Incan stone steps by 5 am. Only the first 400 people in line get to climb up Waynu Picchu each day (the steep peak behind Machupicchu in the classic photos). The hike alone was worth it as we saw the most spectacular sunrise from the trail. The misty sky turned deep purple as the sun rose behind the mountains and slowly lit up the layers of steep and gigantic peeks appearing between the clouds. It looked like a watercolor painting. Finally we arrived at the top and were among the first 130 people so we got our choice to climb up Wayna Picchu at 10am! The hordes of tourists started arriving by bus just after all the more adventurous travelers who chose to do the hike.

1st view of the ruins!! 6am

We made it! So excited.

Pepe showed us the trail up Mt Machupicchu which we hiked half way up to watch the sunrise and get a great view of the ruins before exploring them. Sun rising over the layers and layers of mountains surrounding the site

Up on Mt. Machupicchu to get a view of the ruins

Our guide Pepe!

Another intact section of the Incan trail from the South. Literally rock walls built into a cliff. The final section of the same trail we hiked 2 days before.

After a short rest we embarked on the climb up Wayna Picchu (this tall peak in the background). We couldn't believe we were once again climbing up more steep steps after the morning's tough climb. But the hike was worth it to see the ruins at the top where supposedly the virgins of the sun got married to the sun god.

Llama residents

The Incans must have been short!

Not a bad view!

This place is huge!

We spent from 6am to 3:30pm in Machpicchu and the time passed so quickly! We could have stayed so much longer. The ruins and the spectacular views around far surpassed our expectations of this famous site. It really does live up to all the hype.

Sacrifice to the sun gods

4 tourists with cameras above. Unfortunately we were not the only tourists in Machupicchu. But they did provide some entertainment.

Wayna Picchu in the background

Yoga in the morning

Breakfast before beginning the long journey back to Cuzco

We have arrived back safely in the USA and are happy to state we never got mugged, kidnapped, injured, sick, or very lost. We are happily enjoying hot showers, clean drinking water, and the ability to flush toilet paper down the toilet. We can't wait to plan another trip someday!!

Thanks for reading!

THE END