Machu Picchu

Sometimes you wait so long for something that when it comes, it is a little bit of a disappointment. We have seen so many cool ruins on this trip that I was afraid that might be a little bit the case with Machu Picchu. However, I was not disappointed, except that I wasn´t feeling great.

After seeing awesome ruins on Sunday afternoon in Ollantaytambo--the entrance was just a couple of blocks from our hotel--we arose early yesterday morning to take the train to Aguas Calientes. The ride along the Urubamba River was spectacular in its own right, but the bus at the end of the line on the dirt road up the windy switchbacks left much to be desired. In fact, I felt ill and the rest of the group went ahead of me. My dad and brother wanted to hike Wayna Picchu, the peak you see behind Machu Picchu in the pictures, but my constitution wouldn´t allow it. I barely staggered through the gate and took a nap on the grass near some llamas.

Luckily, my strength slowly returned. I began slowly seeing some of the ruins, stopping when I got tired. I eventually ran into my bro in law, which was nice, and we saw more sites together. The hike to Wayna Picchu wiped out dad and tired out M, so I probably saw as much or more of the ruins as they did. I got sick again just before I got on the train, but I made it back okay, and I feel somewhat better this morning. Dad and M, however, are quite sick and are in bed. G has felt fine this entire trip and has been flexible, which is nice.

Anyway, despite that, the ruins are almost beyond description. It is amazing how the Incas built such cities high in the mountains with stone age technology. It was worth the trip and is something I will always remember.