The reason for everything: Machu Picchu

Day 4   Machu Picchu Part 1 - A Jewel Beyond Compare

"Hit me with your best shot."  *I couldn't help myself* I thought better of trying to post the whole day in one entry... So here's the first part.

This was our best panorama of the day; though there are scads of stunning pictures. I think I'll just post as many as you can stand to scroll through. We simply soaked it all in (literally...) and truly couldn't believe the workmanship, setting, and magnitude of the place and the people who built it. Difficult to wrap your mind around - so grateful to have experienced it.

I'll just start posting pictures and see if I can give you some sort of story line. Here goes...

We woke up to rain :)  You've come so far to see this place, and that is your day. Seize it! And the rain made the colors so brilliant.

The Train

The drive to the train station in Ollantaytambo was a bit nerve-wracking. The streets into the town are extremely narrow and there was backed up traffic due to a semi-truck trying to negotiate a hairpin turn on the outskirts of town. Finally, there was no other way for the truck but to scrape along the side of one of the vehicles at the bend. No backing down, no place to get out of the way. I tried to get pictures, but it was impossible.

We made it to the train with only minutes to spare, found our train car, and got in and seated.

The first car Ev and I entered was a luxury coach :)  They politely invited us to find the right car.

The train went along the river. The Inca trail criss-crossed along the way. You can see it on the left of the river. Some ambitious tourists hike in on the trail rather than taking the train.

Yup - more terraces. And clouds.

And if you hike in you miss the experiences of train refreshments and interesting people watching ;)

This woman and her husband were Yoga masters traveling with a group of students who had been to several different places on a training tour. She graced us with her flexible moves :)  They were very nice people!

After arriving in Aguas Caliente, we boarded buses that would take us up this road to Machu Picchu:

This is taken from our hike up to the Gate of the Sun.

Just as we were going to board the bus, David realized he didn't have his camera. PANIC! This camera is like a Rolls Royce. Anyway, he thought about where it might be, and realized he had set it on the counter in the station at the food/drink area - surrounded by about 500 people. He bolted back to see if he could find it. Tender mercy - it was right where he'd left it. No one picked it up. Almost as amazing at what we were about to see...

This entry house was the first thing we came to after hiking up from the bus: "No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed!"

Then you go around the corner and see this... Amazing!

The rocky, sharp rise of these mountains encased in clouds made me think of those wonderful pictures of China...

The rain made everything so vivid and clean.

You'll see a lot of these. David hates taking pictures without people in them ;)

The bright plastic was such a stark opposite of our surroundings. We look cute though, right? :)

The construction varied, and was a statement about the use of the building. The smoother, more exact the stones and fit, the more sacred the space. I think it's amaziing how they stabilized structures with these smaller rocks

On the way up to a vantage point.  The structure is the guard house for that section of the city.

Yup, this is me being photographed in a picturesque Inca nook.

And this is David - David the Great :)

And his loyal companions. Notice the smooth stones of the doorway and lintel.

I wish I could describe to you how cool this was to have the homes, the terraces, the clouds enshrouding it all, not being able to see just yards away, then having it clear for a few minutes so we could drink it all in. What an amazing day.

Isn't this just intriguing? It is to me...

If you didn't know this was on a ridiculous drop off cliff edge...

The colors are so rich...

These guys are great at the "selfie" thing. Mine just make our noses look big.

I put on my knee brace and the world was a much happier place ;)

 

Disregard the smart remark about facebook. You all know Dad checks out my facebook page all the time. It's how he keeps up with everybody... ;)

That's enough for now. "Coming Soon: Part Deux!"