Macchu Picchu

There has been very sporadic internet lately and it's been impossible to blog.  I'm skipping ahead to Macchu Picchu because, well, just because.  I'll add other stuff later, but I'm just too full of wonder to wait. We arrived in Cuzco on Saturday, June, 19.  The altitude hit me like a ton of bricks.  We had medication, but it didn't seem to help much.  My head felt light and I couldn't breathe.  Every step was an effort.  We were determined to adjust so we checked in to our hotel.  It was a stone's throw from the Plaza de Armas and everything happens there.  We couldn't believe our luck.  From our balcony, we could see so much.  During all the festivals this turned out to be prime real estate.

Plaza de Armas just ahead

 We took a quick walk around and looked for what we might need for Macchu Picchu.  The air was so thin and just walking off the plane I began to feel dizzy and out of breath.  We had been taking pills, but they really didn't help.  We ate (too much as it turns out) and after our shopping, I was so sick, I couldn't go out.  Pounding headaches and stomach aches.  I slept while they ate dinner and that helped some.  Also, Macchu Picchu is lower so we did feel better in the morning as we dropped down.

There are many old arches like this one

 Macchu Picchu is spectacular!  But it has to be.  Getting there is a real hassle.  First, because the train route is still messed up from flooding in Feb, you have to take a 2.5 hour bus ride from Cusco to a train stop that has repaired track.  Then you take a 1.5 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes.  When you get there, you wade through stall after stall of people selling everything, some junky and some good stuff.  We arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon, and after lunch we decided to wait until the next morning to go up to Macchu Picchu.  It closes at 5 and we would have had such a short time to stay.

Macchu Picchu train station

We got up at 3:30 am to stand in line.  It was winter solstice and Luis' birthday.  If you don't stand in line, you can't get an early bus. The busses leave one after another until everyone is up.  It's 20 minutes up a very steep and curving road.  It's pitch black outside and although we were in line at 4:00, we were on the 3rd bus.  All the shops are open to sell coffee and snacks because there's no food up there.

Early morning just off the bus

 We were given tickets to climb WanayPicchu, but it was just too hard.  It's very high and we still weren't handling stairs very well so we didn't try.  We walked up to the high entrance and this is what you see.  We waited for the sun to come up. There are really no words to describe the place.  It's magical, awe inspiring, breathtaking, and so very big.  You cannot imagine how it was done, how the Inca brought these hugh granite stones from 8 km away and how they carved them for perfect fit and to fall into each other for earthquakes instead of coming down.  They were brilliant and creative and had no problems building on previous cultures.  They had no need to destroy what they found as the Spaniards did.

Very early am, first view of Macchu Picchu

 Luis chose this day for our trip up.  It was his birthday and winter solstice and he wanted us all there.  I will never forget that I couldn't breathe, that I was so amazed, that there really was no other place I would rather be.  We stayed up high watching the sun come up and then spent hours exploring the entire place.  When we were tired, we went to this one area and rested.  Luis did some more exploring and took some photos he wanted.  The kids and I read, napped, talked to llamas, and took in the views.

Luis on his 53rd birthday

Our children at the one place their father wanted them to see above all others

They hung out with us and kept us company while we rested

 Every time I opened my eyes while we were hanging out and resting, this is what I saw.  This is my favorite view.  Not sure why.  It felt like home, like my back yard.  When we finally decided to head down the mountain after 7 hours, this is the view I just didn't want to leave.  I felt like everything was alright with the world.  If this beautiful place could last this long, maybe our own footprints on this earth aren't so fleeting.  It is simply an extraordinary place to be. There is a hotel just outside the entrance that costs so much to stay there.  For Luis as a Peruvian citizen, it's much cheaper though still expensive.  We have fantasized about coming here, staying 3 nights and getting up every morning before dawn and going inside to watch the day begin.

My favorite view

 I will post more tomorrow about the rest of that part of the trip.  There is more to say about it and the trip through the Sacred Valley and back to Cusco.