Machu Picchu

Quick Recap: In the previous post, we hopped of the train at a station-less KM 104 to hike a part of the Inca Trail towards Machu Picchu. It felt like we’d gone rogue. Remember those awesome mountains?

 

 

We’d slogged our way up to Wiñaywayna, stumbled down to the Sun Gate before sundown, and caught Machu Picchu right before it closed. What a day! And that view. Wow.

 

 

A wonder of the world, of course, requires a revisit the following day. Ahhh, Machu Picchu, I could stare at you for hours. And your mountains – your mountains. Breathtaking.

 

 

Photo bombs by llamas and alpacas add to the photogenic-ness of it all.

 

 

Overcast skies add drama….

 

 

Thick fog, rapidly rolling in, makes the scene cinematic.

 

 

Even the trees are camera-ready.

 

 

And when the skies clear…no CGI necessary.

 

 

Fun fact: 60% of the mountaintop city’s stone structures sit underground, helping to preserve the Peruvian gem’s foundations despite earthquakes and erosion.

 

Tomb for royalty or Pachamama?
An old, old, old lock
Water omens predicted drought or bountiful harvest
The quarry
The Sun Temple*

 

*Sun Temple (bottom right) – see the difference between the rough-hewn walls and the smooth ones? This contrast indicates whether the structure was used for royal/religious purposes, or for everyday life. The smooth walls of the circular Sun Temple, in the imperial style, show this was a room for the upper strata.

Although built in the 15th century, Machu Picchu was a mere legend to Westerners before its “discovery” centuries later. Can you imagine having been a native Andean inhabitant, with undisturbed access to this archaeological treasure and its vistas? Let’s take a look at those mountains again.

 

 

This Thanksgiving, I’m glad to have made it here, and to yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Machu Picchu, I will not be forgetting you soon. Or ever. No, never.

 

 

 

Category : Travel
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