Yesterday was Machu Picchu day and first we take a bus, then the Vistadome train, then the bus to the entrance of MP. A little of the history of the ancient Incan site: In 1908 Hiram Bingham was a North American historian who taught South American history at Yale. He was a USA delegate to the first American Scientific Congress in Chile that year. He was also a "horseback explorer" following Simon Bolivar's trail from Caracas to Bogota and Buenos Aires. In July 1911 he hired a peasant named Melchor Arteaga to be his guide to the Inca city. This was how 35 year old Hiram stumbled onto Machu Picchu.
This was our box lunch on the train and the usual huge breakfast. It would be difficult to have the usual "vacation weight gain" as this is a very active "expedition"!!!
We see a lot of the local people carrying all kinds of supplies and foods up bumpy cobblestone streets and this guy was hauling a load of bricks uphill!!!
This was the rocky bumpy road our minibus took to the site. Many "switchbacks" or we would call them deep curves and bouncing had us holding on to the seat front so we wouldn't tip over. The most amazing part was meeting another bus and one would have to back up a bit to make room at times.
Just a small part of the site. I am always amazed in other countries that there are no guardrails, handrails or other things. This place is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and I need to check my list at home as the list has been "modified" a few times so I need to find the "original" one.
Ross is terribly afraid of heights so his hand on my shoulder was quite firm and I would have gone down with him. It was quite a steep drop just behind us.
We both did the first half and several people went back to the room and many including me stayed for an additional couple hours. A fellow traveler's fitbit showed 41 flights of stairs and we both had about 11,000 steps on our "devices" so it was not for wimps and the second half was irregular, steep, narrow, slanted steps - and I'm sure there are other words to describe them!!!
This was a sacred site and I noticed this inscription on the wall and of course it was graffiti in 1900s. I think I need to figure out the date and the names of these two criminals.
Yes, very steep and I did not go past the sign!!
Our dinner last night and it was excellent including the free pisco sour and wine that we can enjoy more at lower altitude. Still have my daily coca tea! We decided to have a dividing line down the middle with men one side women the other. Works great and best of all no politics but it is interesting to hear the Scottish couple talk about the "Brexit".
And to put things in perspective: This is Lucy's decoration for Ross' medication box.
And a gift from the little Joneses (most likely due to Amy) a few years ago which I wear every day on every trip and I consider it my "safety bauble".
So we are staying in a jungle type lodging which has orchids, birds, flowers, waterfalls and it's between two high points of the Andes Moutains.
Enough chatter! Time to read my book for a bit checkout at 11am taking train to Aguas Calientes, bus to Cusco hotel which will be about a 7 hour day of relaxing riding and looking out the windows at the scenery. I go for that!
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