Peru: Thursday

So it finally arrives, the post about Machu Picchu. Sorry it has taken me so long to get on this one but 300 pictures is a daunting task and I have taken on numerous other projects recently, more on that later.

(Towards the end of the day, the sun was shining and I love those colorful plants)
We woke bright and early and I mean early, because we didn't have a fully paned window, the rooster next door obligingly became our alarm clock. I was not in a very good mood. We got ready, ate breakfast and trekked down to the bus station to be at Machu Picchu for sunrise. We got on a huge tour bus full of other Machu Picchu going tourists and headed up the scary switch backed dirt road through the clouds. I thought the drive was really scary, clinging inches away from cliffs as we drive into blind foggy clouds. If I was really anxious, I don't think I would have made it.

(Switch backs from above)

We made it safely to the top, got our maps and headed into the park. It was very cloudy and almost mystical when we first went inside.

(Cloudy morning, Machu Picchu is wonderful in that are tons of places to place the camera to get a group shot)

We didn't take a guided tour, so I don't have a ton of info to relate but just some general thoughts:
The place is huge. We were exhausted trekking around and took lots of breaks to "enjoy the scenery."

(From the very top, Steve and I hiked up here and had someone a little too short take this picture of us)

The clouds are there all day and cling to the grass well into the afternoon which makes it really humid. I don't know why this shocked us so much, we were in the Andes.

(The classic shot, even as I sit her at my desk typing all this, I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see this. )

It is definitely awe inspiring. Almost to the point where there are no words to describe the experience. Even now, after having time to digest my thoughts, I am at a loss for words.
The place definitely feels holy not necessarily religious but special, like it was preserved by some miracle.
Anyway I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

(Beautiful blue sky and stone steps, can you see the llama?)

(Steve at the top, like the headband? He had a serious sun burn line across the top of it by the end of the day. In fact, everywhere we missed with the suntan lotion was burned)

(llamas in Machu Picchu. Did you know that they have to bring the llamas in for the tourists? Usually they live at a much higher elevation)

(I saw lots of these stairs, I just thought they were so cool, they are all carved out of one big stone, those Incas, so clever and resourceful)

(There was a surprisingly large amount of gorgeous flora throughout the park)

(Inside the residential area)

(The Guard's Tower, that is where you get that classic shot from)

(Me against a wall, I definitely felt tiny)

(Terraces)

(They built these roof replicas so you could get an idea of what the whole complex looked like, these are not original)

(I loved how you would have this massive wall and then one tiny little plant growing in it, it really was so lovely)

(Steve and I in the Andes)

We spent about 6 hours in the park and left exhausted, sweaty and sunburned in a bus crowded with others like us. It smelled like a locker room. We crashed in the hotel and napped. The rest of the vacation involves more crazy car rides through the Urubamba River Valley, hours spent in the airport, two delayed and missed flights, a night in a 4 star hotel, a 12 hour layover in Lima where we saw Wolverine with Spanish subtitles, the threat of being bumped from another flight, Bride Wars and playing Battleship on the plane, a 5 hour layover in LA, breakfast with my aunt and uncle and trip to In N Out. We stumbled into our home 36 behind schedule, tired, dirty and incredibly happy.