Machu Picchu--A Mystical Experience

Up at 4 a.m. to get ready to visit one of the most memorable places on earth.  We drove to Ollantaytambo  to catch a train  which follows the wild Urubamba River through spectacular scenery for a hour and a half before arriving at Machu Picchu Pueblo.

A women across the aisle from me who had a window seat on the river side of the train graciously offered me her seat when she saw that I wanted to take photos.  Her name is Zia. She is from Cusco and owns shops in Annapolis, Washington DC, Park City, and Cusco that sell alpaca products.  We had a wonderful chat covering Peruvian food, fashion, and the wonders of Machu Picchu.

 

Once we got to Machu Picchu Pueblo, we transferred to a bus which  took us up a long, curvy road with the breath-taking views of the mountains and the river below.

And then-- the first view of this extraordinary and exceptional place.

 

Since our guide’s specialty is Machu Picchu, we had the privilege of his comprehensive knowledge to explain the history, the architecture, the significance of various temples, structures,  and geography while leading us around the whole place.  We started between the second and third thatched roof huts on the bottom left.

We went along this path, seeing the Sun Temple, going up these steps to the quarries where the Incas got the rocks to build the structures.

 

Temple of the Sun

We stopped along the way to go inside one of the houses.

You can get some idea of how big these rocks are by looking at the boy on top of one of them in the quarry.  Thousands were carved into blocks that can weigh tons,  each shaped to fit precisely together with no mortar.

 

At the same level, we crossed over into the Temple zone.  This is the Temple of Three Windows, each one representing the Inca idea of moving through three phases of life—here on earth, below earth, and above.  And each of these phases are represented by the Condor, the Puma, and the Snake seen in their other temples and art work.

 

We then went down these steps to view the main plaza



 

And on to the Temple of the Condor.  You can easily see the outstretched wings.

We posed for a group picture, tired but invigorated. All of us are world travelers, and we agreed that this is truly one of the world’s most impressive places.

Back in Machu Picchu, we had a lunch at Indio Feliz. Each plate was a work of art and delicious.