Split Rock
Machu Picchu, Peru















We arrived at the city of Machu Picchu and the clouds did not let up until mid-morning. The backpackers have a few hours at the site before the buses with less-enthusiastic tourists show up. Maria gave us a great tour of the ruins before we wandered around the rest of the morning. It was discovered less than 100 years ago and it is amazing that it seems so well preserved. There were five temples amongst a city of courtyards, buildings, and a large palace. History says that this was a retreat for Incan nobility. It was probably built in the mid 1400s and was inhabited until around 1532 when the Spanish were conquering the Incan Empire. This rock demonstrates how large stones were cut.

Doorway
Machu Picchu
Peru

Machu Picchu, Peru
Early Morning Mist is Slow to Rise

Entering Machu Picchu
Day 4, Inca Trail, Peru

Nearing Machu Picchu
Day 4, Inca Trail

Day 4, Arriving Early at Machu Picchu, Inca Trail, Peru
Also Possibly a scene from The Lord of the Rings, but I am not sure as to which one yet

4:30 AM
Day 4
Inca Trail











We camped at Winay Wayna at the end of day 3. The facility included a hotel, an indoor cafeteria and bar, and a cinco soles hot shower. We were in our tents. We said our goodbyes to our cook and porters at dinner, the night before. It poured rain most of the night, so much that one of us proclaimed, "Este es la basura!," while pointing to the tents to one of the porters in the early hours of the morning. I stayed relatively dry except for my increasing pile of wet clothes. We arose around 4:00 for a quick breakfast and then we got in line at the last Inca Trail checkpoint, where a government official looks at your ticket, and allows you to proceed for an hour or so on the trail to Machu Picchu. The plan was to get to Machu Picchu early enough and watch the misty clouds burn off, to reveal what we had so anticipated to see.

Phuyupatamarka Ruin, Day 3, Inca Trail

Sayacmarka Ruin, Day 3, Inca Trail

Aqueduct
Sayacmarka Ruin
Day 3
Inca Trail

Day 3
Morning
Inca Trail














The morning of the third day included a climb to the Runkuraquat ruin, another ancient Incan checkpoint, and then a descent to Sayacmarka. The rain continued to fall periodically. It seemed to add a layer of mystery to the landscape. Derek developed a great system to keep dry. This included stripping off your shirt at every stop and waving it around profusely, in order to dry it. I quickly followed as I was having a hard time staying warm.

Day 2 , Top of Warmiwanusca Pass, Inca Trail

I only took a couple pictures on Day 2, regretfully. We climbed over 4700 feet up to ascend this pass which was at 4198 meters (roughly 14,000 feet). This picture was taken around the noon hour. It was an exhilirating climb with amazing scenery. The lush greenness above treeline was quite rewarding. It was also noticeable that the vegatation along this hike was becoming more and more jungle like, even at these altitudes; a change from the other drier areas of Peru we had recently visited. Below this pass we dropped a couple thousand feet to our second camp, where we had a quick lunch, tea time, and then an enjoyable chicken dinner. Also in this picture are a couple of our travelling companions from Australia and The Netherlands.

Day 2
Morning
Inca Trail

Day 1
Inca Trail











The first day on the Inca Trail is relatively flat. After passing Llactapata, you head up this valley to a campsite village, where we had tea time, and then troucha (trout) and rice for dinner. After dinner, it was quickly to bed in preparation for the epic day 2 climb.

Derek acting out a scene from The Odyssey, one of his favorites, to Maria and Jeff

Llactapata
Day 1
Inca Trail















Llactapata was once used as a security checkpoint along the Inca Trail to monitor anicent travelers. The land was also heavily terraced here, with two rivers carved around it.

Day 1
Inca Trail

Lunch
Day 1
Inca Trail











A welcomed lunch on the Inca Trail usually consisted of a brothy soup, baked chicken, vegtables, and tea/cocoa tea/coffee. This was my first backpacking expedition alongside porters, who carried up tents, cooking instruments, fuel for cooking, their own dry clothes, and the food itself. The porters would pack up after you had started hiking, and then they would gracefully pass you on the trail, in a scamper, to set up the next stop or camp for the night ahead of the guests. They showed amazing strength. We (Jeff, Derek, Raoul, and I) carried our own packs filled with somwhat dry clothes, a sleeping bag, water, and dry shoes. My guide ridiculed me for having a heavy pack, and at one point along Day 2 of the trail I even contemplated to myself that I could be a porter.

Pit Stop
Day 1, Inca Trail

Curious Dog
Day 1 Inca Trail















Tonight I will upload the rest of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu photos; thus ending our voyage, for now, at one of the seven wonders of the world. Dogs seemed to be everywhere in Peru. In cities, along the countryside, amongst families, and in packs of their own. None were aggressive, and most seemed content running in their own circles.