Macchu Picchu

Doorway...the safest place during an earthquake

Llama chiilin' at machu Picchu

Me in front of Machu Picchu...Waynapicchu is shrouded with clouds in background

Frisbee at machu Picchu...outstanding!

Wow!



Machu Picchu was even more spectacular than I could imagine. I arrived at about 07:00 AM, and was unable to see much of anything...except clouds.



(Macchu Pichu is located at a level of elevation known in the Andes as the "cloud forest"...it is above the jungle and the rain forest...but still able to support a forest well higher than the tree line of most other places, due to the moisture in the air...it is about 2500 meters above sea level)



The clouds slowly lifted and unveiled Machu picchu in all of it's glory. It is waaaay bigger than I had expected, there were llamas roaming around adding to the vibe, and fewer tourists than I had expected.



Machu Picchu was built by the Incans around 1450, and due to it's hard to reach location was never discovered by the Spanish during their period of South American conquest. This is particularly handy as the Spanish conquistadors had a habit of destroying any signs of the Incan civilization they came across.



Thus, somehow, Machu Picchu remained unknown to the "Western World" until 1911, when American archaeologist Hiram Bingham "discovered" it.



It was quite a find...the whole area, with its deep valleys and what seems like an endless series of mountain peaks, one behind the other is one of the most beautiful places I have been. It would be well worth the trip, even if there were no Incan ruins.



The ruins were cool, although as the Incans didn't use writing, alot of information has been lost. Their construction techniques were outstanding, using a mixture of naturally occuring boulders for foundations and many sided stone blocks for the upper walls. (One of the stone blocks has 32 corners!)



There is a small mountain just opposite macchu Pichu called Waynapicchu...it only takes an hour to climb and offers an impressive view of the entire complex...definately worth the effort!



My frisbee got a brief workout, with only one (near) injury...sorry Richard!This year it has seen action at Angkor Wat, The Great Pyramid, The Sphinx, and now Machu Pichu. I will be packing it again next year...keep an eye out for the photos.