Machu Picchu - Day Four

 We started out so early this morning. The buses started running at 5:30 as we wanted to be on one of the first. We headed out of the hotel at 5:35 leaving our bags with the front desk. (They would meet us later at the train station.) The road was twisty and with every passing bus on the way up I thought we would tumble down the mountain side, but I am just like that. After getting through the gate there was this beautiful over look of the mountains behind us. Still I can not believe how beautiful it was. The mountains were unlike anything I have ever seen in my life. Many of the mountains we saw on our trip reminded us of home, but not these they were so different, picturesque.


I will never forget the first moment we walked into Machu Picchu and I got my first glimpse. My first thought was wow this is so pretty.

Then 3 steps and 15 wows later when I had taken in how vast the landscape was I was beyond pretty and in complete astonishment. It is one of those moments where you really can not believe your eyes.










Where pictures do not do it justice. My only regret of the whole trip is not spending another day up there to just enjoy the scenery. Our whole day was spent exploring and learning about the Inca's, taking in every little bit of information we could and seeing this amazing piece of architecture from every which way possible. I would have loved about 3 or 4 hours to just sit and enjoy.

The beginning of our day!

Alter in the Temple

Perfect Masonry in the Temple

These lines show how
the stones are moving each year.

Only those who had a "recommend" could enter.

Irrigation to the city

Bathroom in the
"Kings Bedroom"

We were again amazed by their irrigation system and the way they could provide water for the population at Machu Picchu. 

This stone had perfect directions,
North, South, East, West
Shawn's compass shows this is so.

Wynu Picchu

On the Way up!

After our first 2 hours we hiked to the top of Wynu Pichu. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the top and the view was breath taking. We spent a little over an hour on the top exploring, taking pictures, and chatting with other tourists before heading back down. On the way back down Shawn kept telling people "Your almost to the top, just 5 or 10 more minutes." I finally made him stop telling people that knowing that they were at least 20-30 minutes from the top. In his defense going down it does not seem like you are that far away from the top.

At the TOP!

 

View from Wynu Picchu, you can see the road
the bus takes on the left, Machu Picchu on the right
and Wynu Picchu ruins in the front.

View from Wynu Picchu

The very tip top of Wynu Picchu (Machu Picchu is hidden behind us we were afraid if we moved we would fall)

My super HOT hubby

I'm seeing this if we ever go back, I took this pic from the train.

This was by far the most amazing day.  I wish I had made time for two of them.  I can't say we will go back because there are so many other things in the world we want to see, but it was so amazing to do. 

Machu Picchu - Day 3

Lisa and Carolina
Walking to the Garden

Day three was very relaxing.  We starting with a great breakfast at the hotel and then off on a hike to a nearby waterfall.  The walk was pretty easy just following the railroad tracks to a little botanical garden about a 2 hour walk from Aguas Calientes.  Along the way we saw beautiful views of Machu Picchu and some awesome flowers. 

We spent 45 minutes or so at the waterfalls and then headed back. 

Cool flowers growing on the side of a
tree stub.

The river along the walk

On the trail

At the "big" waterfall

At the "little" (but more pretty) waterfall

Puppy love

A man's best friend

Resting after about a mile or so with us.

Along the way we passed this cute (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) dog.  I think I said something like, "Haya puppy," and up on his feet he was following us for probably a mile or two.  When we stopped he stopped and then up he was again.  I'm not sure exactly when we lost him, but I'm assuming it was when he over heard me tell my hubby we would not be taking him home with us. 

I'll just call him "Tiger"

We also saw this really cool looking tiger dog.  I asked the guy what his name was, it was Water (in the native Indian language).  After seeing this dog and gushing over how unique he was, we saw about 8 more just like him all over Peru.  I thought he was kinda cool. 

We returned to the hotel to freshen up, and headed out to lunch.  After lunch we spent several hours shopping, we found a snow globe for Emma (the only thing she asked for), a totem for Isaac, and a rain stick for Eli.  We also bought stuffed guinea pigs made of alpaca fur (and told them they were our dinner on the first night.) 

After shopping we went back to the hotel and grabbed our swimming suits and headed up to the hot springs.  It was quite a hike up there and when we arrived they were dirty and smelled like people stew.  We sat in the hottest spring for about 20 minutes and then out we went back to the hotel to take a shower.  I know many people find this relaxing, but if you know me you know what a germ-a-phobe; this really grossed me out.  I'm glad we did it once, but I have ZERO desire to ever do it again.  I wish I had taken a picture for you to see, but I didn't want my camera to get stolen because we had to leave our stuff in lockers. 

We headed to bed early this night because we have to be up to catch the 5:30 bus in the morning.

FS BRU- Honesty

It has come to my attention that I am not nearly as daring as most of the FS blogging community.  I have an inability to put things on my blog that meet the requirements for this month, "I want you to be honest with yourself and write something that has made you think. That has, dare I say it, almost scared you to have it published."  as stated in The Perlman Update - FS BRU.  I have decided to be prudish and reserved for several reasons, I don't think everyone on the planet needs to know the in's and out's of my family, to keep my husband happy because he is super security conscious (especially when it comes to stuff put out on the internet), I am a believer that what you think about you bring about and thus negativity will generate more negativity, and probably most importantly I know once it is out there it can never be taken back.

My goodness could you imagine if I just let loose on all the things that sucked at post, or how I think the school my kids attend has some serious issues, or heaven forbid (shhhhhhhh) my in laws?  I just know it would all come back to bite me in the butt. 

So that is it for me being honest.  If you know me you know I miss my family in the States terribly, my house leaks, driving here is a joke, and I am mentally challenged when it comes to learning Spanish.  You will also know, I love living overseas, I love my husband and children, and I'm grateful everyday for this opportunity and I'm still working on Spanish.

Someday, down the road when I'm super angry about something you may find my ranting on this site.  But for now my ranting about politics, religion, education and life in the Foreign Service will just have to be for those ears closest to me (you know who you are).


 

Machu Picchu - Day 2

At the Sacred Valley Overlook

Day two we headed out of the hotel ready to go.  We found some alpacas (or llamas I can't really tell the difference) at one of the places we stopped to enjoy the view ..... and shop, of course. 



Cute little girl.  Her mom told
me I coudn't take her picture unless
I bought something.  I'll show her...



Shawn at Moray

Our first real stop was Moray, this was amazing and beautiful.   We learned that the Inka's did agracultural testing here.  They learned what plants would grow at what altitude, then they would take that information and grow in their cities the food that would work best. 

Irigation system

Climbing the huge steps to get out.

Floating steps- 3 steps = 6 feet

They also created an amazing irigation system and "floating" steps to get from level to level.  Some of the steps were quite a workout, and the elevation did not make it easy on us.  By the time we hiked out of that hole I could hardly breath.  But thankfully the rest of my body did not give out on me. 



Us at the bottom of Moray.

They cut all the grass with a machete.



With our tour guide Carolina.

Next we headed to the salt mines.  We learned that individual families each own a few of these puddles that they fill with salt water that comes from a highly salty spring, and if I remember correctly she said that they have never found the source of the water.



At the salt mines

There are more than 3,000 pools for mining salt.

After filling the ponds they allow them to evaporate (taking about a month) and then the remaining salt is "harvested" by hitting it with a stick or paddle and then putting it in a bag.  One of the "farmers" told us they harvest several hundred pounds of salt out of each pond.  However our tour guide said that because salt is so cheap now they still live in poverty. 





Mud Bricks

We hiked down from the salt mines (about an hour) and met up with our bus that then took us to lunch.  On our way down we saw a couple of small villages and one family making bricks.  It reminded me of teaching California history and talking about the bricks made of mud and straw.

Shawn napping on the train.

Because Shawn still had food poisoning from the night before our guide arranged for his lunch to be changed into free sodas.  Then we were off to the train and began our ride up to Augas Calientes.   

Aguas Calientes