Machu Picchu

Before we went to Machu Picchu, Kathleen and I spent a day in Lima. Another big city with more ruins and churchs to see. After dark we went to a park that has the worlds largest fountain. Lights and effects with the fountain actually made it fun. We walked around taking pictures, looking like tourists; doing all the things you do when you are on vacation. The next day we took a plane at 6:45 am to Cusco. We had to be there two hours early. That means that I had to wake up at four: I didn't like it at all. They talk about altitude sickness and you do not think that it will happen to you. "I'm from Utah, Salt Lake is pretty high. How much higher can it be?" It's higher. Especially if you have been doing what I have been doing and been at the beach for the last two months. I got sick. Not as bad as others, mine was only a head ache and some nausea. And the coca leaves help as well. Just walking up a flight of stairs hurts a little more than I would like.


The next day we went to Aguas Calientes which is at the base of Machu Picchu. Mom didn't like the city too much, but I thought that it was nice. We slept and then later in the evening we went to a hot spring that was about five minutes up the road from where we were staying.
We made it to Machu Picchu before a lot of the tourists got there and I was able to get this picture. We had to catch the first bus at five thirty in the morning, but it was all worth it. It really does not sink in how amazing this place is until you are actually there and see it. We got to walk around and hear about the site from a man whose first language is Quechua, the language of the Inkas. He was very amazing and had a very different point of view from what I am used to, so it made the tour better.


This is a picture of the sunrise in Machu Picchu. All of the mountains in this area are so amazing. They are not like anything else that I have seen. It really makes me kind of home sick for my own mountains even though I know that they are not anywhere near as tall or as impressive as the ones here. But still they are my mountains. Today we took a tour of the sacred valley outside of Cusco. I again felt like a tourist. I had fun but I think that I may be ruined out. I have seen too many things and now I am trying to process all of it. It may just take a couple of days for me to be excited to get out of a bus and take pictures. But I have to be ready because tomorrow we are going to take a tour all the way up to Puno and I have a feeling that I am going to have that same feeling again tomorrow. The sacred valley was nice. I saw some more ruins and spent some more money things. The coolest thing that I saw was a mass that was said in Quechua. Very cool.



Finally on our way back to Cusco from the sacred valley I took this picture from the moving van. I like this picture because you can make out all of the little plots of potato fams that are all over the sacred valley. All of the col pictures I had to take from the moving van because they would not stop at any of the cool places, but this is still a nice picture.






Finally another sunset; again from a moving van. This is from the sacred valley as well. I think that I amy start to collect these. I have taken enough of them.I am tired because I have been on the move since Kathleen has gotten here so hopefully she is going to let me sleep soon.

P.S. I hope that this turns out on the internet. I couldn't take this picture with flash, so if you can see it great, but it is a little morbid.