Machu Picchu, a place that makes itself!

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We have moved on from Nasca to Cusco and from there on to Machu Picchu to see the Inca ruins which need no introduction (ie: there was a severe lack of information at the site and we cant remember the last history channel program that we saw on it!)

Cusco is a very architecturally beautiful city centre with many churches and colonial buildings. We have visited the MAP museum, where pre-colombian artifacts are displayed with their artistic value brought out more than their historical. It was amazing to see the artwork and craftmanship that had gone into the pieces including nose rings as big as your fist! The similarity between some of the pieces and what you might see in Ikea was also striking!!

After a couple of days in Cusco we caught the train to Aguas Caliente, the village of Machu Picchu, to spend the night before heading up to the ruins at the crack of dawn the following day. We were up at 4.45am two days in a row but made it up to the ruins for 6am when the gates opened! Its Machu Picchu - of course we would have done!

The ruins truly are breathtaking and are even more impressive than you expect. We also walked to the sun gate and the Inca bridge, but not up the scary mountain on the other side!

On the return train journy we were ´entertained´ by the train staff performing some traditional dances and also a fashion show! most bizzare and quite a change from the outward journey.

On most of our travels so far we have found that the people really make the place, but Machu Picchu is the exception to this, the site is everything you would expect and more.

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Photos

Three windows
This is probably the main ceremonial area

Big bricks
and incredibly well fitted together

traditional dance on the train
though we did have flashbacks to Mexico - no machetes in sight this time though, but the little fluffy llama is somewhat worrying...