CUSCO & MACHU PICCHU

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We have been waiting for this moment for a long time... The mysterious Machu Picchu! Officially declared as one of the New seven Woders of the World !
After arriving in Cusco, we spend the night with our friend Pascale , then we head to a village at the foot of Machu Picchu called "Aguas Calientes". The weather is not that great. Rain comes and goes, so does the sun. We are in a sub tropical region, it´s very humid. We sort everything out for the next day, the visit to Machu Picchu. So today, we spend it hovering around town, and also go the hotsprings. Sounds like a great plan especially as it is raining. Should be a nice contrast!
As we get to the medicinal waters, we find that it´s only a series of hot waters with strange mucky colours. Not being fussy, we dip in, only to find all sorts of things and smells that should not be in the water. I leave it to your imagination! After no more than 5 mins in the water, we ran into the cold shower to clean everything off. It was disgusting!
Anyway, today we are just relaxing as tomorrow we are going to M P.
Early start, we catch the 5.30am bus to get to the site so we can catch the sunrise. No such luck, it´s very cloudy, but should clear up.
As we get inside, we decided not to get a guide and got near a couple who indeed hired a guide. We stealthily followed them, listened to what the guide said. We were pretending we were at a distance, looking at the map when they turned, a bit like detectives following a suspect...
We first headed to Wayna Picchu, a steep mountain facing Machu Picchu. A serious 1 hour steep climb which got me into trouble. I slipped on the rocky surface and grazed myself on several parts of my body. But no serious harm!
We visited every part of Machu Picchu, the agricultural terraces, all the temples, ceremonial stones and the Intihuatana sundial ( 500 years old )which, would you believe it, has been severily damaged during the shooting of a beer commercial using a 500kg crane... Shocking!
It´s still a mystery as to the origins and purpose of the monument and it seems incredible how 500 years ago, they had the knowledge, technology to carry all the heavy stones up the mountain with no wheels to carry them up. Fascinating!
It´s been a memorable day that will stay with us forever.
Next stop, another amazing achievement, The Nazca Lines.
To be continued...

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Photos

Cusco
Plaza de Armas "By night"

Mother and baby lama
wondering what´s going on

On top the hill
with baby lama and mother

Renata
and her wild orchids