Incan Turf

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Well, time for a little Machu Picchu! But first, lets not forget....the city of Cusco (Machu Picchu´s jumping off point) has lots to see as well. Actually, the whole "sacred valley" is LOADED with ruins. So cool to see and think of the people who lived there and built it all. And even cooler to go and sit in those same spots and touch those old, magnificent walls. Again: Wow!

Cusco itself is SUPER touristy. One of the bars on the main plaza actually sells a Tshirt that simply says "No Gracias", which is hilarious because vendors literally decend on you from all sides. You wind up saying ´No Gracias´ about a million times on your way to that bar.

Near the city we visited some ruins, headed up to Aguas Calientes (or Machu Picchu city) by bus/train combo and spent the night there. The area around Machu Picchu is all jungly and exotic! At 4am, we got up and departed for the hike (not the Inca Trail) up to Machu Picchu entrance. It´s a straight shot up the mountain and it took about an hour. But, it was a beautiful morning and we were among the first 100-200 people in the door. It was gorgeous!

In addition, we hiked up the mountain behind the city (a SERIOUS and steep hike). You could spend days there, to be honest, investigating all the nooks and cranies of the old city. It was magical!

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Photos

Tambomachay
A ritualistic site, complete with natural spring baths

Puca Pucara
Suspected to be a fort, this looks over the countryside

Baby donkey
Awwww!

Sacsayhuaman
Pronounced like "Sexy Woman" (ha, ha). This is only a small portion of a massive set of structures of unknown origin

...and they´re assembled perfectly
...without any mortar, each stone fits perfectly together with the next. Nothing more holding them together.

The Golden-crowned fly catcher
This bird is amazing. It takes a nose dive, kamakazi drop straight out of the trees, recovering only a foot above the ground.

Me, at Machu Picchu, drinking a Machu Picchu
Quite tasty, actually

That big mountain on the right...
..that´s the one we hiked! Waynapicchu

Vizcacha
Of the chinchilla family

Comments

[John]

WOW!!!!!!!
This is such an amazing photo! Hey wait, are the guys with the ladders maintaining the ruins? I can't imagine you are allowed to stand on the wall like that! Anyway, such a COOL photo!

[John]

Photos!
Every one of the photos from this entry are so amazing. I can't believe you guys hiked Waynapicchu. That shot of the view from it is awesome! They all are! I can't wait for the big slide show when you return. :) We sure miss you and are SO glad the trip has been so good. It's hard to believe you've been gone as long as you have. Can't wait to see you!

[Carolyn Robinson]

I heart baby donkey!
I really wanted to comment on the baby donkey photo but couldnt figure it out! That picture is a close second behind the bowl of kitties!

[Sharon]

Could have done without the guinea pig pic
Wow, my phobia for heights are really kickin in. can hardly look at some of those pics. Got your message about the beach...Only a few days left. Work will never feel the same again. Thank you for taking time to send these blogs...lol

[derek]

cusco
Shoe shine....chicklet....how many of those did you hear?

[Uncle Bob]

Jealous
Hi Quinn, Than ks for all the commentary and gorgeous fotos. Machu Picchu. I'm so sad I'm not there to see it with you. Someday!!!! Love, Uncle Bob

[QVK]

HA!
One guy even tried to convince me that it was possible to shine my running shoes. I swear!!!!

[QVK]

You got it!
They´re scraping dirt and moss off the rocks. Left untouched, all kind of stuff starts growing and pushing the rocks apart!