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Pinnacles of Granite

Sunday, February 11th, 2007

Two things escaped me about Machupicchu.  First, I never realized how green and lush the area would be.  I´m thinking 2500 meter altitude and that´s above the treeline.  Not so around the equator and Machupicchu is full of tropical and montane flora.  Second, I thought the ruins would be the main draw, but I found the setting with mammoth granite peaks surrounding the site to be the most appealing part of Machupicchu.  I absolutely love how the ruins seem part of those pinnacles being that they are from the same stone.  I am sure most of my best photos are the ones framing the ruins with the surrounding peaks.  I found myself staring at the fog/cloud enshrouded mountains and the valley floors circling them more than the actual ruins.  I climbed halfway up Montana Machupicchu today after finding the trail to Inca Bridge closed and was in awe of the views back down to the ruins and across to Waynapicchu where I hiked up yesterday.  This is by far the best location for photos.  I put my macro lens on before descending and ended up crawling most of the trail taking photos of the little world surrounding including ferns, moss and flowers.  My head was so full of the big scene and this helped me get back to planet earth.  I am amazed how different the world becomes when I put that lens on and start seeing things in macro mode.  It makes me realize again how infinite the world is in the microscopic manner just as it is in the universal manner.  I got back to the ruins and decided to hang near the hordes and see the rest of it before leaving.  In a world of cattle and sheep, you can still find your own private niches and I work on this almost daily especially here on the gringo trail.  I have photo after photo that makes it look like I was the only person there today and I would say that was basically my experience.  Me and my own little world on Machupicchu.  The train ride back to Cusco was stellar.  It is the best train ride I have ever taken.  As we climbed from Aguas Callientes to Cusco, the countryside changed from lush jungle to almost desert to high plains farms.  We arrived in Cusco at night and the city was lit up beautifully especially the cathedrals around Plaza de Armes.  I am quite positive I just visited one of the greatest achievements by humans and one of the greatest landscapes on our planet.  I am quite excited to spend more time in this wonderful country of Peru.

Machupicchu

Friday, February 9th, 2007

So what´s up with ¨Machu Picchu¨ and ¨Cuzco¨ when the correct spellings are ¨Machupicchu¨ and ¨Cusco¨?  We climbed above Machupicchu today and it was glorious.  Well, the rain which came in half way up and cleared when we got back to the ruins was not very fun ruining the views, but what a hike.  The mountains surrounding the site as well as the mountain it sits on are breathtaking.  We will head up again tomorrow morning and check out the rest of the site.  We´re staying in the closest town called Aguas Callientes and it is the biggest pit (being very kind due to lack of oxygen to my brain) I have come across in Latin America.  Most beautiful location and they have built the crappiest little town imaginable.  It will serve it´s purpose – one night in between visits to the monument.  Peru is beyond amazing.  Cusco is a fantastic town which served us well for acclimating to the altitude.  We had two incredibly good meals straight out of the best cities of US/Europe.  Totally unexpected and they cost a whopping $35 each night for two.  Took what must be one of the most beautiful train rides in the world from Cusco to here.  Will write more on all of this in the future.  My lungs hurt, my brain is oxygen-deprived, stomach is growling and legs are quivering…  No false expectations here… AMAZING!