Larry and Terry Schnepf: Peru

Machu Picchu is an amazing place. We were there in July which is winter in Peru and at 8,600 feet it was a about 50 degrees cooler that Mesa in July. Later that day Tim and Parker hiked up Huayna Picchu (see the peak in the background). It is an awesome view. If you look at the picture sideways you can see the face of Machu Picchu.

Here is Tim and Parker looking down at Machu Picchu from the top of Huayna Picchu. The switchbacks on the left side is the road the the buses take from the town below (about 25 minutes). It's switchbacks pretty much the whole way up and the only other way there is by foot.

The trail to Huayna Picchu can be a bit steep is spots. No problem just don't look down.

Parker feeding the llamas that live at Machu Picchu.

More of Machu Picchu.

Just south of Cucso are the Inca Ruins of Sacacyhuaman (pronounced sexy woman). The quarry is about 30 miles away over a 14,000 foot peak. We are at about 12,000 feet here. The rocks are wedged together so tight that you can not fit a knife between them. The larger ones weight an estimated 30 tons.

That's Cusco in the background from Sacacyhuaman. There is a local soccer stadium in Cusco. Talk about home field advantage at 11,500 feet.

These are the scared baths as Tambomachay. Looks a lot like baptismal fonts to me.

To get to Ollantatambo we go by bus and stopped at the Pisac Ruins in the Urbmamba Valley (also called the Scared Valley). I think we walked about 5 miles over, up and around these ruins.

This is the Urbmamba Valley.

Everywhere you look there are ruins.

The only way to get from Ollantatambo to Aguas Calentes is by train or by hiking the Inca Trail. We were going to hike the trail, a 4 day trip, but we didn't have an extra four days so we took the train. The train follows the Urbmamba River. There are no car is this town, only a train and buses that take you to Machu Picchu. The way back was a bit scary due to the nationwide strike that shut down all the roadway. There were burning logs, glass and boulders on the roadways so the the buses had a policed caravan that took up along back dirt roads. It took 12 hours to go 70 miles.

One of my favorites stops was the floating islands of Uros on Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca was, according to Andean legend, the birthplace of civilization. Wiracocha, the creator god, brought light into a dark world by directing the Sun, Moon and stars to rise up out of the lake and take their place in the sky. With time the Sun and Moon had children who also rose from the depths of the lake. These new people were sent out from Titicaca to the four corners of the earth, with Manco Capac and his sister-wife Mama Ocllo and their family clan being sent off to inhabit the Cusco region. Inca legend believed that Manco was the first Inca and a direct descendent from the Sun.

Having lunch on the island of Taquile in the middle of Lake Titicaca. One cool place to visit. To get a date on this island the girls ask the boys. We are at 13,000 feet. The guy sitting across from us was from France. He got altitude sickness and the boat ride did him no favors. He pretty much had his head out the boat window all the way back to Puno.