The day is finally here! We had to get up early today (4:00 am) to catch the first bus up to the15th century site known as the Lost City of the Incas or Machu Picchu. The ruins are best seen in the early morning light. Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. In the Quechua native language, “Machu Picchu” means “Old Peak” or “Old Mountain.”

Machu Picchu stands 2,430 metres (almost 8,000 feet) above sea-level (it's actually at a lower altitude than Cusco) in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. Embedded within a dramatic landscape at the meeting point between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin, Machu Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization.  The Huayna Picchu mountain on the north, Machu Picchu mountain on the south, Mount Yanantin, the triangular peak Putucusi—all of these are holy peaks. We know this because the Quechua Indians, the people who are the descendants of the Inca, pray to these mountains, so the site is a natural. It couldn't have been better as a royal estate for Emperor Pachacuti, who was largely responsible for building the Inca Empire in the 15th century.  

This World Heritage property covers 32,592 hectares of mountain slopes, peaks and valleys surrounding its heart, the spectacular archaeological monument of “La Ciudadela” (the Citadel). Built in the fifteenth century Machu Picchu was abandoned when the Inca Empire was conquered by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. It was not until 1911 that the archaeological complex was made known to the outside world. Henry Bingham III discovered Machu Picchu in 1911. If this interests you there is an excellent book about a fellow who set out to retrace Bingham's journey. It's called "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams.  

The approximately 200 structures making up this outstanding religious, ceremonial, astronomical and agricultural centre are set on a steep ridge, crisscrossed by stone terraces. Following a rigorous plan the city is divided into a lower and upper part, separating the farming from residential areas, with a large square between the two. It's function remains a mystery but speculation is that it served as a place of worship, a sight for tracking stars and Pachacutec's (9th Inca emperor) country hacienda. The concensus of the group was that it was simply a community that gave the outward appearance of power and had some religious importance. To this day, many of Machu Picchu’s mysteries remain unresolved, including the exact role it may have played in the Incas’ sophisticated understanding of astronomy and domestication of wild plant species. The massive yet refined architecture of Machu Picchu blends exceptionally well with the stunning natural environment. Stone blocks fit so tightly to form walls that a credit card can't be inserted between them. Numerous subsidiary centres, an extensive road and trail system, irrigation canals and agricultural terraces bear witness to longstanding, often on-going human use. Roughly 700 terraces carved into the mountain and fortified by granite walls help keep Machu Picchu stable.  The rugged topography making some areas difficult to access has resulted in a mosaic of used areas and diverse natural habitats.

Our first view of Machu Picchu was a bit like seeing the Mona Lisa after looking at a picture of her for years. You know exactly what to expect, and at the same time, can’t quite believe that the real thing exceeds the hype. Also like the Mona Lisa, Machu Picchu is more compact than it appears in photos. It's hard to put it into perspective without actually ever being here. In less than an hour and a half we were able to visit most of the ruins that Bingham saw 100 years ago: the cave of the Royal Mausoleum, with its interior walls that seemed to have melted; the perfect curve of the Sun Temple (Hiram Bingham called the Sun Temple's Inca wall the most beautiful in South America because of its exceptional design - the way the stone is shaped and carved); the gigantic structures of the Sacred Plaza, assembled from what Bingham called “blocks of Cyclopean size, higher than a man”; and, at the very top of the main ruins, the enigmatic Intihuatana stone, around which a throng of mystically inclined visitors (us included) stood with their hands extended, hoping to absorb any good vibrations radiating from the granite. We took tons of pictures but they really do it justice.

When we first arrived we made our way to the place where all the postcard pictures are taken. It was sunny and beautiful. But within 30 seconds the clouds rolled in and the view became obstructed and then disappeared completely. It was actually perfect as it is called the City in the Clouds. We managed to get our pictures and experience it as the Inca's did. The clouds came and went all day along with the views. Touring the site is no piece of cake. There are many stairs which managed to wind even the most fit people in our group. But all the effort was worth it. I really can't put into words the feeling of exhilaration and absolute joy at seeing it. It was really Vic's dream to see Machu Picchu so I didn't think it would affect me so intensely. I'm actually tearing up just writing about it.

A few of us decided to make the hike to the Inca bridge. It took about an hour round trip. We wound our way along a very narrow trail that dropped straight down at some parts. One of our grouped afraid of heights and we all had to help her get past these places. She really did have a melt down several times. When we first got to the bridge we saw a gate and it was a bit of a let down. We thought we'd be able to walk across it. I pictured a rope bridge but it was nothing of the sort. The Inca's had put stonework on the side of a sheer cliff and left a gap of about 12 feet where they put wood across. In this way when they had gone to the city they pulled the wood off and any invaders could not get to the city form this route. The stonework was built along the natural fault line of the mountain. I know I've said it before but these people were truly ingenious.

The rest of he group decided to go for lunch but Vic & I hadn't quite had enough yet so we went back through the main city area again and took it all in one more time. We meandered around just took it all in.

Machu Picchu was linked to the entire Inca Empire via the Qhapaq Ñan, the famous roads of the Incas. Despite this road system, Machu Picchu was never conquered by the Spanish conquistadors as they could not find it. It was abandoned by the Incas. Nature has tried it's best to reclaim it but it has withstood the ravages of time.  
  
When Machu Picchu was built some 500 years ago the Inca had no iron, no steel, and no wheels which makes this site all the more impressive. Their tremendous effort apparently benefited relatively few people—some experts maintain that fewer than a thousand individuals lived here.

An estimated 2,000 people make their way through Machu Picchu on a typical day. We're happy to say that we felt honoured to be part of this group. This amazing site was definitely the highlight of our trip and we can now, finally, cross it off our bucket list. And VIc can finally say he has fulfilled a childhood dream. It was a great day!!!

We got back to Cusco late but some of us went out for dinner to the Fallen Angel restaurant. Everyone (but me) shared traditional roasted Guinea pig. I declined as I had Guinea pigs as pets when I was young. I couldn't get my head around that. They said it was very lean and each bite was different taste sensation. No one could actually describe the taste but everyone liked it. One bite tasted like lamb, another like rabbit, another like roast chicken, and finally venison.