Let me tell ya'll about the places that I have been. First last week, I forgot to update my website, but there wasn't too much to tell. I worked most of the week with the children at the project. I taught them some songs in English. Also, I had one afternoon helping out with the senior group. One of Laura's dad's coworkers was in town and he took us out to eat at a real nice Italian restaurant in Miraflores one night. We also stopped by a funky Cuban bar afterwards and then danced the night away at another trendy bar in town. The day before I left for Cusco, I got sick. I am still getting over it, but I think it is just a cold. Saturday, Laura and I flew into Cusco. We were prepared for altitude sickness with every know medicine, but neither one of us felt it. However, I did feel the dry air because of my cold. Our hotel was adorable; it had a beautiful courtyard overlooking the city of Cusco. We spent the first day walking around the shops and markets just getting to know the town. We tried to find a pub with American football on but we found the US Open instead at this Irish bar. After a quick meal, we were off to bed since we had to be up at 6:45 the next morning. Sunday was a long day of sightseeing. We took a bus trip into the surrounding areas of Cusco. You will see some of the markets and Inca ruins that we stopped at in my pictures. Our first visit was at the Sunday markets in a small town called Pisac. We then headed up the mountains to the Inca ruins of Pisac. These ruins dated back to the early 1300's. Our guide explained to us how they were constructed and what things the Incas used the area for. We travelled on to another little town for lunch and then to Ollantaytambo. Here we climbed up to the top of the Inca city on the mountain overlooking the current town. The ruins were amazing! Our guide explained to us that the enormous rocks that were used to build the temple were brought from the top of a mountain almost 7 km away. The Incas placed a high importance on the winter and summer solstice. In Ollantaytambo there was this huge Inca face carved high into the mountain. Only on the days of the solstices the sun shines right behind this face! We then took a beautiful drive over the mountains to a town called Chichera. Luckily, that evening they were having a celebration in the town square. So, we got to see all of the dancing, music, costumes, and other festivities happening. We took a short visit to the local church that was built by the Spanish over some Inca ruins. We finally made it back to Cusco late in the evening, exhausted from the activities of the day. Early Monday morning Laura and I took the four hour train ride up to Aguas Calientes; the gateway to Machupicchu. When we arrived, we were greeted by our guide, Simon. Aguas Caliente was such a pretty sight. The town had coble stoned streets lined with cute restaurants and shops. Simon took us on a long, but easy hike to the Mandor Park where we visited a beautiful waterfall. The trail followed the railway through the Sacred Valley and we had some great views of the mountains. You could even see some of the ruins of Machupicchu from the track. Afterwards, the three of us relaxed in the thermal pools in town. Laura and I explored the beautiful little mountain town for awhile before we met Simon for dinner. We had a nice dinner by the river and discussed our plans for our hike the next day. We woke up at 4:45 to get ready for our day at Machupicchu. After an early breakfast we caught the 30 minute bus ride up to the ruins. We were lucky to arrive so early because the clouds hadn't lifted yet and it created a very surreal atmosphere. Simon gave us a quick background about the ruins and how they were protected for so long. To share the short version, he said that when the Spanish conquered the Inca cities, the Incas were able to keep Machupicchu a secret. They abandoned the city around the 1530's because the Inca population was disappearing. Over the next 300 to 400 years it the city was engulfed by the surrounding jungle. So, no one ever found it. Then in 1911, Hiram Bingham discovered the city and began to clean it out for tourism. It is said that it was a city for the royals during Inca times and the first construction on it was probably around 1430. We explored most of the 102 square kilometres of the city, that sits at a little over 2400 meters, for about two hours. Simon took us to all of the most interesting ruins such at the sun dial, the condor temple (place for mummifying kings), the sun temple, the sacred rock, and much more. We hiked along the Inca trail out to Intipunka, the Sungate, or the entrance to Machupicchu. At the gate we had an incredible view of the city! Then we hiked back to the city and out to the Inca bridge. I couldn't believe how this bridge was built along the cliffs of the mountain. Absolutely amazing! Finally, our last and most difficult hike was up to the top of Young Mountain. The hike was straight up the mountain. It was suppose to take one hour to get up but the three of us made it in a little over 30 minutes. Man, what a hike! I was dying, plus I couldn't believe how high I had gone when I got up because of my fear of heights. It was well worth it though. I felt such a sense of accomplishment while sitting on the ruins at the top of the mountain. There were some ruins where it is said that an Inca priest lived to study the stars. Sitting at over 2600 meters, I felt almost a natural high while looking at the Machupicchu city below. We hiked the steep journey back down and took a bus back to town for lunch. Laura and I were feeling so alive for the rest of the day as we made our journey back to Cusco. I have to say that my visit of Machupicchu was the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my life.