Machu Picchi

Machu Picchu is incredible.  I thought it might be too hyped and thus a let-down.  No, it was not a let down in the least.  It was just as amazing as everyone says it is.

This was Aguas Calientes--the town at the base of Machu Picchu.  

Tons of people!! I tried really hard not to get a lot of people in my photos.  But this one at least shows what it was like, we were standing in long lines to get in and out.  

This was the main sun temple, all of the Inka temples incorporate a circular structure.  This is similar to the one in Qorikancha. 

This is a quarry where archaeologists found tools just left like they'd been dropped and abandoned in the middle of a work day.  Actually they think that's really what happened after the Spaniards invaded, that the call came to Machu Picchu to just leave and join in resisting the Spanish.  

And this is Imperial Style stonework.  All their most important buildings were done this way.  

And they left nodules on the rocks so they could lift them in place and then after they'd knock them off and smith off the stone.  

This was the llama pastures.  

And llama barns.

This rock is shaped like the mountain behind it.  So wild.  

These were reflecting mirrors.  We saw quite a few of them in museums too.  

This was the Condor temple (another sacred animal to the Inkas) the rocks behind it are the wings, the grey middle it's body, and the white end piece is the white collar of the condor. 

So our guide told us that line in the jungle in the mountain across the way is a newly discovered (in the last two years I think?) Inkan road.  But they have no idea where it leads too.  Awww--it kills me. I want to go follow it.  Or at least I wish some one would figure it out so I can read about it anyway.  I love that discoveries are still being made.  

I always find their hydraulics technology so fascinating, especially since it's still running after 500 years.  They say the cisterns would be full but a lot of water is channeled away now for irrigation and the town below.  

I'm kind of sad that we didn't know that we could hike up to the Sun Gate, but Leo still wasn't feeling 100% so I don't know that he would have been willing anyway.  We were really sore and tired for days after our trek.  

I know that was a ton of pictures, but I don't even feel apologetic because, dude, we were at Machu Picchu.  

And then we took the train home after seeing an ugly dog that I was informed is a Inkan bred dog.  

And we got to enjoy some spirit festival devil dancer on our train and they turned the air conditioning way up and tried to sell us wool clothing.  

The end.