Machu Picchu

When a place is as famous as Machu Picchu, part of me is always kind of expecting that actually being there, after so many years of hearing about it and seeing pictures, is going to be a little underwhelming. And for Machu Picchu, the expectations are really high, right?

Well, I'm happy to report that this is one place that actually lives up to the hype and completely exceeded my very high expectations. I'm still kind of dazed at its beauty and the whole, fun process of getting there. As you head further into the Sacred Valley from Cuzco, the road eventually stops and (other than on foot) the only way to Machu Picchu is by train. This lands you in the charming, deep mountain town of Aguas Calientes (itself worth some exploring)...

...before you get a bus (or, again, walk) up the dozen or so insanely steep switchbacks that take up to the mountain on which Machu Picchu archaeological site is based. Again, I'd seen countless pictures of this place before I came here, and none of them did it justice, so my pictures certainly won't achieve that. And I have to resist the temptation to post more of the hundreds that I took. Just a modest sample. And then: go, go, go see it for yourself, if at all you can!

We were insanely lucky not to get rained on during our visit; we could see the rain drenching Aguas Calientes, in the valley below!

The precision of the stonework will never stop amazing me.

View back toward Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, which is where people who hike the actual, grueling Inca Trail into the site first see the main event. (In this pic you can also see the switchback road up rom Aguas Calientes, and the Urubamba River, below.)

Soooo beyond grateful to have gotten to experience this unbelievable place.