Home again, home again, jiggety jig

We're home!!  We started at 2:30 am on Thursday, December 19th, from Lima.  We knew we had a 10 hour layover in Dallas, and were hoping to get on an earlier flight to Salt Lake.  However, the weather in Salt Lake was not good, and at least one of those earlier flights were cancelled because of it.  In the end, we were very happy to have a flight at all to Salt Lake, and got home about 11pm, Salt Lake time, on Thursday night.

Lots of snow and cold here in Salt Lake, a marked difference from sunny skies and summer in Peru.  We are working on some medical treatment due to GI issues we have all had in Peru, and looking forward to Christmas!

Machu Picchu

We spent an amazing day in Machu Picchu yesterday.  We went early--at 6:30, and stayed until 4:15 (last bus leaves at 4:30).  When we first went, there were clouds shrouding some of the peaks.  It was mystical and magical.  Here is one of our first views.

Ruth, Shelly and Sam in front of Waynapicchu (the mountain) and the ruins

Wow!!  Stuff dreams are made of.

400 people a day get to climb Waynapicchu, and we were part of that group.  It is the tallest mountain closest to the ruins, with Incan ruins on top

There was an iron cable on the steepest parts.  I held fast to that "rod"--as a person who is really afraid of heights, it was my friend!!

Sam, in front of the ruins at the top of Waynapicchu

When we first went, there were clouds drifting across our view of the ruins below

View of the Machu Picchu ruins from the top of Waynapicchu

From  Waynapicchu. Ruth is there on the left, in the white shirt.  Yep, that means I was at the top taking pictures!!

Here we all are, at the top

Sam, at the top

Ruth, on the very highest part of the mountain.  That means that I was just a little higher, taking the picture.  So scary!!

Waynapicchu is 900 meters above the ruins.  It was a steep climb

And we had no idea how the Incans hauled all of those stones and did the stone work there on the side of the mountain

Incan steps.  They were really steep!!  I slid down on my bottom.

The clouds cleared and we had a great view of the ruins below from above

Ruth and Sam "holding" the ruins up on the side of the mountain

Ruth and Sam holding fast to the "iron rod"

The ruins at Machu Picchu

This is the view that many people have of Machu Picchu, taken from the gatehouse.  Waynapicchu, the mountain we climbed, is there in the background

Take a careful look and you can see an endemic Andean rodent, the viscacha.  It looks like a rabbit with a long tail

The view with Waynapicchu in the background

Scary!!  I couldn't even take the pictures--another tourist did it for me!

The entry to the city from the Incan trail

Waynapicchu, the mountain we climbed.  Incan ruins are at the top.  We will never forget our day at Machu Picchu!!

Cusco and the Sacred Valley

We went on a Cusco tour after our arrival in Cusco.  I saw this door on our tour; not something of interest to our guide, but I could tell it was very, very old.  Perhaps not as old as when the Spaniards "conquered" Cusco in 1532, but very old nonetheless.

One of the cathedrals by the main square

The Dominican Order, built upon the Incan Temple del Sol

Where the Dominican priests live.  The foundation is part of the Incan temple

Another cathedral, on one of the side of the main square

A painting on the side of the courtyard of the Domincan chapel

A wall laid by the Incans.  Note that there was no cement; just perfectly laid granite blocks

Andean family on the side of the road

Sam, Ruth and Shelly at our first Incan ruin, P'isaq

A view from the temple P'isaq

Ruth and Shelly

Sam and Ruth, with a view from the P'isaq ruin

The P'isaq Ruin

Sam and Ruth from the ruins at Ollantaytambo

Large granite blocks in the Ollantaytambo ruin.  Note the small lines of blocks between the large; designed to help the Incan temple withstand earthquakes

From the top of Ollantaytambo

Ruth at Ollantaytambo

One of the towns along the way in the Sacred Valley.  You can see one of the snow covered Andes mountains in the background

Ruth and Sam ready to board the train to Aguascalientes, where Machu Picchu is located (one can only get there walking or by train).  Be sure and look for the next post!