Today I checked-off a major bucket list item!! After decades and decades, I was finally able to visit Machu Picchu! It was wonderful to see. We had the son breaking through the clouds when we first arrived, and later it started raining as we walked throughout the ruins.
Machu Picchu is very famous and is know to be one of the seven wonders of the world!! It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. It was built by the Incas and was never discovered by the Spanish when the colonized Peru.
The Andes are very steep mountains. All around Machu Picchu there are these impressive mountains. Machu Picchu is located where the sun rises during the summer and winter solstices. There were impressive buildings all over Machu Picchu. These ruins may be largest in the entire world. The Inca trail is longer than the great wall of China.It is amazing to me that these structures are still standing and in such great shape.It has been great for John and I to have connected and enjoyed such a fabulous trip together after being roommates 49 years ago.It was so beautiful to see the sun break through the clouds and shine directly on Machu Picchu while the other areas were still in shadows.It is jaw-dropping to see how huge the ruins are!!Everyone loves to have their photo taken with the ruins in the background!! This lady was arranging her hand to appear above one of the nearby mountains.I love the Peruvian colors!!These woman were great modeling before the ruins!!I could not get over how closely and carefully the stones were cut!!These walls pointed toward the east. On the other side of the mountains in the distance in the Amazon!The craftsmanship of the cut stones was so impressive!!The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world!! This massive terrace section was overwhelming! I enabled crops to grow on the steep slopes!!All the walls, buildings, and doors just kept going and going!!The doorways were designed to be trapezoids by the Incas because it made them more stable against earthquakes!!This is a famous section of Machu Picchu! This structure was designed for worshiping the “son god.” During the summer and winter solstices, the sun shines directly through two of these windows. It was very impressive engineering to be constructed so long ago by the Incas!!I absolutely loved walking through all the buildings in Machu Picchu!!This appears to be the largest home in Machu Picchu. Since it is the largest, it is probably where the king lived.The beautiful flower is called an Angel Trumpet. The grow all around Machu Picchu.This is the western side of Machu Picchu. I am simply amazed by its size and complexity!!The section shows where the base of Machu Picchu was unstable and a section of the wall has shifted. The Peruvian government has stabilized this section to prevent further damage.These lamas live in Machu Picchu. They largely ignore the visitors and enjoy the beauty and grazing in their home.Lamas and people share and enjoy the same trails throughout the ruins!!It was almost a celebration to walk through Machu Picchu in the drizzling rain. It created a special feeling and reverence.I enjoyed the deep greenery throughout the ruins!!There seemed to be large terraces in every direction!!The construction and design was amazing!!The walls were thick to withstand earthquakes!!This lama peeking his head above the ridge seemed interested watching me walk by.This mountain in the background is actually called Machu Picchu mountain!!
Fiesta on Wheels 