Machu Picchu unveils it's self in Wonder

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Wed 30 Jun 2010 01:25
We work early to rain rattling down on the roof, and pattering on the
streets outside, our moral was low, as this was our day to go up Machu
Picchu and the day was not looking good, but we walked down the streets
early to catch the bus up anyway. As we rose up a zigzag road we climbed up
into the cloud all around us, we were encircled, on arrival it was much the
same, but the rain had stopped. We walked out on the ruins and decided to go
down through the ruins at the main settlement hoping the cloud would lift.
Sean and Alex chased Lamas and we explored the rooms, halls, and drainage
systems. It is good to see Sean so fascinated with way things have been put
together, and he guided us around the stairs and ruins.
By mid morning the cloud had risen like a table cloth, exposing the mountain
at the base, and then the whole city. The effect was amazing as until then
you did not realize you were so high up, you are literally perched on top of
the world looking level or down at the surrounding peaks. The shear grandeur
and how the edges of the city fall away 1000s of feet to the river below,
the shear cliff faces of granite rock cast in the forest green.
As we climbed up to high point to look down on the city, the blue sky and
sun came out, and made it ever so more spectacular, and breath taking. We
spent a lot of time just sitting and boys playing, taking in the magnificent
picture of the valleys on each side, the mountains, the drops, and green of
it all. While I had seen many pictures, you do not really get the full
immensity of the landscape, we just sat, Sean and I stayed on for 1 1/2
hours after Tracy and Alex went down, just discussing, looking and
absorbing, (see photos).
The magnitude of what has been built it is not the buildings as much as the
position (on top of a shear drops) and the landscaping involved to make it
happen and stay there for 1000s of years.
That afternoon we went up to thermal baths above our hotel, and just sat in
them, looking up at jungle, and mountains around us, it was a nice soak and
way to complete an amazing day.
A day you have to pinch yourself that you actually saw this, like I have
done on 4 occasions on this trip to South America.

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