Machu Picchu

Well, we finally made it. After three weeks of traveling, eating, hiking, seeing sights, and having fun, at last we arrived in Aguas Calientes and therefore Machu Picchu. The journey was harrowing. After a landslide ruined our plans of taking a few hours train ride into Aguas Calientes from Ollantaytambo, we were forced to take the long way, and boy, was it long. We all piled into a van and rode for five hours along a winding, rocky mountain way, all the while fearing for our very lives (sarcasm). After the van ride, we exited and proceeded to trek through the jungle along some train tracks for the next three hours. The walk started out pleasant, but darkness was nigh, and soon we found ourselves walking through the jungle at nighttime. Nevertheless, we at last arrived to Aguas Calientes, at which point I immediately hit the hay for the night.

But my sleep was soon interrupted by my thirst for adventure, for Machu Picchu awaited. We awoke at about 4:30am in order to make it to Machu Picchu in time for the sunrise, as it was the winter solstice. Oh no, I thought. Another bus ride around a mountain. But this one was pleasant, only lasting approximately twenty minutes and then we arrived. We were there: Machu Picchu, one of the great wonders of the world. It was as beautiful and even more overwhelming than I could have ever imagined. I got to the site at about 6am, which gave me the chance to take a few pictures before the sun rose:

While pretty chilly, it was an amazing experience nonetheless, although I was greatly appreciative when the sun finally peaked over the mountains at about 7am.

Now that the sun was up, it was finally time to really explore the site and see the architecture. I noticed many things, a lot of them recurring from previous Incan sites that I had visited. For example, the puzzling and curious trapezoidal "windows" occurred over and over at Machu Picchu, something I've been seeing ever since I arrived in Perú.