Sunrise and Soreness

MONDAY:

It was our last day at Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, so we woke up before the sun (again) in order to watch the sunrise at the ancient site. This time, we all went down to the not-so-well-known solstice observatory Intimachay, or cave of the sun. At first glance it looks of no real importance, but apparently the Incas had built this structure in a way such that during the sunrise a few days before, on, and after the solstice a beam of light travels through one of the stone windows [1] and is seen on the back wall [3] of the front window [2]. On every other day of the year, no light travels through this window. Their remarkable attention to detail led them to create a calendar system that tells when the solstice is near.

[1] (Monday June 22, 2015)

[2] (Monday June 22, 2015)

A Very Important Beam of Light [3] (Monday June 22, 2015)

This, if you were curious, was our pre-sunrise, which I found slightly more beautiful than the sunrise itself (but don't tell the sunrise):

City in the Clouds (Monday June 22, 2015)

After the sunrise, Savannah, Michael, and I went to hike Huayna Picchu. Translated from Quechua for "young peak" gives it the impression of an easy trek up and down the mountain. Incorrect. One may fall for its simplistic introductory of large stepping stones that lead downhill to flat soil, but about ten minutes in and one begins their real journey up the "young peak". An hour or two later and one will finally reach the top, only to realize they have to go back down the same steep steps.

So... You Wanna Go First? (Monday June 22, 2015)

Evidently, I move far faster up mountainsides than most of the tourists who dare climbed Huayna Picchu, and ended up side-stepping them (if you think hell is waiting in line at the DMV, try waiting in a line going up the side of a mountain). We ascended two-foot-tall steps, climbed slippery wooden ladders, and wiggled our way through caves to reach the top of this incredible mountain.

[Blurry] Cave and Stone Stairs at Huayna Picchu (Monday June 22, 2015)

Once we finally reached the top, the view of Machu Picchu was... small. The usually massive structures seemed insignificant from this height. A mere 800 feet in height and an entire city becomes negligible--if unaware of its actual importance. Quite a thought-provoking sight to see, indeed.

Overlooking Machu Picchu (Monday June 22, 2015)