Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is the most amazing place I have ever had the privilege of visiting... A bold claim but I was skeptical that it could not live up to its own hype as one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. It was everything it is said to be and more. Without sounding like too much of a metaphysical nut job, there is an energy in the place that you can feel. Every detail of the construction was carefully thought out to have windows, religious stones, and buildings align with sun during an equinox, capture natural sunlight and wind. Even the granite material of construction was selected for the Incan beliefs that it's crystals contain a special energy.

Re-introduced to the world in 1911 by American explorer Hiram Bingham, the sacred city lay hidden for several hundred years, it's location high above the jungle valley below invisible to passerby. Surrounded by steep, impassable vertical cliffs and backdropped by jagged forested mountains and distant glacier peaks, it is no wonder Machu Picchu was never found during the Spanish conquest of the 16th century.

As conquistador Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish troops seized Cusco and made their way further into the Sacred Valley, the Inca people of the remote town of Ollyantaytambo destroyed part of the trail, cutting off access to Machu Picchu, further obscuring it's location and sealing it's fate as a lost city. To this day, the Inca Trail starts just outside Ollyantaytambo, the ruined section never having been restored.

To get to the site today, besides hiking, you can take a luxury train from Cusco that zigzags through small towns, farm land and narrow valleys before arriving in the high forest town and Machu Picchu jump off of Aguas Calientes.

Ranked as one of the most spectacular train rides in the world, the views of the surrounding Sacred Vally were stunning. They even served us a light breakfast and provided some bizarre onboard entertainment of the form of a costumed dancer and alpaca clothing fashion show...

After an midday arrival in Aguas Calientes, Brit and I stayed the night for an early start on the crowds the next day. Arriving at the entrance to Machu Picchu after enduring a short but intense bus ride about the 20 or so narrow switchbacks to the top of the mountain, we decided to hire a private guide to show us around. Worth every penny, we learned so much more than if we had wandered the ruins alone...

(I'm a sucker for getting photos with guides)

In addition to sharing a great deal of history, the guide showed us an Incan mediation technique done by making an "ohm" sound with your head inside a specially designed religious cabinet. Even after you stop making the noise, it echoes on for several more seconds and leaves you with a light but very noticeable head buzz and energy boost.

To me, another impressive fact was that, according to our guide, the ruins were found in almost exactly the same condition they're in today, despite being so old. Only 20% of what you see has been restored, which is mostly walkways that have been reinforced to handle the heavy tourist volume.

Above, the view from the Sun Gate, an hours hike uphill from Machu Picchu. You can see the bus path in the foreground too...

In all, it was an amazing day!!