LLAMA LLAMA MACHU PICCHU

yesterday was the highlight of our trip - i.e. we went to Machu Picchu.
You can get there only by train (or by walking the Inka Trail for 4 days, which we were not much up to). We booked a so called Vistadome train - i.e. with windows in the ceiling so we could see the scenery. The train was leaving at 6.00am from Cuzco, and we had to be there at 5.30 :-S = yet another day of getting up at a crazy hour

to our disappointment, our assigned seats on the train were just in between 2 windows - which were positioned in such a way we could see basically NOTHING form the seats. but (LUCKY BASTARDS WE ARE): i went to talk to the train guy to ask whether the train was full and whether we could change our seats. the train WAS full, but neverthekless he arranged us two other seats - since 2 people didnt show up. And these wre (oficially) THE BEST 2 seats of the whole train. It was namely the very first car of the train, and we had the front seats, facing the direction of the ride, with a huge window in front of us!!! needless to say: happy Marta - and again, LOTSIE pictures taken on the way. It was beaurtiful - with mountains everywhere - first we went up the montains above cuzco, and later descended into the Sacred Valley of the Inka´s

TRAIN RIDE:
switchbacks - on the way up from Cuzco:

and switchbacks again - this time to descend to the Inca valley:

the VISTADOME train (windows in the ceiling):

at a station, local woman were selling hats to the tourists form our train

snowy caps:

and it was about to get even better - since it was the Machu Picchu day. Machu Picchu is the lost city of teh Inka´s - one which was never found by the Spaniards when they invaded the country, but only re-discovered in 1912. It was absolutyely gorgeous - no wonder, since it´s one of the 7 winders of the world

the lost city is entrirely made of stone - the traditional Inka way with no mortar, with huge blocks of rock made to fit each other tightly. Amazing. All situated between the mountains, with snow- peaks on the horizon and clouds/mist above. Gorgeous, i dont think i can even explain that - only pictures might show SOME of the beauty we´ve seen

some PANORAMAS:

temple of The Sun:

a rock that the Inca's wanted to split (and did not finish) = they would put wood in the holes and saturate it with water, so it would split the rock

terracing:

llamas:

this is an IMAGE of the Huayna Picchu (mountain) the Incas carved in a rock:

the so-called SUN DIAL - which in fact it is not [i.e. it was not used for assesing the time]. Most sacred piece of rock at the Machu Picchu. The Incas used it for assesing the rainy/dry season (only on the summer solistice the sun would cast a certain shape of a shadow on the rock):

a lizard:

Machu Picchu - ruins of a house (the thingies sticking out of it were used to tie the roof to the house):

our guide:

The Condor Temple (condor image on the ground)

Condor temple:

The Air Temple:

llamas:

that's the road from Aguas Callientes - that we went up to through by bus:

Chris in the cave under the condor temple:

the only reconstructed roof at Machu Picchu:

and the weather was beautiful as well - must have been like 30 degrees in the sun. we were looking for shadow all the time

we stayed there the whole day, until our train back to Cuzco at 17.00. It was a very long (4h+) and cold journey (oh well, we got used to freezing in the evenings)

im hoping to be able to upload SOME pickie at least