AND NOW WHY WE CAME

Our wake up call to get on our way was at 4:00 in the morning. It was still dark out and cold. The weather can drop over 40 degrees from day to night. The bus that picked us up drove us for about an hour and a half, we then had to get onto a train for about another hour to go up to the top of the Inca Trail to arrive at Machu Picchu. Once we got there it was well worth the trip.

It is truly amazing what the Inca’s were able to accomplish. The structures alone are mind boggling as to how they were able to get the stones up there and how they were able build and place each stone so that they fit together like a Lego set. And the surrounding mountains that they used to determine the time of day and the day of the year. I still say that it was aliens who came, built Machu Picchu, Stone Hedge, the Pyramids, etc, etc, and then got pissed off and left. Too bad, we could really use a few brains in our society around now.

Just so you do not need to ask, yes it was hard and yes, I still could not breath. I could not believe how difficult it was to put one foot in front of the other in this altitude. But persevere I did. What an experience.

The next day we continued on to Ollantaytambo an additional Inca trail that once housed a Temple and the means to decipher the astrological calendar. It was used to determine when to plant and when to harvest. Another bout with altitude sickness, by this time, I was sick of being sick due to the altitude.

We then went on a picnic and Lamas, a lot of Lamas were invited. They stole the show as well as our food. But they were so cute, none of us really cared. I still do not really know the difference between a Lama and an Alpaca, but they both seem to be gentle creatures with good attitudes.

I was supposed to go to Rainbow Mountain tomorrow. I bowed out. It is located at 17,000 feet above sea level. I did not want to be picked up at 4:00 A.M. again, nor experience a five hour drive, nor being sick from altitude to an even greater extent. What do you think, should I have gone? I will look at the pictures and feel good about not going.