Peace Out USA, Hello Peace Corps: Fam Blog Part 4

Machu Picchu day! Our tour guide Sylvio told us that we were fortunate to be with a tour group that got to the gates of Machu Picchu sanctuary when it opened at 6am. We didn’t feel so lucky when we had to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning, but when our tour group of eight people got to the first lookout point and watched the morning fog clear off the ruins and the sun rise over the Andean peaks we realized what he meant. No need to worry any more about rain dampening our big day – the weather was perfect! And because we were there at the end of rainy season, we got to see all the lower peaks covered in lush green, dotted with wildflowers, and surrounded by the towering peaks covered with snow.

Sylvio gave us about a 2 ½ hour guided tour through the Incan ruins at Machu Picchu. Actually, “ruins” is not even a good term to use because the Incan city at Machu Picchu is almost entirely intact, except for the roofs over the houses. We learned about the various parts of the city, such as the places for rituals with rocks that form a perfect compass, and the temple of the sun. We were amazed by how the Inca were able to carve these beautiful rock structures using the tools available to them. Peru has suffered many major earthquakes during its history that have destroyed the buildings constructed centuries later than Machu Picchu, giving new meaning to the old phrase “they just don’t make things the way they used to”! It is hard to describe the beauty of this place nestled in both the Andes and the rainforest, and easy to see why it has been included as one the Wonders of the World. Maybe the best plan is just to share with you some of the photos of this amazing place.