Machu Picchu

On Friday, Jan. 19th, we left the ship for our adventure to the lost city of the Incas -- Machu Picchu - high in the Andes Mountains. And I mean high! This afternoon, we left Guayaquil, Ecuador by plane for Lima, Peru. After overnighting at a hotel there, it was off early the next morning (the 20th) on another flight to the primary city of the area, Cuzco. At 12,000 feet, altitude sickness can be a problem, so they try to plan things in stages to get you used to it. Our hotel for the next two nights is an old monastery, which has been converted into a very deluxe property. We have altitude sickness pills, but they really upset my stomach so I (and most other people) stopped taking them. They say there's no rhyme or reason as to why some people get sick and others don't. We're to drink coca tea - and the hotel rooms have oxygen piped into them at night to help you sleep! After some touring and dinner today, it's down for a good night's sleep, since tomorrow is a busy day!
We departed our hotel early for a short ride to the train station to board the deluxe Hiram Bingham train that will bring us to Machu Picchu itself. Bingham was an American archaeologist who explored the area in 1912 and actually discovered the city. It's believed that Machu Picchu was a holy and royal city, and its exact location was only known to a select group of Incan nobility and priests. In the 1500s, faced with defeat by the Spaniards, the Incans abandoned their mountain citadel and for 400 years, until Bingham's discovery, the city's existence was forgotten or unknown.
The train ride down to Machu Picchu was about 3 hours. We actually descended from Cuzco over 4,000 ft, to around 7,000. A number of people who had been ill the night before felt better as the train descended. It's a common thing - they have portable oxygen on the train, in the busses, etc. After lunch on board, we finally arrived at Machu Picchu to begin our tour. Words really can't describe this phenomenal place. I've tried to post a picture, but even that can't do it justice. There are stone temples and buildings covering the hillside. The workmanship is so precise, that even today, 500 years later,a piece of paper can't pass between the stone blocks of the walls. The series of terraces and gardens is truly amazing. We spent about 3 hours walking and climbing. At the end of this time, we rallied for tea at the one hotel at the site. Machu Picchu itself is very UN-commercial, without the normal groups of vendors we're used to seeing. It's actually one of the sites in contention to be one of the "new" Seven Wonders of the World.
After tea, it was back on the train for a gourmet dinner and back to Cuzco and our hotel for the night. I woke up with a headache and perhaps just a bit of altitude sickness during the night, but no worry! A quick walk down to the reception desk in the hotel and they brought me into a special room, hooked me up with a mask and gave me about 15 minutes of oxygen and I was good to go! The next morning (the 22nd) we flew back to Lima and met the ship. This was truly an amazing adventure - not neccesarily one I would feel the need to repeat, but one I will always remember. I'm thankful I was able to do it once in my life!