Machu Picchu

If you come to Peru, you have to go.  Even though we live just on the other side of the mountains, it´s a 4 hour journey in comvy (local bus), taxi, and on foot (including a 2 hour hike along the train tracks into Aguas Calientes).
Things to note:
- the importance of water for the Incas - they had an elaborate system of canals and ditches bringing water from the mountain glaciers down and through the city.
- Even though there is a "princess room", there was no princess.  Sorry Disney lovers.
- Hiram Bingham wasn´t the first to discover the city, he just received credit for it.
- The walls were at one point covered with plaster and natural paints
- It was built by slaves.  The city is actually built on two mountains.  The tops were cut off of both mountains, and the rock from this was used to fill in the space between the mountains, creating a flat surface upon which the city was built.
- Each slave had his own personal style of laying the stones for each building - this can still be seen today.

This one needs to be lightened a bit, but this is the city at daybreak.

Tourists along one of the terraces

The path along the terraces

This ain´t Appalachia...

View from above

La madrugada