Incan Stairs and Aching Muscles

So much has happened in the days since our arrival in Cusco.  We had a marvelous morning riding horses in the area close to Cusco.  We have explored some amazing sacred sites in the Sacred Valley.  We have bargained with vendors at the market in Chunchero where our guide Puma's family is from and many of them still live - and were treated to a meal of chicken slaughtered that morning, noodles, and the ever present potato - two large ones, in fact..  We have learned about the high place that family, community, and ancestral heritage is held for many people here.  We have watched Uruguay defeat Peru in the semi-finals of Copa America (soccer, or rather futbol) over pizza and various beverages with our Peruvian guides.  We have been treated as family in what has become a very unique opportunity for exploration.

Yesterday we returned from 2 days at Machu Picchu.  We drove to Ollantaytambo where we picked up the train to Aguas Calientes, which is a harrowing 20 minute bus ride up a switchback road with virtually no guard rails and a 100% chance of meeting a bus going in the opposite direction, from MP itself.

It is truly the lost city in the mountains - and words really can not describe it adequately.  Built in the shape of the condor, MP is an extensive site with both an urban and agricultural area.  Extensive terracing allowed a variety of crops to be grown in discreet micro-climates.  There are temples to the sun and its complement the moon and many altars and symbols emerging from the rocks.

We hiked to the Inca Bridge, which was used in initiating young warriors.  The small wooden bridge crosses to a very narrow (like pasted to the mountainside narrow) path.  In order to make it to the end point, one would need to have absolute control of one's fear.  Once you cross the bridge, there was no turning back.  If you did not make it across, you would fall thousands of feet.

MP is a wonderful place for discovery.  It is so extensive with so many paths that it's hard to come back to the same place twice.  On the second morning, Heather, Paddy, Tim, and I hiked Wayna Picchu, the big pointy mountain you always see in the background of photos of MP.  There were many Incan stone steps, some so narrow and steep that you needed a rope to let yourself down.  Even being acclimated to the 12,000 feet of Cusco didn't mean that we were not breathless as we climbed each set of steep stairs.  There is a two story stone house near the top with windows situated such that, using the sun as a measuring device and mirrors for signaling, the Incans could design the city below.   Astounding!

The summit is a pile of exposed boulders and one of the more terrifying places I have ever been - and I am not afraid of heights.  Coming down was much faster but quite hard on my knees - and yes I do have aching muscles.  Hopefully by tomorrow when we leave at 6:00 A.M. for our 5 day trek to Choquechirao, have will have calmed down.  I'm glad I did the hike, but it sure made a difference having the support, care, and encouragement of the kids!