Peru - Inca trail!!

Quick Update: So I was watching 'Motorcycle Diaries' the other day (psst: you HAVE to see this movie, if you haven't already!) and when they reach Machu Pichu, Ernesto says: 'How is it possible to feel nostalgia for a world I never knew?' I felt exactly the same when I was in Machu Pichu. It is an experience you cannot miss you on, for your life. And if you're with friends, all the more better:)

This was probably the highlight of our trip - the Inca Trail and Machu Pichu. I'd always wanted to be on it since I discovered I loved traveling so this was truly memorable.

The real Inca trail is 4 days long through the Andean mountains. In the interest of time..and since our group had 70 people with 70 different agendas and priorities, we did the short version - took a train till halfway and then hit the trail for a grueling, fast-paced trek. When we were starting, little did we know how beautiful it'd be and little did we know how brutal it'd be too!

By the time we saw Machu Pichu from the sun gate, it was already almost sunset - but the first view of Machu Pichu was by far worth it. And the second day exploring the ruins of Machu Pichu remains an awesome memory. There are about 3,000 tourists on Machu Pichu at any given day but the ruins are so mesmerizing that somehow you feel alone with your thoughts and imaginative reconstructions of how it must have been then.

Without further ado, here's Machu Pichu:

The begining of the Inca trail - it was straight out of an Indiana Jones Movie

We loved the Inca names...Chachabamba:-)

We did'nt know we had to cross 3 of those hills!

But the trail was lovely..

And the flowers were lovely...

With myriad colors


The trail was narrow


And hair-raising at times

With soothing waterfalls on the way..

Climbing this Inca cultivation and storage area made some of us almost pass out with exhaustion

But the rainbow was rejuvenating!

The first view of Machu Pichu from the Sun Gate


And the usual antics for pictures..

As usual, the view was amazing

So the site for Machu Pichu was selected based on its position relative to sacred landscape features. The mountains around are purported to be in alignment with key astronomical events


The terraced fields - Machu Pichu as a secret, hidden city even during the Spanish conquest could produce four times as much grain as required by the people living there

All those small pyramidal areas used to be residences for the nobilities

Been wanting to make a Picasa collage for a long time! So these birds are important in the Peruvian mythology...how, I'm not really sure..oops! I was focusing on getting a nice pic when they were explaining:(

So I've been working on taking pics of people when they're not aware...voyeurism?



FA, as usual, the king of jumps

generally..I just wanted to make sure I could do a macro shot manually without resorting to a programmed mode


One last view of the ruins at the end of a tiring day of exploring

Lunch...ummm...I kept clear of all the loins

Up next...pics from Puno and Lake Titicaca

ps: For a great 360 degree virtual tour around Machu Pichu, click here