Machu Picchu

When Yvonne found out that she was able to take an epidemiology course in Peru, we jumped at the opportunity to be able to experience Machu Picchu. Her course lasted a few weeks and after it was done, I flew out to meet her in Lima. Here’s my full travel itinerary: Drive to San Antonio from Austin → Flight from Austin to Mexico City → Flight from Mexico City to Lima, Peru → Flight from Lima, Peru to Cuzco → Taxi from Cuzco to train station → Train to Aguas Calientes → Bus to the base of Machu Picchu → Hike up to top

After arriving, we decided to immediately hike up to get a birds-eye view of the ruined city. Our first real look was the one above, and it was breath taking. We spent a while just taking it all in and enjoying the view.

As we descended down into the ruins to explore, you couldn’t help but notice how the rocks fit so perfectly together. Many of them weighed more than a ton. The logistics of building a city like this in such a remote place is mind boggling, to say the least.

We ran into our fair share of llamas while exploring the site. We found out later that they’re deployed as natural lawn mowers.

The sanctuary was lost for centuries because this ridge in the most inaccessible corner of the most inaccessible section of the central Andes. No part of the highlands of Peru is better defended by natural bulwarks, a stupendous canyon whose rock is granite and whose precipices are thousand feet sheer…yet here in a remote part of the canyon…a highly civilized people, artistic, inventive, well organized, and capable of sustained endeavor…built themselves a sanctuary….”, Hiram Bingham, Lost City of the Incas