Cuzco and Machu Picchu!

This week has been the October school holiday, so Jodie and I planned a sight-seeing trip south to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. We left on Monday and returned to Lima yesterday. If there is one thing that was constantly on my mind when I was away it was that this is an amazing world that only God could have designed and created. The scenery of the towering Andes Mountains is just breathtaking, and no pictures are able to capture it well enough.

On Monday, Jodie and I arrived in Cuzco and did a little exploring of the main Plaza de Armas. We found a little cafe in the evening where I ordered a hot chocolate. It was a great drink, but what I thought was a chocolate log sticking up in the drink was actually just a log... We weren't quite sure what to make of this piece of wood, but I'm sure the chew marks on it must have amused the waitress when she cleared up after us. :-)

Tuesday was a Cuzco day. Most of the little stands and shops are aimed at the tourists, so we looked at plenty of bags and nic-nacs and handmade goods. We also visited the cathedral. It was interesting to see lots of women wearing the traditional outfit and carrying their children or their goods on their backs. If you wanted to take a photo with them or of them, they wanted you to give them some money. The shopkeepers were so desperate to sell us things that by the end of the day we were tired of hearing 'Senorita, senorita' all the time.

We joined a tour group on Wednesday morning for a trip out of Cuzco into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We visited the Inca ruins at Pisac and Ollantaytambo and made a few other stops for food and photos and visiting the Pisac village market. The setting of these Inca sites was impressive. They built on mountains for security (from enemies and from the effects of earthquakes), so the views from the sites are amazing. There was quite a lot of walking and climbing stairs involved in visiting these places, and because they are at a high altitude we were often out of breath. Jodie and I left the tour group at Ollantaytambo so that we could spend the night there in a hostal and go to Machu Picchu the following day. Our hostal was very basic, and unfortunately we had eaten something that disagreed with us. I was in so much pain and was up a lot of the night. Even the next day I was feeling a bit queasy and didn't eat very much. I'm much better now, thankfully!

On Thursday we got a PeruRail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. The train is quite slow compared to most passenger trains, but it meant that we could enjoy the scenery much more. At Aguas Calientes, we joined the hordes of people getting on buses. The bus took us up the side of the mountain to the location of the famous Machu Picchu Inca site. Amazing! The Inca city itself is so impressive in its use of space and the various architectural skills and knowledge of astronomy that the Incas employed. But what I think is even more impressive is simply its setting in the mountains. Machu Picchu is the name of the mountain on which the city is located, and the sides of the mountain are steep. All around are even taller mountains and huge drops into the Urubamba Valley below. It's difficult to describe - you'll have to go and see for yourself! We got a long tour through the city, learning about the Incas' religion, their astronomy, the latest theories on what their life was like, the discovery of their sacred city by Hiram Bingham, the architecture, etc. It is all very fascinating, and I only wish I had been feeling better to appreciate it more.

We got an evening train back to Cuzco and stayed in another hostal before flying back to Lima on Friday. It was a super trip, and I could hardly have spent an academic year in Peru without visiting the country's most famous spot! On the plane yesterday, I was again amazed at the views of the mountains and then the coast from the air. We live in a beautiful world.

Psalm 8:3, 4. Psalm 24:1. Psalm 65. Psalm 104.

Cuzco - Plaza de Armas

The hot chocolate...with a stick in it?

Women in traditional dress with child on back, lamb in a blanket, llama at side.



View from the Inca site at Pisac.




I'm sure he said 'Hola' to someone else, but I couldn't get anything out of him. Disappointing!



The town of Ollantaytambo.

Inca work at Ollantaytambo.



Jodie and me enjoying the sun at Machu Picchu.



The famous viewpoint on Machu Picchu.

Looking down onto the temple. This temple has great significance in astronomy because of its marking the June and December solstices. 

A panorama shot of Machu Picchu in its amazing setting.