Machu Picchu and me

Machu Picchu! We have heard so much about it. Discovered in the early 1900s, pretty much intact, a lost civilization of the Inca's.

The first sight of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate was incredible, let me tell you. The beauty of the place, the arrangement of the site, the terraces, the dwelling places, the temples, not really ruins at all. It seemed like the only thing missing was the thatched roofs on the buildings. Everything else was intact - granted there is a bit of lichen, moss and flora growing on the stones, but still, after over 500 years that is amazing.

The place is very well kept, the grass on the terraces is a verdant green, there are llamas roaming around the buildings and the terraces. Even with all the tourists this is a very tranquil spot.

The construction of the buildings themselves was something to see. The Inca's did 3 different kinds of stonework. One for the most important places - the temples and king's home, the second was for the priests and the other dwellings and the third was for the terraces. All different, but done by the same peoples. In some places they built around the existing mountain as seen here.

A couple of different techniques easily seen here in this photo.

I was also fortunate enough to be one of the 400 who got to climb Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the taller looking mountain directly behind or beside Machu Picchu. There are also temples and buildings on top of it as well. How these people did all this work is beyond me.

This is the view from the top of Wayna Picchu showing the switchback road up to Machu Picchu.

The day was a fabulously sunny day. Blues skies, gentle breezes and the warmth (okay the heat) of the sun combined to make a most beautiful day to explore some ruins.

There were stairs to go up and stairs to go down. I don't think I have ever done as many stairs in my life as I did in the last 4 days.

They had a replica of what a house would have looked like with the second storey for produce and supplies and the thatched roof tied to the house with vines or strips of alpaca or llama hide. The roof is not equal on both sides, one side is definitely longer than the other.

Climbing Wayna Picchu was hard also. The trail was narrow and there were so many stairs. In some places people were climbing down backwards due to the steepness. There was also cables attached to the mountain to be used as a handrail in the most steep and difficult places.

Praise and prayers:

Praise be to God! A baby boy was born yesterday to Mike and Chelsea. They have yet to decide on a name but baby and mother are both doing well.

Please pray for my daughter Tammy as she is experiencing some difficulties in her life right now. Please pray that God will be ever present and that her eyes and her heart be opened to the beauty of life.