Wednesday July 18, 2012--Peru #71
I can officially check Machu Picchu off of my bucket list! This morning we woke up at 4:5 and headed out to my first wonder of the world! Mckelle-bless her beautiful hyde-woke me up by singing "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction and lets be honest there is no better way to wake up. Ha she is just too cute. We all made our way to the bus station and by 5:30 we were climbing the mountain side on our way to MACHU PICCHU!! It was a sketch drive, those bus drivers are pro. We were what felt like inches away from rolling of the cliff side and plummeting to our death the entire time. I wasn't sure I'd live to see another day, but alas we made it. When we got to the drop off point it was still dark outside, and we were all super anxious to watch the sun come up. Unfortunately, the sun didn't show up...not for a couple of hours anyway. The whole morning was so foggy. We were on top of a massive mountain and right in the middle of some heavy clouds. It was actually pretty cool though, I mean I can literally say I spent my morning in the clouds. On the flip side, I flew half way across the world to see some ancient ruins that were nowhere to be found. We, however, found some alternative ways to spend our morning while we waited (and prayed!) for the fog to clear. We took some "band" photos for our "boy band" (*Don't Ask) and hiked to the Inca Bridge. Even though it was cold and wet, it was still the most beautiful hike I've ever been on. The trail was lined with lush, green trees and the entire time it smelled like rain. One side of the trail was usually cliff side which also allowed us to really see how high up we were. The fog was still incredibly dense though so it wasn't like we had some amazing view, not yet anyway. It was nice in a way. All week we have been seeing these amazing sights and for a few hours it was nice to be engulfed in something so, for lack of better word, simple. It was tranquil and quiet, and I loved it. By the time we hiked to the bridge and back the fog had started to lift. You could see the beginnings of what we knew had to be ancient ruins so we started making our way down into the city. I couldn't (and still can't) believe any of it. The city was so advanced! We would stop and listen to the tour guides every now and again and there is no way (that I believe) that those people could have built such an amazing place without some help from our Heavenly Father. The guides said that every rock was lifted and placed by hand which doesn't sound like a big deal, but these rocks are HUGE and they fit together without any spaces. It was like the perfect puzzle. They also said that every household had water running through their home consistently. How is it that ancient Incans can do that, but we for the life of us can't get water into V-Chu? Also.. we learned that Machu Picchu is where the scholars were sent to study in that time. It was the city of wisdom which does not surprise me at all after learning the other stuff. Anyway, we walked around and explored every nook and cranny of the ruins for a couple of hours. About midway through the sun came out and you could hear everyone there smile. We were all so worried we'd be robbed of our cliche Machu Picchu photos, so everyone in the entire "park" was excited when the clouds started burning off. It was so interesting to see both sides of the weather and how it affected the experience. Once the sun came out we all immediately jumped into tourist mode and started snapping photos like it was going out of style. We also took advantage of the warmth and filmed our One Direction music video. It was more busy than the morning hours, but just as enjoyable in a different way. We took our sweet time in the ruins and eventually hiked out to take our cliche pictures. I hiked so many sets of stairs today! I better have a killer butt after all of that. The view from the top made it 1000% worth it though. It was everything I ever thought it could be. Beautiful.HUGE.Complex.Overwhelming. I knowI keep writing about how things have been overwhelming here, and I feel like I should clarify that I mean it in a good way. The moment and the experience just consume you. I felt so good about life as we sat on top of that mountain. It was almost a reassuring feeling, like life is going to be good. So much good is ahead of me and I just have to let it come. I know that is a lot to get out of a mountain, but somehow I did. We sat on top of the those mountains taking in the scene for a long time just relaxing and talking before we finally crashed and took a nap with the ruins in the foreground. Who can say they've napped on Machu Picchu? I can! We left not long after that I was admittedly very sad about it. I have looked forward to this experience for so long and I was hesitant to leave it behind. I just have to find a new adventure now I guess. Anyway, we hiked down the mountain back to Aguas Calientes and once again it was gorgeous. When we got back into town we grabbed our stuff from the hostel (which was on top of a very large hill, my legs were so tired!!) and went to dinner. I got a little sick after that, but it didn't stop me from getting ice cream afterwards (nothing can stop me from ice cream!). Eventually we met up with the rest of the group and boarded or train back to Ollantayambo. The train ride was uneventful. I sat next to three foreign men and pretty much forced myself to sleep because they freaked me out a little... only because they all looked so angry though. We got back to Ollanytaytambo at 11:30 and now we're all just exhausted. The day was full. I was continually humbled and am eternally grateful for all that I was able to experience today. I can't wait to come back and I can't wait to discover my next big adventure!
Okay. Fewf. That was long. Before ending this novel of a post, I'll leave you with some pictures from that day and a big THANKS for following my adventures all summer. Thanks for all of the help getting there and for the support you extended my way in country.
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