Tacna: Part One
Tacna: Part Two
Arica, Chile
Cuisine & Christmas Celebrations
Ollantaytambo (The Sacred Valley)
I'm going to be honest. It was very difficult to narrow down my pictures for this post. I am owning it and fully acknowledging that I have a significant amount of photos here, but there is truly no other way to visit one of the wonders of the world and not take a million pictures. Even these don't do it justice.
Just as it was hard for me to pick pictures for this post, it's even more difficult to find the words to describe this day of our trip. I have already admitted to being a mountain obsessed girl and once again these Andes mountains blew me away. One of the most profound things we heard before heading to Machu Picchu was someone told us to pay attention and be quiet while we were here because she [the mountain] will speak to you. They were right. I have never walked through a clearing to a view and been brought to tears like I was here. This day, this trip, this mountain, being in the presence of mother earth was truly an honor.
We left Aguas Calientes early in the morning to get on our bus that drove us up the mountain. Oh my. If you want to fully appreciate your life; get on this bus. I don't know how they did it. It looked to me like we were driving on a steep hiking trail and these buses just whip around those curves like they are auditioning for the Fast and Furious. By all means don't look out the window because you will see your life flash before your eyes as you stare down thousands of feet of cliff and mountain side into rushing river water. Then you get to the top and all is well because it's Machu Picchu and nothing else matters than the rush that you are there, after kissing the ground of course.
We picked a tour guide at the entrance to lead us through. It was really interesting to walk around and learn about the history. One fact - Machu Picchu was like a university. The best and brightest of the Incans came to learn and study there. They made huge astrological discoveries and their water system and agriculture was mind boggling. Basically how Machu Picchu sits, its a natural fort. It is also the last point on the Incan trade trail before you go into the jungle [the Amazon]
We spent the majority of our day hiking around getting to see as many views and angles as possible. Taking it all in and basking in the moments that we were so blessed to spend on this mountain. This mountain holds so many stories and such rich history that we cannot even begin to understand or explain. I am just so grateful that I was able to be a small part of it.
By the evening we were back in town, we had to catch a train that took us back to Cusco.
Up next - just in time for my sister to arrive home tomorrow; the last part of our trip: Exploring Cusco
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