Machu Picchu

I cannot begin to say how amaaaazing Machu Picchu is...the ruins, the view, the history. And I was there. Excuse me while I check reality again. Yes, where the stone walls stand among the peaks of the Andes in Peru, I stood, hiked, posed for photos with friends, and took over 300 pictures of my own. When I got back to the UAP, my roommate asked (en castellano, of course), "So how long were you at Machu Picchu? Two-three hours? Right...so you took like...2-3 pictures a minute!?" It's true, I went a little crazy. But can you blame me? Creo que tuve razon.


Everyone had to get a shot in front of the (get this) Forbidden Mountain. Renee and I got one in just before it started raining.


The rain was really refreshing after the hours trekking around the city in the sun with our guide. The clouds settled around the peaks shrouding the view in this clinging mist. Really gaahhr-geous!


Great "scope for imagination." I mean what more could a person want. Storehouses, hanging gardens, a rundown palace or two, temples, and a view that took my breath away. A dream come true. An experience of a lifetime.

Cuzco, Peru

On our way to Cusco from Lima the photo-frenzy began. The clouds were so beautiful and so close that I had to take a picture (or 30).


After landing and traveling through the city to our hotel, we were all served coca leaf tea (coca as in the plant used to make cocaine). Apparently, it's given to tourists to help with the altitude sickness-the city is about 10,000 feet above sea level. I don't know if it really helped, but I drank like 5-6 cups a day during during our stay. I thought about bringing some hojas de coca back with me, but thought again after remembering the police dogs roaming the Lima airport. Maybe another visit.


Our first night on the town, we ate at the INCA WALL dinner theater and enjoyed some folkcloric music and dance. Quality, quality. Then Renee, Anthony, Alan, and I hung around the Plaza de Armas. And as we know - there's ALWAYS time for a picture. Somehow we all matched - a little strange - but only reason for more fotos.


We spent our second day checking up on the Incan ruins in the area. At Saqsaywaman (ironically pronounced like "sexy woman"), Michelle and I busted out the cameras once again.