A place on a mountain

Stones placed in the green earth leading up the path. Stars were beginning to fade as the sky took on a blue jean color. How many more steps to the top? Unknown. But we kept walking until we were in the clouds. It looked like fog and as dawn approached all you could make out was your immediate surroundings. If the stones weren't HUGE steps leading upward, I wouldn't believe I was so high in the sky. All around were varieties of green plants with occasional bright flowers of pink, red and orange. I felt like I was in the rain forest as a butterfly with a brilliant blue and green floated near by. Oh yeah...the Amazon Basin is just miles away...so I guess it is the outskirts of the rain forest. Looking up with hope that the path was ending another long zigzag path lay ahead. Determined, we kept going just one step at a time...and almost two hours later we were at the top! What a great accomplishment.

Machupicchu...one of the seven new wonders of the world (well actually it's the Inca village near the mountain Machupicchu that's one of the seven wonders). Enclosed by rich green covered mountains, it's easy to see why no one found it until about 95 years ago. Now the stone walls and structures still remain making it a great place to explore (or get lost in). Wondering through rows of houses, the view from their stone windows was breathtaking!! Mountains with wisps of clouds covering parts of them. Continuing to wander an ending on a large stretch of green grass, it's easy to envision the place come alive. The Incas were a brilliant people group and this place was believed to have been a university as well as for royalty. These people depended on nature and honored the gods of the sun, water, moon and more, but it's interesting too because according to our tour guide they had a belief in one God..a powerful God who they honored the most...the creator God.

Favorite and most frustrating part of the place was the maze like characteristics it possessed. For those of you who know, Erin and I are both very good at directions and knowing how to get places and we were here too. Except only one problem. The place just didn't connect. We would be going in the direction of the exit, when we'd come across a wall or the edge of a cliff and have to turn around. So trying to leave was an adventure in its self. Good thing we weren't trying to escape or run away from someone cause we never would have made it. =0)

Now back in cuzco, we are preparing for our next adventure!!

Best parts of today? Erin getting a camera charger!!! Talking in French. Speaking broken Spanish with a wonderful girl and making a new friend. Riding through red mountains and talking to a couple Californians. Arriving back at our wonderful hostel. Taking a walk with Erin and getting around a scary dog. Eating mushy rice and tomato sauce for dinner. Talking to my sister and wishing her a Happy Birthday on the phone.