Machu Picchu pt 1

I'm having some difficulty uploading my photos, so for now I'll do a brief verbal walkthrough of Machu Picchu.

Shortly after the entrance gate you can see the edge of the city wall. Part of it was torn down, or paths put over it, to allow for an easy entrance. The very first thing I had to do was climb more uneven stairs. I found these to be even more difficult than Ollantaytambo because we didn't take a break on our way up, just went at it.

We viewed the many terraces the Inca used for farming and walked towards the "official" entrance to the city. The Inca coverd the doorway with a wooden door and on the inside of the doorway they had holes in the rocks to tie the door shut. We walked past a quarry, of which there are two, which consist of rocks which had presumably fallen long before the Inca. There was a "staircase to heaven" which was apparently never finished or moved to its proper location.

We continued up a small hill where there was a throne and a few temples. Inca structures have held really well, but  unfortunately one temple was a bit broken.

There is a long grassy plaza in the middle of Machu Picchu and one side has the entrance, quarry, and throne while the other had housing and other buildings. There was a small area where they had planted a garden to represent plants and flowers the Inca had grown.

We went to the other side with the houses and came face to face with the local llamas. They're in charge of mowing the grass, but at that moment they all decided they needed to go over to the dirt and roll around, I guess to cool off. I have a video of that, so hopefully I can post it here.

So, we continued to view more structures, a little bit repetitive, but still interesting. There was also a condor whose body and head are a carved rock in the ground and whose wings are two natural rocks that are conveniently wing-like.

The tour took about two hours and afterwards I wanted more photos of the entrance to the city. Unfortunately for me the entrance was all the way at the top and I was all the way at the bottom. I found a staircase along the wall that went straight up and took that. It was maybe 6 stories. Sadly, I had to take two breaks to make it.

I was on my own, so I took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes to tour the city. I came across a dog, my "Buddy," who was significantly emaciated. I quickly ran into a shop and the best thing I found was canned tuna. I followed Buddy around with the tuna, but he wasn't interested. Luckily  he was a smart dog and took me to a mercado where I was able to purchase some beef for him. A mere two soles provided a decent meal. I was finally able to get close to Buddy, he seemed weary of me, and I realized his coat was rough and dull, and his eyes had yellow drainage. I spoke with the local women and they said there was no vet in the entire city. The closest is Cusco. The only way to get out of Aguas Calientes is by train, and you can't take a dog on  the train. It made  no sense. I had to leave Buddy behind.

The train ride was much more interesting than the night before. I could see the beautiful scenery and had some entertainment. There was a "small snack" which was more like a meal with stuffed chicken, potatoes, cheese, and a dessert. Afterwards they had some guy come out in a creepy costume and dance. I guess it was traditional. And then in the Peruvian spirit, they had a fashion show to sell their expensive alpaca clothing.

I finally arrived back in Cusco on Monday night at about 7:30. I met my new housemates from Canada, had dinner, and promptly fell asleep.

Hopefully I can upload the photos tonight.