Machu Picchu

— When we were going to hike Huayna Picchu (the mountain in the background in the photo above), we were lucky to walk through Machu Picchu at sunrise. What a magical site to see! Although we returned in the afternoon to experience more of Machu Picchu, it was great to be there early in the morning. The sun was beginning to rise on the mountains on our right as Machu Picchu was beginning to wake up to the thousands of tourists that would soon be enjoying this UNESCO World Heritage site. This historic sanctuary is 7,972 ft (2,430 m) above sea level. This is likely the most incredible site of the Inca Empire in Peru. To get to the site, you can hike up or take a bus that winds and zig-zags a very frightening one-lane road. To make matters more nail-biting, 2-3 times up the mountain, your bus will encounter other buses coming down. How they navigate this one-lane dirt road is something one sees in movies! I confess I was looking away when our bus had to let another pass us by. You can see the narrow road in my previous posting about Huayna Picchu.