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Saturday - 13 April 2024 - Today would be a long one - up early to check out and head toward Machu Picchu.

Ollantaytambo with girl carrying alfalfa — First we would drive to Ollantaytambo where we walked through the town. As seen here, the town is built on top of the old Inca city. Many of the current shops and homes incorporate the old Inca walls. The walls on both sides of this street are Inca built.

The young girl is taking alfalfa to her 100 or so Cuys.

Unique Inca doorway — This is a unique Inca doorway - a typical trapezoid narrower at the top - but this one has a second doorway.

Cool to see a business using a door from the 1400s.

Local home with Cuy — Our guide took us to a local home which was an Inca room. In the room the man lived with his Cuy. There were a couple of other rooms around a small courtyard.

Virginia Ann feeding the Cuy — Virginia Ann feeding the Cuy.

Cal feeding the little Cuy.

Close up with Cuy — Up close with the Cuy - so cute, not sure how they can eat them.

Niches filled with skulls — The niches were filled with skulls. Our guide said they were the relatives of the man living there.

Ollantaytambo Archaeological Site — From the town we walked to the Ollantaytambo Archaeological Site.

During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region and built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest, it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance.

Battle of Ollantaytambo — In 1536, on the plain of Mascabamba, near Ollantaytambo, Manco Inca defeated a Spanish expedition in what is known as Battle of Ollantaytambo, blocking their advance from a set of terraces and fortifications built into the hillside.

Unbelievable rock work with precise carving — Unbelievable rock work where carving allowed the rocks to fit precisely with each other.

Hallway with niches leading to a trapezoid doorway — A hallway with niches leading to a doorway - in the typical trapezoid, used for strength.

Cal and Virginia Ann at the doorway — Cal and Virginia Ann at the doorway.

Grain storage bins and trails across the valley — Across the valley there are huge grain storage bins with trails connecting them to the valley floor and then on up to additional structures.

Carving on a rock wall — Carving on a rock wall - it is not inlay so the rest of the rock had to be chipped away to create the design.

Unusual rocks between boulders — Unusual rocks between boulders - maybe used to tie sections of the wall together?

View of Ollantaytambo from the top of the Archaeological Site — From the top of the Ollantaytambo Archaeological Site looking across Ollantaytambo city. To the right is the Sacred Valley and to the left is the Patacancha River valley.

From here we traveled a short way to the train station to catch the train to Machu Picchu.

It is from this town that the four-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu begins.

Urubamba River and Inca Trail crossing — The train follows the Urubamba River and the Inca Trail also follows along. It is at this point that the trail crosses the river and begins heading up into the mountains.

The rushing Urubamba River which we followed all the way to Aguas Calientes.

Point where only trains can access — We are now past the point where any car can access - just the train.

Clouds obscuring Andes heights — Clouds obscured the heights of the Andes mountains.

Train sidings and small stations — Every now and then we would pull into a siding to allow a train coming the other way to pass. This is one of the little stations.

Virginia Ann and Cal on the train’s back — Virginia Ann and Cal on the back of the train.

Train with windows in the roof for mountain viewing — The train is not very long - windows in the roof make viewing the tall mountains easy.

Urubamba River in Aguas Calientes — After 2 hours we are in Aguas Calientes - the little town on the Urubamba River below Machu Picchu.

The river Aguas Calientes flows through the middle of town.

Terraces and jungle trail to Machu Picchu — On our way to the top of Machu Picchu we walked alongside some terraces then through the jungle.

First view of Machu Picchu — This is where we popped out to enjoy our first view of Machu Picchu.

Fortunately the Spaniards never reached Machu Picchu, so it is relatively intact. Unfortunately that means that there are no written records of the site. So the uses of the buildings and site are pretty much speculation.

Most recent archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472). The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later, at the time of the Spanish conquest.

Tropical flora at 8,000 feet — It looks like Machu Picchu is very high - which it is - but it is only at 8,000 feet so the flora is very tropical compared to the higher Sacred Valley and the 11,000 feet of Cusco.

Cal taking of Machu Picchu — Cal taking one of a thousand pictures of Machu Picchu.

View of Huayna Picchu and Huchuy Picchu — The view from the terraces toward Huayna Picchu the taller mountain and Huchuy Picchu the smaller peak.

Machu Picchu is the name of the mountain the site sits on.

Machu Picchu with llamas grazing — Machu Picchu with two Llamas grazing on a terrace.

During its use as a city, it is estimated that about 750 people lived there.

Living area across the site — Looking over the living area across the site.

Beautiful view of Machu Picchu — Beautiful view of the city.

Cal and Virginia Ann at Machu Picchu — Cal and Virginia Ann at Machu Picchu.

Living quarters for nobility — Living quarters for the noble people.

Steep slope with stairs and terraces — You can see the steep slope the city is built on with stairs and terraces everywhere to control erosion.

Peaked roofs once covered in thatch — The peaked roofs would have been covered in thatch.

Central open area of the city — The center of the city is an open area.

Doorway into the noble area — A doorway into the site through the area where the nobles would have lived.

Chinchilla spotted at the site — A pleasant surprise - a chinchilla. We would see another one but not as photogenic.

Top of Huayna Picchu — The top of Huayna Picchu with terraces and ruins.

The Incas built a trail up the side of the Huayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top.

Temple of the Sun — The Temple of the Sun

This semicircular temple is similar to the Temple of the Sun found in Cusco and the Temple of the Sun found in Pisac.

Doorway with Huayna Picchu — Virginia Ann and Cal in a doorway with Huayna Picchu in the background.

Terraces used for farming — The terraces - probably used for farming.

Smaller terraces of questionable use — Smaller terraces - not sure how these could be used for farming.

Special rock work — The rock work is so special.

View between houses — A look from one house to another.

Niche in a wall — The ubiquitous niche in a wall.

Industrial area with mountain background — The "industrial area" with the clouds and the mountains in the background.

Stone carved to resemble mountain — It is believed that this stone was carved to resemble the mountain in the distance.

Structures hanging in midair — In the "industrial area" some structures seem to hang in midair.

Stairs to nowhere — And stairs seem to go nowhere.

Jungle maintenance required — The jungle would reclaim the site if not for constant maintenance.

Sun Gate at the entrance to Machu Picchu — The Sun Gate is the entrance high up on the mountain known as Machu Picchu. The Inca trail crests the hills and those hiking up see the ruins for the first time from this gate. They still have 30 minutes of hiking to the site.

Long staircase — Long staircase.

Condor Rock — Condor Rock - believed to be part of a temple. The Inca built on top of the bedrock.

Living quarters reaching terraces — The living quarters go all the way to the terraces.

Buildings clinging to steep slopes — Buildings clinging to the steep slopes.

Homes for important people — Homes thought to be for important people on the edge of the city.

Sunset over Machu Picchu — Our last view of Machu Picchu as the sun set.

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