Macchu Picchu is unreal in real life. The beauty of this Inca palace set in the middle of the Andes mountains really can't be described in less than 4 pages. The Incas were very resourceful and practical people and they really loved living in the Andes mountains. In fact, the higher the better. Their settlements are truly on top of mountains, with an extensive system of stone footpaths connecting their cities. I just can’t help but think that if they spent a little less time building temples to Inti the Sun God and a little more time perfecting weaponry, a written language, and the wheel, they might not have lost their entire empire to the Spanish in a day. But I’ve never built a system of elaborate aqueducts channeling a mountain river, carved stones with such precision that there is no need for cement to seal them, or constructed a building that would withstand earthquakes for 700 years. So I guess I’ll give them their due credit.
Wyatt, Graham, and Owen loved it here. It is a little boys paradise. Lots of stones to jump on and terraces to climb. They only got busted 3 times by the whistle-blowing guards. We spent 2 days here and tried to hike one of the Inca trails to the top of one of the mountains. But it was drizzling rain and just too far...those crazy Incas.
More Peru Drink facts:
Diet Coke is not readily available: Coca-cola zero is mass marketed.
Dr. Pepper does not exist here and is what Graham misses most about the U.S.
Inka Cola tastes like a mix of Mountain Dew and Robitussin but these people dig it.
Cuscuenos is the local beer: a little bit lighter than a regular Budweiser.
Today was very much a "tourist day" but every bit worth it.
From now on when people sneeze I'm going to say "Hiram Bingham" instead of "Bless you". The departed Hiram is the Yale archeologist who discovered Macchu Picchu (which sounds a lot like Achoo when you sneeze). The kids get a laugh out of it and I figure it's a can't miss way to help them get chicks.
One cool thing I must add. The transport back to Sol y Luna from MP was by train. PeruRail. My expections of railways are very low. Eurail in the mother-land is bare bones but reliable. TGV in France will get you there quick once you get moving. I don't even want to guess about Amtrack. But PeruRail came with a dinner tray and... get this... a clown down the aisle for the kids followed by a bass pounding fashion show where the steward and stewardess were the models sporting the latest in Alpaca-wear! INcredible!
Sounds beautiful. So glad you all are having a great time. Be safe and keep us updated when you can. The pictures are amazing - can't wait to see them all and hear all about the trip. Tell Graham when he gets to Bham he will have all the Dr. Pepper he can drink! Heard you picked up on some Oreos and Crackers yesterday.
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