Tag Archives: Peru

Machu Picchu Peru Clouds

Machu Picchu Peru Clouds

Machu Picchu Peru Clouds

When my bus got to Machu Picchu and I got unloaded I looked for Miguel, the guide I was supposed to meet at the CheckPoint at 6:40 AM. Miguel had a group of about 10 people. One thing about Machu Picchu is that you never know what the weather will be like. We had really thick fog early in the morning. It cleared off by noon, but not entirely. I heard stories that it could be foggy all day or relatively clear all day. There’s almost always some fog lingering around the site. I figured I got about as lucky as I could realistically hope for. By the afternoon I was getting some pretty clear pictures.

Machu Picchu Peru In the Mist

Machu Picchu Peru In the Mist

Machu Picchu Peru In the Mist

I think I was grateful for the morning fog. There was a bit of surrealism in the views in the morning. It must have been amazing to have lived there. There are more million dollar views than a person has aright to see in one day. During the 40 hour period from the time I left Cusco until I got back I snapped 165 pictures. I’m not sure how many minutes of HD video I recorded. The place was everything

Machu Picchu Peru View V

Machu Picchu Peru View V

Machu Picchu Peru View V

This view shows the river that is below Machu Picchu. I’m not sure how far below me the river was in this shot but I do know that there was no way I wanted to fall that far, One of the things that gives Machu Picchu such an impact on a person’s psyche is that it is so disorienting in terms of how high it is relative to the river below it that surrounds the site on three sides. It is also lower than the surrounding mountains on the other side of the river. I was constantly being reminded of the spatial disorientation that the site produces. Plus, I was always worried about tripping or falling on the stone walkways or stairs. Every time I went somewhere that the Incas had established a serious presence I was impressed by how they liked to live adjacent to high precipices that I found disorienting.

Machu Picchu Peru Banjos

Machu Picchu Peru Banjos

Machu Picchu Peru Banjos

One thing I can say is that you will spend money to visit a toilet in South America. It’s just a fact of life. Fortunately, it won’t be a lot. The price here is not $1, it is one Peruvian Sol or about 30 cents. Still, I found it annoying to have to fork over some money every time every time I needed to visit a restroom. Yet, I guess the alternative was to find myself walking into some pretty nasty places. Then again, even in the nicest of restrooms a toilet seat was a real luxury and you’d better make sure and have your own paper.

Machu Picchu Peru View I

Machu Picchu Peru View I

Machu Picchu Peru View I

Here we see another view of the river from another section of Machu Picchu. This view must have been a little later in the day as it’s much clearer. Yes, it’s still quite a drop no matter what time of day it is.

Machu Picchu Peru View II

Machu Picchu Peru View II

Machu Picchu Peru View II

Here is the best shot I got of the classic Machu Picchu view. I went there wondering if I was going to get to be able to return with one of those great shots that I’ve seen. While I know it’s just a snapshot I felt I got lucky and captured some of the essence of the place. If you look at the original size, you can get a lot more detail.