Megann's Blog: Peru (day five)

The magnificent travels of Megann Phillips: a journal

Day 06 in Peru

March 20, 2013

Once upon a March 19 (yesterday)

Yesterday was a was a stunningly beautiful day. The sun was shining as it does upon The Great Northwest in July, clouds drifting lazily through the top branches of the tall trees all around us. It was a prime day to observe exactly why the Peruvians call the wooded areas of the Sacred Valley "the cloud forest".

Our entire trip thus far has defied the pattern of Peru's traditional two-season weather pattern. Our stay falls in March, the last stretch of the six-month wet season, but aside from the occasional sprinkle, it's only rained at night. My nose as arms are red and tender from sunburns.

The cheerful weather made for a wonderful day at Machu Picchu. Elvis gave us a tour of the grand old fortress for two hours, showing us the iconic sundial at the city summit, sacrificial altars in the religious district, ruined storage buildings in the agricultural district, and simple homes in the residential district. In the center of the religious district of Machu Picchu, Elvis walked us through the cramped, cave-like temple of the condor; however, he (conveniently) avoided a few descending steps which Cara and I eagerly rushed to after our guided tour ended.

The passage around the stairs was even more cramped than the rest of the temple, and separated into two tiny, natural tunnels. We crouched to peek into the first, but saw nothing of interest. In the second. Which was slightly harder to squeeze into, we stopped our tracks after just passing through the entry; it was an archeological dig site filled with brushes and small buckets. The initial cavern was hardly more than a hole in the wall, but using my cell phone as a light, I could see another tunnel twist off to the right. It took every ounce of my will power not to dive into the middle of the site and explore every nook if the hidden marvel, but I unfortunately managed to keep an intelligent head on my shoulders and stay put.

Cara and I hypothesized that they both (I speak of the tunnels.) must have been graves for important priests, or something of the like. After all, what better place for a religiously devoted man to be buried than beneath a temple devoted to the messenger of the gods?

I made friends with at least a dozen stray dogs in Peru, but I think this one was my favorite. He was so affectionate and excitable; I wanted nothing more than to take him home with me!

Take a gander at that round temple off to the left-- Isn't it marvelous? And look closely at the tall peak situated behind Machu Picchu-- Near the summit, there sits what is hypothesized to be an ancient Inca astrological observatory called Wayna Picchu.