Ride Vista Dome Train to Ollantaitambo and Machu Picchu,
Visit Parque Arqueológical Ollantaitambo (Inca Ruins),
Visit Machu Picchu (Inca Ruins), Return to Cuzco
Getting to the Rail Station
Above Left: Getting to the Train, tight security too.
Above Right: Inca Rail.
Above Left: This is the only abused toilet that we saw in our 30 days in South America. It probably was not done by a South American
Above Right: The symbol reminds me of a New Mexico Sun Zia.
Ollantaitambo Village and Parque Arqueológical Ollantaitambo (Inca Ruins)
Above Left: We had arrived to Ollantaitambo (Tambo means Rest-Area and Ollantai is likely the name of an Incan General, there is a famous Play called Ollantai which is a story of Forbidden Love). The Ruins are on the hillside.
Above Right: An Incan King awaits some cat herding.
Above Left: Shops await the morning rush.
Above Right: A Mommy, Baby, and Daughter are walking in local dress. It took some studying, the daughter is wearing a backpack, probably for school.
Above: Ollantaitambo (Inca Ruins).
Above: We had a good guide who explained all that we could handle given a brief visit and restriction from visiting both of the hillside and hill top areas that are pictured.
Above: Ollantaitambo (Inca Ruins).
Vista Dome Train Ride to Machu Picchu
Above Left: Our Car.
Above Right: Terry and a little excitement.
Above: Dennis and Terry Struck on the Inca Train out of Cuzco and heading for Machu Picchu, Peru.
Machu Picchu Village
Above: We arrived at Machu Picchu Village Station (at 2040 m/6690 ft). We had Tickets with a pre-set time to ride a bus up to Macho Picchu (a 390 m/1280 ft zig-zag vertical and mostly single lane ascent), so we are going to spend some time wondering around town.
We were concerned as to whether it was going to rain or have clouds up at Machu Picchu (fog), I can tell you now that the cloud cover will rise for our on-station time and the weather conditions will become a artist's dream for photography purposes at the top.
Above Left: Tourist Trinkets.
Above Right: The best jewelry that we have seen in 30 days (is at Machu Picchu Village).
Above Left: Our view up creek.
Above Right: Our view down creek - The gathering of people is at the Bus Stop for the Machu Picchu Ascent.
Above Left: Crossing the creek.
Above Right: Inka Restaurant.
Above Left: Base of mountain.
Above Right: Top of mountain.
Above Left: Waiting for our Bus.
Above Right: Our Bus.
Machu Picchu or Machupicchu (meaning Old Man Mountain, 2430 m/7970 ft, Inka Ruins)
Above: Machu Picchu Site.
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel situated on a mountain ridge 2,430 meters (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District in Peru, above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometers (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows.
Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas" (a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba), it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.
Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Inti Watana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues.
Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll - Wikipedia
Interestingly, the mountain in the picture is called Huayna Picchu (or Wayna Picchu or Waynapicchu; meaning Young Man Mountain). The actual Machu Picchu (Old Man Mountain) is directly behind us.
Above Left: Wide view looking down toward the Village of Machu Picchu.
Above Right: Full zoom of the train in the bottom left corner of the left side image.
Above Left: We're heading Right; the Up-Trial leads back Left to Ollantaitambo Village on what is called the Inka Trail.
Above Right: The Inka Trail's Guard Towers.
Above Left: A Bromeliad Plaint is growing wild in a stone wall.
Above Right: The Tourist crowd at Machu Picchu trying to get the perfect overview picture or the perfect self-photos with Huayna Picchu (sometimes Wayna Picchu or Waynapicchu) in the background - See the following photos!
Above Left: Dennis and Terry Struck at the Machu Picchu Inca Ruins, Peru; 27 Sept 2016.
Above Right: Machu Picchu Inca Ruins (Huayna Picchu in the background), Peru; 27 Sept 2016.
We are looking almost due north and remember the sun is in the north (when you are south of the equator).
Above: Another handy reference map, this one from ParadiseInTheWorld.com.
Above Left: A work dwelling used as a home by natives of the area who maintained the roof exactly the way of the ancient Incas. The Inca Roofing art was not fully understood until the discovery of the two dwellings at Machu Picchu.
Above Right: Looking into the city from some Cultivation Terraces.
Above: Some close-ups of the roof thatching and the beam network's attaching method.
Above Left: Another close-up of the roof thatching and the beam network's attaching method.
Above Right: Huayna Picchu's Cultivation Terraces and some dwellings are showing through the midday mist.
Above: Area Zoom.
Above: Area Zoom.
Above: Area Zoom.
Above Left: House of the Guardians. one of the few buildings outside the main gate on the south end of the main village area.
Above Right: We are admiring the Big Rock / Little Rock practice.
Above Left: The high point is Intiwatana (ritual stone associated with the astronomic clock or calendar of the Inca) and the horseshoe low point is the Main Temple and sacred area. There is another close-up of the Main Temple that shows minimal damage, by construction design, from a great earthquake.
The Intiwatana at Machu Picchu, known as the "hitching post of the sun" is a carved rock pillar whose four corners are oriented toward the four cardinal points. The Inca were accomplished astronomers, and used the angles of the pillar to predict the solstices. The sun exerted a crucial influence on the agriculture, and therefore the well-being of the whole society. - Wikipedia
Above Right: The big rock outcrop has a natural underground passage way, so we know from experience that it will be a sacred place (tying the heavens, ground, and underground together). It is called the Condor Temple, it has some sophisticated features.
Above Left: The curved building (rare in Inca life) is the Temple of the Sun.
Above Right: Sacred Rock area.
Above Left: Main Temple exhibits earthquake damage.
Above Right: just right of the irrigation or aqueduct channel are Nustra's Bedroom (uncommon to have windows, Nustra means Sun, but Nustra was the name of a Princess, and can be another word for Royals), the Temple of the Sun, the Royal Tomb, Ritual Fountains, and the Royal Palace.
Above: The Main Gate (always with people nearby) and the 2 Stairways, the near stairway leads to the local cultivation fields and the far stairway is the Main Stairway and it leads all the way down to the river, it is high angle stairway and it is dangerous to walk down (walking up is no picnic either).
Above: 'Those People' at the Main Gate!
Above Left: See where huge wood beams would fit?
Above Right: The Temple of the Sun (it also has Cardinal Point, Equinox, and Solstice indicators).
Above: 1) Notice the Anchor Stone has an Eyelet for securing wood beams by way of cord.
2) Notice that the Anchor part of both the Eyelet and the Stone Stanchion is about 1/3 to 2/3 a Yard/Meter and most of it is cemented/affixed into the stone wall.
3) Notice that side of the wall has an Anchor Stanchion (at about 90 degrees to the Eyelet).
Above Left: Big chiseled, carved, and fitted boulders always indicate a religious/spiritual importance. This is a Sacred Area of the Temple of the Three Windows.
Above Right: Intiwatana - It tells the Cardinal Points, Equinoxes, and Solstices. In the English Language, the word Planning comes from the root word for Planting. Planning for Crop Planting is one of mankind's first and oldest repeatable tasks. The Calendar (Old French calendier, from Latin kalendarium ‘account book,’ from kalendae) facilitated recording for Planting and Religious/Spiritual events. In All non-equatorial cultures planning for planting evolved to be one of the first concepts that survival necessity drove as extremely important.
Above: Central Plaza .
For the record, that is Machu Picchu!
Above Left: Sacred Rock.
Above Right: Classic Angles.
Above: The edges of the carved layers match the cardinal directions. I believe that this was a Funeral Ritual area.
Above Left: Inti Machay - Cave to Honor the Underworld.
Above Right: The Condor of the Temple Condor to Honor the Heavenly World.
Above: Temple Condor.
Above: Drainage controls.
Above: The uphill and downhill buffer between the walled Inka city of Machu Picchu and its cultivation strips.
Above Left: Beautiful Plants.
Above Right: The Clouds are lowering, shadows are getting longer, and it is beginning to cool.
Above Left: Houses of the Crop Hands.
Above Right: We noticed, for the first time, that the Crop Hand homes do not have steepled rock gable ends (like the city homes) and we noticed that the rafter needs rafter ties (also called ceiling joists) for stronger rafter support.
Above Left: Our guide is helping another lady with Machu Picchu Passport Stamps.
Above Right: Our own Machu Picchu Passport Stamps in blue and black.
Serious Shopping in Machu Picchu and Waiting for Our Return Train to Cusco
Above: Supposedly the Inca Emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472, #9 Emperor). He has the Trifecta of Power, Condor who rules the skies, Jaguar who rules the earth, and Serpent who rules the underground. Emperor Pachacuti ruled the Inca Empire.
Above Left: The Parked Bus caught my eye.
Above Right: Terry knows what she wants; it is just a matter of the best price.
The Train Station and the (Not so Boring) Long Train Ride Back to Cusco
Above: The in one of the parade of characters that the Inca Train system uses to entertain homeward bound guests AND to sell exquisite Peruvian Alpaca Clothing to the passengers. They used a mix of professional models and train crew members. It proved to be very entertaining!
Above: Now the crowd is getting into it.
Above: Terry and the Masked Player.
Above Left: The show is over.
Above Right: Some of the players take an encore bow.
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