Machu Picchu

    Time for another update on my travels as I have little to report from yesterday. Even though it was the 1st of March, the weather continues wintery, with much snow and ice underfoot. I ventured out in the evening with only shoes (can't wait to tuck my boots at the back of the hall closet!) as I only had a few steps from the car to the subway entrance. Thence to "Milestones" where I was meeting friends - all in the same building. How to beat winter Canadian style!

   This photo is of the ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru. I travelled there in 2008, just a year after I retired.The ruins are up in the Andes and, after a few days in Lima (beautiful city, I would love to go back and see more of it), we flew to Cuzco, a small town in the mountains and the closest centre to the ruins. You can either hike to the ruins or take the train which we did. The high elevation was a challenge and we needed a few days of acclimatization. It is one of the most impressive sights I have seen and can only imagine the effects on the explorers who discovered it. The Incas only occupied the fortress for a few hundred years before being obliterated by the Conquistadors in the 16th century. The place was swarming with llamas who were quite tame, and a few other tourists like ourselves. A mist covered the area in the morning as it is in a basin between the two peaks, but this burned off by midday and we were able to climb to the highest point to take some magnificent photos. If you would like to know more about the history of the sight, post a comment.