Machu Picchu

Wow. Machu Picchu has joined the very short list of places that have not only met but much exceeded expectations.
We set out this morning (along with hundreds of others) on the buses that run from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu. It was cold, dark and very wet and I have to say I was wondering whether it was going to be worth it. By the time we snaked our way through the half hour line up to get in the rain had stopped but we were still in thick cloud. We walked up to a high vanatage point and as Paull spent about half an hour giving us some of the history the cloud slowly cleared revealing more and more of the ruins until by the time he had finished it had completely cleared. What a sight. The ruins themselves are amazing and much more complete than I thought they would be but their location is just as if not more impressive. Perched high up, a lot higher than it looks in the photos on a narrow ridge with almost vertical drops down to a thundering river on three sides and towering mountains at the ends and accross the narrow valley.
The great thing about Machu Picchu is that because it is so complete there are so many stories to tell about what went on at the site. We spent an easy four and a half hours walking around seeing the many astrological features and hearing about the religous ceromonies that were performed. Paull is a fantastic guide with an obvious passion for Inca history and kept us enthralled for the whole time.
Once we got in the crowds tended to thin out a little bit and it wasn´t too bad at all for people. One bit of Australian celebrity spotting. We saw Liz Ellis the Australian netball captain taking a tour.
Hopefully I´ll get to a wireless site soon instead of internet cafes and get some more photos up.
We´re back in Cusco tonight and spend the whole day tomorrow on a Bus to Puna on the shores of Lake Titicacca.