Pictures here
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I was ready to be impressed by Machu Pichu from all the hype about it, and it definitely lived up to its reputation. Pictures and words can’t really describe the grandness of it. When I was up there, I didn’t take that many pictures, but rather just let it all soak in. More than just being visually impressive, Machu Pichu tells the story of the Incan empire that at its height stretched from Santiago de Chile to Colombia. The construction of Machu Pichu itself only began in the 15th century and abruptly ended in 1530′s when the conquistadores came.
On the site and many of the other ruins near Cuzco, I saw huge rocks like these which were abandoned in place. 
When the huge boulders are put in place, they look something like this. 
At Ollantaytamco, another Incan ruin, one of the guides explained that the Incans actually moved huge granite boulders from a mountain 10 km away. They would cut it on the mountain, move it down that mountain and down the Urubambo river and then up to the site where they were building the temples. They put small river rocks and llama fat on ramps which led up to the building sites. Here´s another use for fat besides cooking and eat.
Their accuracy of cutting the stones were so accurate, some of the temples did not need clay or mud to secure the stones together. Like this temple 
The day after visiting Machu Pichu, I climbed Putukusi, one of the mountains surrounding The Lost City. 
There were many gnarly vertical stairs like this one. 
And here´s a view of Machu Pichu from Putukusi. 
Getting crazy on top of the mountain!
And the absolutely necessary dramatic photo of any trip. 
This is the actual mountain Machu Pichu that is right above the ruin.
Llama looks like this. They roam the ruin and stalk tourists.
Grandadilla – this is one of my favorite fruits now. I have been gorging on them since Guatemala.
And this unamed fruit is super juicy.
A typical plate in Peru, rice, fries and some meat – sometimes with onions and tomatoes too. This is Alpaca meat, pretty tasty. I haven´t tried the baked Guinea Pig yet because I didn´t want to disgust Daniele too much.
More pics from other ruins at Moray
I am in Puno, Peru now on the shores of the world´s highest lake, Lago Titicaca. Plan to spend tomorrow night on one of the islands with a local family, down to Arequipa and then Chile!