Video: Rafting the Urubamba

As I write this post there are a LOT of guns going off outside. But they are happy guns, if you can imagine that. At least in Puno City, it would seem, the election has gone well. And that is probably good news for travelers like you and I. What that will inevitably mean for this beautiful, rapidly developing country will be determined in due course. Did you know that every Peruvian citizen is required to vote? If for some reason you cannot cast your ballot, there is a fine assessed. Interesting! And just now honking horns and loudspeakers have joined the early evening serenade! Its going to be a long night. Maybe we should go out there and observe the festivities? Hmm, lets not and say we did!

Getting back to our adventure, what followed our kayaking escapade in Ollantaytambo is for many the reason to travel to Peru... Machu Picchu. Have you heard of it? It is the “Lost City of the Incas”; who were interrupted in its final construction due to the invading Spanish Conquistadors in the mid-1500's. Those pesky invaders destroyed most of the Incan temples and buildings in Peru, as they established Catholicism. But Machu Picchu was never discovered due to its extreme isolation, nestled within the depths of the Andes Mountains. It was exactly 100 years ago (this is the centennial year), that Hiram Bingham of the United States discovered this relatively intact ancient citadel. In 2007 is was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Truly deserving of this honor, it is a spellbinding display. So captivating is this ancient city, perched upon a mountaintop, that its popularity has lead to strict limits to the number of visitors allowed per day. Are you now just a bit curious? In the next several posts we will make that trek, that pilgrimage, to one of the most sacred sites on our planet.

(Please be patient, I may be without internet for the next several days)