Hey Let's go to Machu Picchu!

Rise and shine! It's 4 am and the cab is here to take us to the train station. Bundle up with layers because it is cold outside. Rush, rush, rush to make it to the station, but once here, there is plenty of time to grab an overpriced Snickers bar and a cap to keep your ears toasty (like James and Bill) before the train is ready to leave. The train ride is beautiful. What else do you expect from Peru? Snap a few photos on the way into the mountain jungle.

Enjoy the beautiful scenery of Machu Picchu Pueblo (formerly known as Aguas Calientes), but don't linger too long. We've got to get up the mountain. No time for browsing the endearing tourist town just yet.

The bus ride takes us right up to the gate to Machu Picchu. Go through and look what you find!

Walk the ancient Inca streets like Basil here.

Let's all take a break to get some beautiful photos of the unique rocky architecture. Thumbs up! We are good to go again.

We climb above and take a view of the main plaza These Incas definitely didn't fear hiking constantly.

Hey, check out the Llama, but no touchie. There has been a sad lack of The Emperor's New Groove quotes up to this point, but now that you're here we will fix that. Llamas are like camels. Make them angry and they spit. Or sometimes they just spit for fun.

We all look up. There is still more hiking to go. The Guardian's Home or Watch Tower looms above us.

The Peruvian guide tells us that these rocks fit together so well that nothing cements them together. We ask him what the building was for, but it seems no one knows (except the dead Incas).

Rhoda gets antsy and must be put down. She wastes no time admiring the Inca irrigation system. Water still flows through a series of basins to this day. Rhoda wishes that she had come up with the idea first.

Once free, no one can stop Rhoda from climbing. She climbs into an Incan home. Good thing Dr. Fike is here to keep her safe (notice the perfect Rock work. This is definitely a royal home)!

Climbing that bench was not enough. Rhoda moves on to climbing buildings in the lower city where the peasantry lived (notice that the stone architecture isn't quite as nice).

Next our guide takes us to the quarry. The Incas didn't waste time lugging rocks up the hill. They chose a spot were the rocks were already there. How's that for city planning at 8,000 ft.

While at the stone quarry, we take turns using this traditional Incan "hammer." Can you imagine how long it would take to make the perfectly fitted stones?

The guide next brings us to a mini-botanical garden that shows the various plants that were covering Machu Picchu before it was cleared for tourists like us. No wonder the Spanish never found it.

Next, we head to the temple of the sun. You can see the small Basil who is next to be sacrificed.

Look at the beautiful mountains that can be seen through the windows of the temple of the sun.

Next, we take pictures in front of Huayna Picchu or Young Mountain. Only 400 tourists are allowed up a day which means you have to get there even earlier than we did.

Looking back, we can see the watch tower with Terraces below as well as the quarry in which we worked so hard.

If you ask the guide what this trail leads to, he says "it is the quickest path to Heaven." Let's move on to some place less steep.

Hey, get over here for the group shot with James, Bill, Maureen, Marisa, Rhoda, Kit, and Basil in front of Huayna Picchu.

After a light lunch, let's make our way to the lower city where the general laborers lived. Here you are really allowed to explore and see the individual homes and interesting architectural details (like nooks built into the wall for storage).

The beauty of the lower city is amazing. Those poor Incas didn't know they had it so good. . . maybe they were just scared of being sacrificed. Here everyone is waiting for us to catch up.

Check it out. A Rhoda-sized bench cut into this rock. It was like the Incas knew she would be there.

Here, Rhoda and Daddy take a break on a chair more daddy's size. Join us for a breather.

Look back at the lower city before we make our way up to the watch tower.

Let's get a picture with some of the guys: James, Bill and Basil or as Maureen called us Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow. You can't tell, but James is the tallest of us.

Doesn't Machu Picchu look beautiful from above?

Now for a family picture at the watch tower. Ah, perfect . . . wait, what is that teenager and her ipod doing in the picture? Could you ask her to move along? Yeah, neither could we.

Everyone needs a picture of Machu Picchu in front of the Watchtower. Yes, it is amazing.

Everyone who is not feeling too dehydrated needs to hike up to the Sun Gate. Kristen is so dehydrated that she can't get her thumbs out of this position.

Here Kristen and Marisa, dehydrated and giddy, stand upon the brink of the Sun Gate.

Now, with parched mouths and empty water skins, we begin our trek back down and comtemplate the . . . AAAHAHAAHAH, demon llama!!