Onward to Cambodia: Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields

In 2 days, we will be making our overland journey into Cambodia. We are definitely looking forward to visiting the main Cambodian attraction, the Angkor Archeological Park near Siem Reap,  which people claim is even more spectacular than Machu Picchu! 

However, we cannot ignore the late 70s genocide by the Khmer Rouge that wiped out 1/3 of the country's population.  Some of our travels take us to cool places like the beaches of Thailand, but we think it's important to witness other, more sobering places like Cambodia.

The sad and dark history probably evades most people's memory, either because we were too young to recall, but more likely because it occurred in the shadow of post-Vietnam War and the rest of the world either turned their heads or simply did not know what was going on in Cambodia.  They were "forgotten". 

Visiting Cambodia requires historical context.  We've been brushing up on Khmer Rouge history, Killing Fields, and the infamous S-21 torture prison in Phnom Pehn.  We challenge you to at least read the history of Cambodia via Wikipedia and watch the movie, "The Killing Fields", again.  We did.  We also finished reading Haing Ngor's compelling personal story of survival in his book, "Survival in the Killing Fields".*shock* *sob*

Like the holocaust, it's unbelievable that fellow humans did this to each other.  Particularly in Cambodia, they were killed by their own flesh and blood.  Learning the history makes us acutely aware that genocide still occurs and can go on without being detected.  Yet, be able to celebrate their resilience by experiencing a very ancient and amazing culture.  

Cambodia, here we come!

Historic Bangkok: Grand Palace and Wat Po

At the Grand Palace

We can't remember the last time someone said they're going to Bangkok for the historical sites.  Usually, it's the food, nightlife, and shopping that attracts the visitors.  However, as capital of Thailand, there are some very cool historical things to see in between the hangovers from previous night's gluttony. 

Here's a few interesting tidbits about this area:

Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized by a European power and is sometimes referred to "the land of the free".  The Thai monarchy has been in continuous existence since the founding of the Kingdom Sukothai in 1238.  King Rama IX (HRH Bhumibol Adulyadej) is the ninth ruler under the Chakri Dynasty since 1782, and is the world's longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history since 1946.  He was actually born in Massachusetts while his father attended Harvard University (so, that makes him American by birth?). By law, it is a crime to criticize, insult, violate, or defame the royalty, punishable by imprisonment.  Yup.  No texting, Facebooking, hypothesizing, etc. about the King out loud.

Chao Phraya River and Wat Arun
in background on west bank 

The history of Bangkok dates at least to the early fifteenth century, when it was a village on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River that eventually grew into the current capital on the east bank of the river under King Rama I.  Before most of the canals were filled or built over for city expansion, Bangkok was referred to as the "Venice of the East".  The full Thai name of Bangkok is, "Krung thep mahanakhon amorn ratanakosin mahintharayutthaya mahadilok popnoparat ratchathani burirom udomratchanivetmahasathan amornpiman avatarnsathit sakkathattiyavisnukarmprasit" (กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลกภพ นพรัตน์ราชธานี บุรีรมย์อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์) and is listed as the world's longest location name by the Guinness Book of Records.  In English it means, "The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of Ayutthaya of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn".

As far as historic places, our visit focused primarily on the two main ones: (1) The Grand Palace and (2) One of the more famous buddhist temples - Wat Po.  Home of the Reclining Buddha.  These 2 sites are right next to each other in the Old Bangkok, Rattanakosin District.  Just when we thought we couldn't take another cathedral, church, or mosque; we have gladly welcomed a whole new level

of architecture and religion to admire!

Zion, the Wall, Holocaust Museum, New Jerusalem, and Sukkot

Kind of a boring title but that's exactly what we did on Day 153 of our travels.

We would've also added Dome of the Rock to the title, but we decided not to stay in the long Disneyland-esque line, waiting in the scorching Middle Eastern sun for over an hour to see...more mosques.  The mosque is built on top of the foundation of the Second Temple so it happens to be the holiest place for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims.  However, non-Muslims can only go into the Temple Mount space, and cannot enter the Dome of the Rock or the Al-aqsa mosques anyway, plus we've literally seen dozens of mosques for the past 6 weeks, so we let this one go.  We took some photos from the exterior.

Temple Mount compound.  Gold Dome of the Rock sits on top of Temple foundation and the Al-aqsa mosque to the right with the black dome.  Note the long line already formed at 8am.  The Wailing Wall is in front of the gold dome on other side of the bridge leading into the compound.  

After walking through Jaffa Gate of the Old City, we walked past David's Tower and ruins of King Herod's palace remains, kept going through the Armenian Quarter, and found our way to Zion Gate, which led us out of the Old City walls onto Mount Zion.

History of the Holy Land at Israel Museum

Cool artwork at the Israel Museum

Instead of scrambling to the Old City on our first day in Jerusalem, we decided to start our orientation of this Holy place at the Israel Museum.  We felt it was important to get a good understanding of the historical events that have shaped this part of the world since the beginning of time; how all three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - consider Jerusalem one of the holiest places on earth; and the development of the Israelites and Jews to present.  

Having grown up Christian, the whole experience at the Israel Museum was surreal because we were able to see archeological evidence that corrobates much of the stories we read in the Bible.  Not that we ever doubted the stories, but it brought everything about the inhabitants in this region to life from a non-biblical perspective.  It was neat to see how the Canaanites and Phillistines lived; the emergence of Israelites; inscriptions pertaining to King David and King Solomon; the Romans and King Herod; and how the Jews have gained and lost Jerusalem many times over centuries.  

4th Day in Istanbul: A Photo Journey Through Topkapi Palace Harem

Take a journey of the Topkapi Palace Harem and palace grounds with us through these photos!

A BIT OF BACKGROUND...

Topkapi Palace was first built under the order of Sultan Mehmet II, the Ottoman conqueror of the Byzantines.  The palace, overlooking the Sea of Marmara, was the residence for many generations of Ottoman Sultans for 400 years since 1465.  In the late 19th century, the Sultan's home relocated across the bridge to the more European Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus Strait. 

2nd Day in Istanbul: Full of Really Old Things

We've been seeing a lot of history and ancient things on our travels, but we knew we were REALLY going to see some old and grand things when we got to Istanbul! 

As the center of many empires that have come and gone since the beginning of time, Istanbul offers an overwhelming amount of history and culture.  Ruins from ancient cities share prime real estate with modern buildings.  There are so many ancient artifacts, they are strewn all over the grounds of the archeological museum.  Every structure is a living history and testament to the power and grandeur that ruled this part of the world. 

Serbia, The Bad Boy of the Balkans

To understand the ongoing conflicts in the Balkans, you have to get to know Serbia's roots, its complex history and people.

For example, the Serbs occupied the entire Balkans Peninsula in the early centuries until the Ottoman-Turks conquered and ruled for 500 years.  In the 20th century, despite being part of a larger socialist federation of Yugoslavia, Serbia continued to be the political center of the federation and called the shots.  Yugoslavia's collapse in 1992 opened up 'opportunities' for extreme Serbian nationalists to push their  'Greater Serbia' agenda forward under the leadership of the infamous Slobodan Milosević, resulting in bloodshed, wars, and atrocities such as ethnic cleansing.  As punishment and disapproval, the world isolated Serbia in response to their behavior. 

Day 126: A Busy Sightseeing Day in Sarajevo

Akiko in kitchen of 17c.
Bosnian nobleman's house -
The Svrzo's House.

Blog covers 3 main sites visited this day: Sarajevo War Tunnel, Svrzo's House, and the National Museum, plus a few others!

SARAJEVO WAR TUNNEL
Sarajevo is also dubbed the City of Hope, for enduring the 3.5 year Siege from 1992-1995 by the Serbs, who were literally neighbors and living amongst each other in Sarajevo.  It all started when Bosnia and Hercegovina declared independence from the socialist federation of Yugoslavia - made up of Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovenia.  The Serbs living in Bosnia had a different plan than those who declared independence, so they encircled the city of Sarajevo by stationing themselves in the surrounding hills and assaulted the city - civilians, women, children, and especially cultural and religious buildings of significance - with mortar, machine guns, grenades, etc. Snipers stationed themselves in high-rise buildings and picked-off anyone in the streets.  Over 11,000 civilians and 1,500 children were killed in Sarajevo.  This became the longest siege in modern warfare.  Air strikes against Serbian military strongholds by NATO, of which the United States played a large role in, finally pressured Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia (yup, THAT guy) to come to the negotiation table to end this war.  The Dayton agreement was signed in....Dayton, Ohio of all places, at the Wright-Patterson AFB.

Sarajevo - A Religious and Cultural Melting Pot, Or Is It?

Tasli Han ("stone inn") ruins against
backdrop of minaret from Gazi
Husrev-Beg mosque and Clock Tower.

We are so excited to experience the diverse and complex city of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH) where religions have coexisted for centuries; where the 1984 Winter Olympics was hosted; where major historical events occurred such as the assassination that ignited WWI; and survived a major civil war atrocity in the 1990s called the Siege of Sarajevo, for which the city shows permanent scars.  But, the people have proven resilient and all outward appearances seem optimistic about the future with their fledgling independence and ethno-religious peace agreement.  They have definitely made Sarajevo into a must-visit destination.  

Buenos Aires - Plaza and Avenida de Mayo

Plaza de Mayo and Avenida de Mayo is probably the FIRST place most tourists visit in Buenos Aires (BA), but alas, it's one of our last places on our list to sightsee.  We couldn't claim to have been in BA without having gone to the historic and political center of BA with the massive Obelisk tower that looks like the Washington Monument; or having a photo taken in front of the famous balcony of the pink Presidential Palace, Casa Rosada; or, visiting the oldest Cafe Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo; or the first subway line in South America; and finally finishing at the National Congress Building, home to the seat of the Argentine government.  We finally saw all that in the Monserrat District (also referred to as Microcentro and Congreso) on Saturday, Day 89 on our sabbatical around the world.

Buenos Aires - Retiro District

We started our walkabout tour in the Barrio Norte neighborhood, home to the famous El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore in a former theatre on Santa Fe Avenue and Callao.  Before coming to Buenos Aires (BA) we didn't know a whole lot about its city landmarks and buildings, but one place we had heard about was the "bookstore in the theatre".  Surely, there were actual customers buying books in this 21,000 square foot space, but there were equal numbers of tourists in awe (including us) at the amazing architecture and the sheer genius of converting a theatre into a bookstore.  Of course the seats have been removed to accommodate the bookshelves; however, the theatre box-seats remained intact where we saw visitors lounging in the velvet chairs, reading a good book.  On the stage was a nice size cafe serving full meals, coffee, drinks, desserts.  We only had some coffee and a mid-afternoon snack, but the entrees looked very appetizing.  We thought it was ingenious of them to put the cafe/restaurant on the stage.  After all, when do most people get to be in the center of the stage, ever?  Looking up, we could still see the theatre lighting, cat walks, purple velvet curtains, and all the behind-the-stage mechanics.

Buenos Aires - Recoleta District

We are enjoying how each of the Buenos Aires' (BA) neighborhoods have unique characteristics that distinguish themselves from the others.  Over the weekend, we took another self-guided walking tour of another district, Recoleta.

Recoleta is just north of downtown, and according to Lonely Planet, "the Rolls Royce of BA.  It's where the rich live in luxury apartments and mansions while spending their free time shopping in expensive boutiques such as Cartier and Armani.  It's where the privileged proudly walk their purebred dogs and have their hair dyed an even bluer hue.  It's where the elite sip at elegant cafes in their best Sunday threads, even on Thursdays.  And, it's where they're all finally put to rest."

Yes, the Recoleta cemetery takes up a large portion of this district.   We expected to walk around a "regular" cemetery, never anticipating we would be sucked in to another "city" of sorts.  This cemetery is a labyrinth of many streets flanked by impressive statues and marble sarcophagi.  In the crypts lie many of the city's elite and famous, including past presidents, military heroes, politicians, and the rich and famous, including Evita.  We thought you would have to be quite rich to have one of these sarcophagus built for yourself.  Some of them were bigger than our house, and definitely more ornate than many churches we've seen!  A photographer could spend hours wandering around this place. It's one of those moments that I actually wished I carried around a real camera. It was that amazing.

Besides the cemetery, Recoleta is the home to the National Library of Argentina (in the ugliest building we've ever witnessed), National Art Museum, plenty of bronze monuments to military heroes, parks, and university schools.

Buenos Aires - Puerto Madero, the Port District

Another day spent exploring a new part of Buenos Aires (BA)!  Today, we went to the Puerto Madero area.  This is the newest district in BA that converted its old brick warehouses into some of the ritziest lofts, offices, hotels, and restaurants along the formerly abandoned shipping port. It's only a stone's throw away from the center of the city, too. We knew BA was a port city, but this was the first time we set eyes on actual water since we've been here for a week.  The cobblestone lined promenade along the dikes are a nice place to stroll and admire the interesting architecture; although on a Friday afternoon, it felt like we landed in the middle of a high school field trip.  Huge groups of teenagers running amok made for a less peaceful experience, but we sheltered ourselves under a cafe awning and paid an exorbitant $30 for 2 beers to enjoy the view without the Argentine teeny-boppers (and well worth the expense).  We didn't make it to the large ecological reserve, sandwiched between Rió de la Plata and the Puerto Madero promenade and dikes, but how it came to be is interesting.  In the 1970s, as an urban development plan, they filled about 865 acres of the river banks. However, this project was called off and the landfill abandoned from development.  Over the next decade, numerous species of plants, trees, animals, and birds began to settle in this area - becoming a rich natural reserve for local flora and fauna!  How cool is that?!

Buenos Aires - Belgrano Neighborhood

A 45-minute walk north of our neighborhood in Palermo got us to the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires (BA).  There's a few historically significant buildings and monuments, but since it is in the northern most district of BA, opposite of the city center, most of the people walking about are porteños (locals) just going about their business.  

We explored Belgrano because we almost rented an apartment in this neighborhood instead of Palermo.  Depending on the location, the neighborhood seems to be closer to the subway stations, has a lot more high rise condos, and a very busy commercial shopping strip along the main thoroughfare of Cabildo Avenue.  In the quieter streets, there are old mansions intermingled amongst modern high-rises, but the neighborhood just didn't seem charming and quaint as the one we are in, so we are glad we decided on Palermo!

One huge advantage (in Akiko's estimation) of Belgrano is a couple Asian markets in Chinatown and a non-sushi Japanese izakaya (pub) restaurant.  

Other than that, we took in a few significant landmarks and enjoyed walking around the neighborhood on this sunny day.  

10 WORDS BELGRANO
Busy > Commercial > Midtown-NY > Traintracks > Asian > Bustling > Crowded > Locals > Retail > TimesSquare (Cabildo and Juramento)

THINGS TO DO
1.  Monuments and historical buildings around General Manual Belgrano Square on Avenida Juramento
2.  View the artwork at Enrique Larreta Spanish Art Museum
3.  Window shop along the busy commercial street of Avenida Cabildo
4.  Visit Chinatown, buy some Asian groceries, eat at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant
5.  Admire the huge magnolia tree at the Belgrano Cliffs park

HISTORY
"In 1855, a settlement located north of Buenos Aires was named Belgrano in honor of the military man, politician and creator of the Argentine flag. The village soon grew in population and, in accordance with 19th century’s standards, was declared a city. In 1880, it served as seat of the National Government during a conflict with the city of Buenos Aires’ authorities. Once this disagreement was settled, a law was passed in 1887 including Belgrano into the capital city as one of its districts. Nowadays, Belgrano is a lively commercial area, especially around Cabildo Avenue. In this district, ancient mansions and stately dwellings coexist with tall and modern buildings." -Sitio oficial de turismo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, http://bue.gov.ar/

As described, we did see "ancient mansions and stately dwellings coexisiting with tall and modern buildings."

The historical ground zero of Belgrano is General Manuel Belgrano Square. His life size statue stands in the middle of the square, flanked by Immaculate Concepcion Parish Church with a beautiful rotunda.

We didn't go inside, but here's the exterior of the Enrique Larreta Spanish Art Museum, showcasing Enrique Larreta's extensive Spanish art collection at his former residence, collected throughout his career as an ambassador and writer.

This humongous magnolia tree sits in a place called Belgrano Cliffs where the waters of the Río de la Plata washed up against this embankment until the mid-19th century, after which the land dried up when the railroads were built. We were expecting an actual cliff, but it was more like a very small slope! We cannot imagine the waters coming this far in.

We took a rest at a very cozy cafe, Salvame Maria, and Akiko had to sit next to these amazing croissants!

Across the tracks becomes Chinatown.

Of course we found an Asian market! Typical of one, there were aisles of fresh tofu, tofu and fish balls, dried mushrooms, ready-made sushi rolls, an eatery inside, huge seafood market, rows of noodles, etc.

We scoped out a Japanese izakaya (pub) in Chinatown that isn't a sushi place. We've seen plenty of Japanese restaurants in Peru and Buenos Aires, but they're all sushi joints, as if that's the only type of Japanese food. We are looking forward to trying out Nobiru, sometime in the next couple of weeks.

...but, until then, we made do with a bowl of curry udon (カレーうどん) noodles from ingredients we bought at the Asian market for dinner!

Oh, almost forgot about this very large Japanese anime/manga store!!

Well, that was our adventure for today!

Day 68: The Magic and Mystery of Machu Picchu

A lot has been written about Machu Picchu since Hiram Bingham III brought the place to the world's attention in 1913. A myriad of resources can easily be accessed about Machu Picchu, so we will not attempt to rehash the history here. Here are a few tidbits that WE found interesting:

1. Machu Picchu is actually the name of one of the mountains surrounding the ruins. It means "old mountain."
2. Incas were experts at agriculture, creating terraces that acted as microclimates whereby corn, potatoes, quinoa, and other crops could be tested and bred to maximize the growing capacity. They needed reliable growing methods of foods to sustain the large Incan population that lived in many differing climates.
3. Incans hauled fertile soil and white granite rocks from the valley 1000 feet below, up to Machu Picchu.
3. Machu Picchu may have been a place for military, spiritual, and political leaders from Cusco (the capital) to meet and discuss affairs of state in a secluded and secure place.
4. Hiram Bingham was NOT the first person to discover Machu Picchu.
5. 3 people explored it in 1901; an engineer spotted it from a distance; 2 englishmen climbed up to the ruins in 1906; and a German businessman may have discovered and plundered the site in 1867.
6. Locals knew about Machu Picchu. 2 native farmers were using the terraces for farming when Bingham came upon them during his "discovery."
7. No one really knows why Machu Picchu was abandoned for sure, but in the 1500s, officials and dignitaries decided to leave in fear of execution depending upon who won the Incan civil war, which corresponded with the fatal diseases brought over by the Spaniards, which corresponded with the Spanish conquest.
8. Incans were NOT the first people to habitate Machu Picchu. There is evidence that the first constructions date back 4000 years, or longer, by the Uran Pacha and Hanan Pacha cultures.
9. The precision of masonry, square and refined stones with smooth surfaces are most likely Uran Pacha construction; while the roughly assembled, smaller size, quarried rocks, and field stones are Incan construction.
10. We were surprised at how accessible the ruins were. Except for just a few roped off areas, the entire place and mountains can be accessed. Very cool...and dangerous. Many stairways and paths lead to nowhere but off a cliff. The uneven stone walkways and stairs can be slippery. We can imagine people slipping and falling to their deaths, but who knows - there are really no published reports on deaths in Machu Picchu that we could find.

However, the most interesting aspect about Machu Picchu is its mystery. Despite its popularity and continued archeological research, there's very little known facts about this place. Much of the published details and information provided by tour guides are speculation only.

No matter, whether you know lots about Machu Picchu, or nothing at all, you may find yourself in awe and overcome by emotion by this truly mysterious and magical place. That's how we felt after going through the ticketing gate and walking up a path to a sudden opening, overlooking the terraces and the city ruins. Our initial thought? "Wow, we can't believe we're actually here! It looks just like the postcards, except real!". We are guessing that the hikers on the Inca Trail may have an even more emotional response when, after 4-days, they make their last turn to a full view of Machu Picchu for the first time from a higher point.

The trip to Machu Picchu is a long one, regardless of whether you choose to hike the Inca Trail or take the train/bus. Plus, they limit the entry tickets to 2500/day, so advance planning is necessary. Therefore, this was one of our few planned parts of our sabbatical. Should you wish to climb the famous mountain, Huayna Picchu, pictured all of the postcards, tickets are limited to 400/day for good reason. It is a vertical and dangerous climb, but people say the torture is totally worth it for the view.

The usual route is for people to fly into Lima, spend a night, fly to Cuzco, spend a night, take a train from Poroy (20 min. from Cuzco) to Machu Picchu Pueblo. Some spend the night in the town, then go to the ruins the next day. Some try to travel to Machu Picchu, explore the ruins, and leave...all on the same day. We thought our plan of spending 3 days in Cuzco to acclimate to the altitude helped us with the 5 hours of hiking around Machu Picchu without any problems, although we understand not every has that kind of time.

In total (not counting an international flight to Lima), we spent $168/pp on round trip StarPeru flights; $152/pp on round trip PeruRail train ride; $17/pp on round trip bus ride to the ruins; $50/pp admission into Machu Picchu; plus food and lodging for about 7 days ranging from low-budget to luxury. There are a couple very luxurious accommodations at $800/night! We were right at around $150/day for lodging and food. Not exactly a cheap trip, but totally worth it.

Many go to Machu Picchu before dawn to view the sunrise, so the buses start running around 5:30 am. Tickets can be purchased in advance or day of. Plenty of buses run all day long so we had no problems getting a seat, quickly. Or, to save yourself $17, you can hike (more like climb) the 1000 feet vertical face of the mountain that takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.

[Caption: note the zig-zag dirt road for the buses in the distance.] After a crazy 20 minute bus ride up a narrow, dirt road with switch backs - where we literally came within 10 feet of a head-on collision with another bus coming down - we arrived at the ticketing gate around 8 am. [See our YouTube video of the bus ride.] To enter, we had to show our passports with our tickets at the gate. The attendant welcomed Akiko in Japanese. :). There were many private tour guides eager to show us around, but we opted to go solo and save the $80 - $150/pp. We probably missed some details, but enjoyed the freedom to go wherever we wanted to. We heard a lot of tour guides rushing their clients through the sites, while we had plenty of time to take side excursions, relax, enjoy the view, and meditate.

For $4.99, we actually downloaded a book to our Kindle, published in 2012 titled, "Machu Picchu: Virtual Guide and Secrets Revealed" by Brien Foerster. Not only did this book give us a history of the Incas, it gave us a nice self-guided walking tour of the sites, as well as recommended treks outside of the ruins, such as the hikes to the Sun Gate and Inca Bridge. With this book, we learned enough about the sites to make it interesting.

And now, the part you were waiting for. Here are just a few of our photos we took.

[Below: map of Machu Picchu.]

[Below: we entered onto the terraces from the buildings on the far side to a full view of the terraces and ruins. The Incans mastered the construction of terraces, which can be found on mountainsides all over their former empire.]

[Below: llamas and alpacas grazing on the terraces - a natural lawn mower, and friendly, too!]

[Below: our first main goal was to hike up many many stairs to the former guardhouse at the top of these terraces for one of the best views of the entire place.]

[Below: view of guardhouse. Also, where the Inca Trail ends.]

[Below: Mike walking the last 20 meters or so, of the Inca Trail.]

[Below: called a funerary rock, possibly a place for meditation, carved out of solid granite.]

[Below: postcard perfect! View our YouTube video of panorama here.]

[Below: a panoramic view.]

[Below: traffic jam of Japanese tour group trying to get through the main gate used by the Incas to go into town.]

[Below: Mike said his new house would be a lot better if Akiko brought over a bottle of wine as a housewarming gift.]

[Below: Akiko claimed this house for herself, but the doorway is rather small. Incans were short statured and thin.]

[Below: a series of windows.]

[Below: Temple of the Three Windows.]

[Below: Akiko hugging the stones of the Principal Temple in the Sacred Plaza.]

[Below: Intihuatana or "Hitching Post of the Sun". As an astronomical observatory,
at midday on March 21st and September 21st (the equinoxes),the sun stands almost directly above the pillar, creating no shadow at all. At this precise moment the sun "sits with all his might upon the pillar" and is for a moment "tied" to the rock. Also, each of the 4 corners points directly towards the 4 regions of the Inca Empire, as well as the 4 mountains surrounding this plateau. The mystery is that each of the peaks of the 4 mountains also has an Intihuatana, speculating that this was more than just a device to identify the equinox. It is said that the northern corner (where everyone has their hands up), has a magnetic pull.]

[Below: Funny sign. Really? The path goes off the cliff? Thanks for the "sturdy" handrail, since literally, it is a 1000 foot drop on the other side.]

[Below: Temple of the Condor. Rock shaped into a condor, and Mike walking through the narrow temple fissure.]

[Below: carefully constructed aqueduct system through town so they had constant running water. Quite modern, don't you think?]

[Below: Temple of the Sun and the Royal Tomb below the temple.]

[Below: last views on our exit out. Terraces in the background. View of the eastern side of Machu Picchu.]

[Below: we also hiked to the Inca Bridge. It's not just a bridge! You'll see how fascinating this is.]

[Below: the trail, although relatively flat, was only about 2 feet wide and no barrier in parts to prevent you from plummeting down. Here, some pics close to the edge.]

[Below: there's the Inca Bridge in the background! On the side of a granite wall, the Incas built a stone foundation and pillars, then used wooden boards as a draw bridge to prevent people from accessing Machu Picchu. This was only 1 of 2 entry points into this sacred place. The last part of the trail gets even narrower and a rope is provided to hang onto.]

View all photos at Peru - Machu Picchu Photo Album.

Well, that's all folks! All this exploring took about 5-hours, and there were so many more hikes we could've done, but we will leave that for the next time. :)