Leaving at 5:45 am, we finally head to Machu Picchu. I was the last down to breakfast, so it’s my fault if we missed the sunrise.

There’s a rather harrowing bus ride to get up the mountain.

And finally the pictures we’ve all been waiting for:

And proof that I was there:

The site is located between two mountains: Machu Picchu “Old peak” to the south and Wayna Picchu “Young peak” to the north. Wayna Picchu is the one seen ahead in these pictures. There are also significant peaks to the east and west, so one for each of the cardinal compass points.

2,500 people per day are allowed up to the site, and 400 per day can ascend further to Wayna Picchu.

This is the gate to enter the city proper. Entrance to the city was also restricted in the Inca period.

The site is located between two mountains: Machu Picchu “Old peak” to the south and Wayna Picchu “Young peak” to the north. Wayna Picchu is the one seen ahead in these pictures. There are also significant peaks to the east and west, so one for each of the cardinal compass points.

There are a lot of astronomical observatory installations, e.g. obalisks that align with mountains on the solstices, etc.
The observatory at the top here is known as Intiwatana or “Hitching Post of the Sun”. (I seem to be missing a closer picture of it.)

Note how the shape of this rock matched the shape of the mountain behind.:

Also, lots of stairs. Maybe the Inca empire would have held out if they had escalators.

No, these stairs do not end in midair. The left wall ends, but the stairs and the other wall curve to the right. It did take be a couple of circles around the area to convince myself that it really did go all the way down before I tried it, though.