Victory at last: made it to Machu Picchu! by Kylie Fuentes


I knew that I should prepare myself for one of the most spectacular sights my eyeballs had the pleasure of taking in, and I tried. But my brain couldn't conjure up anything quite as impressive as what the real world has to offer when you finally take the first peek of Machu Picchu.

It's the most impressive finale to four days of intense walking, that as soon as you get into the area, you forget the fact that you are covered in dirt, haven't showered, have a broken body & look like a homeless person. I don't know how or why, but you get a second whim of energy in this place. I've been lucky enough to see a few of the wonders of the world, but there's something unique about Machu Picchu. I guess it's the fact that it is so much hard work to get there, that the anticipation has been building for days, that it seems like a mirage in the jungle, that the natural landscape that surrounds it is breathtaking, that it is a relatively new discovery & nobody really knows what it was and the fact that it is pretty much in perfect condition... enough reasons????!!!

Let me tell you, these photos don't even remotely do it justice...













Nearing Ollentaytambo: And the not so pretty sights by Kylie Fuentes


Nope. It's not what you're thinking. I didn't kill the tour guide. And my travel companion is home safe now so it's fairly safe to say I didn't feed her to a puma either. This is what you find on the path less travelled...
It's some 600 year old mummies from an Incan human sacrifice burial site. Yep, they let you get that close. The only advise I was given? Maybe you shouldn't touch it, you might get a disease. No? Really?

Most likely these were virgin albino girls. That's apparently what the Inca loved to sacrifice. They were selected from youth, treated like royalty for years, her family was honoured and the girl was eventually smashed in the head with a sharp rock for a quick exit. Charming.