Snazzy Snaps & Travel Tales
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Grand Teton & Delta Lake
If you visit Yellowstone, don't ignore the Grand Teton! Read on for the story of how I came face to face with a bear and survived!
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
If you visit Yellowstone, why not throw in the Teton?! If you drive south and exit Yellowstone, you're entering the Grand Teton park. And, it is indeed grand.
The Tetons, as they are commonly referred to, are much different than Yellowstone. They feature the Teton mountain range (~4000 m), which is omnipresent throughout your experience in the park.
Most of my time in the park was on the east side of the Teton range, which meant that the sun was setting behind the range. The result are these majestic, sharp backlit mountains that seem to glow in the evening.
Before I left for the Tetons, I asked a Yellowstonian what I should see and do in their Tetonic neighbor. She highly recommended taking a walk around Jenny Lake.
Jenny Lake is a gorgeous little body of water nestled just in the valley of the Tetons. A lot of campers come and camp out along the edge of the lake. Hammock abound. And, the views are stunning. Unfortunately, the lake water levels were a bit high, which obfuscated the path around the lake. Yes, I did just use the word obfuscate.
But, I met a local gal who was hangin' in a hammock and we got to chattin'.
Told her I had ~2 days to play with, and she recommended I hike the Delta Lake Trail. It takes about 3 hours to get up to the top, but apparently, the view of this emerald green Delta Lake is worth the difficult and lengthy trek.
She also warned of serious bear action on that trail.
You can't go anywhere around these national parks without hearing about bear safety. And, at a certain point, you think, "Well maybe I should stop and listen to this action?"
Knowing I was going to hike alone, I decided to invest in some bear spray. Bear spray is like high powered pepper spray, shoots up to 30 feet. Maybe saves your life.
Next up, I stopped at the National Park Visitor Center to see if they had any updates about the Delta Lake Trail.
Also, met the moose outside.
When I told the worker I planned on doing the Delta Lake hike, she went from playful, positive happy-go-lucky government worker --- to concerned & cautious parent.
I guess she trekked it a few days before and there were some slippery spots near the top.
"Oh, ok, that's good to know. I also heard there are bears up there, so I bought bear spray."
She looked me in the eyes and said, "Oh, bears are probably the least of your worry."
She went on to tell the story of a girl who was trekking earlier in the week, and stepped on a snowy patch, only to realize the snow was just covering up a shallow crevasse. She stepped into the crevasse and a stick impaled her calf. 30 stitches.
Ok, I get it. it's a tough trek.
But, I'm still gonna send it!
Halfway up the trail, the weather is gorgeous, the views are great. No bears yet.
Met some nice trekkers from Canada. And then, 90% up the trail, I run into these 3 Bostonian hikers. I'm from the Boston area too! Serendipity.
Andrew, Ana and Alice---I later dubbed them the "A team". Or, "Triple A".
It was nice to have a crew to summit with, especially so close to the top and especially when the trail gets a little dodgy. Here is Ana and Alice crossing this avalanche-y area which I felt a little uneasy on.
And, YUP. We made it! The reward: Delta Lake.
I wish I had gone a little earlier in the day, because the sun was setting right behind the range, and affected my snaps. If you're goin' for the high quality snaps, check where the sun will be on PhotoPills first.
It was already getting late and it was gonna take a couple hours to get back down, so we didn't spend much time at the top, even though we all wanted to.
This was one of the better hikes I've done in my life and truly satisfying to reach the top! The adrenaline was flowin' for all of us as we headed back down.
We were hootin' n hollerin' n yuckin' it up nice. The A-Team was awesome and I was super glad I met them and got to share the experience with them!
Also, we were stoked we didn't see any bear action!
We traded stories about recent run ins with wildlife. I shared my story of seeing the mama griz and her two cubs at Yellowstone 2 days before.
And, the A-Team shared their story of how they were surrounded by bison TWICE on a Yellowstone trail days before!!!
We talked about how we had no idea how we would react if we did indeed run into a bear.
And, then we turn a sharp corner and Andrew says, "Guys, there's a bear right there...and we need to keep moving."
JYNXED OURSELVES.
WE RAN INTO A BEAR.
10 YARDS AWAY.
Here's a full video description of the experience, OR continue reading.
The bear was no more than 10 yards away. A black bear. As soon as I see it, it sees us. And, stands up at attention.
Andrew is in front, then Ana, then Alice then me bringing up the rear. The first thought that went through my head was, that we should actually retreat and put distance between ourselves and the bear. But that's because I was in back. And, going forward meant that I was actually cutting the distance between me and the bear!
Second thought that came to mind was, "I should take a photo." I had my camera hangin' off my neck, and thought, this would be an epic National Geographic snap that will put me on the map!
My third thought was, "NOOO, this will be the last photo I ever take."
And, my next thought was, "Oh, Alice has her bear spray out. Oh yea...bear spray."
It is incredible how quickly thoughts race through your mind in a traumatic experience. It all happens so fast, yet time seems to stand still.
And then, "Don't make eye contact. No sudden movement. Talk a little bit..."
Seconds after pulling out the bear spray, I realized my legs were very shaky. Everything else felt ok, but I was a little jelly-legged as I continued to walk.
3 out of 4 of us had bear spray. And, petite Ana had a knife. Which is slightly funny in hindsight.
Thankfully, the bear did NOT charge. It was probably eating some berries and simply let us walk by.
Maybe if I was alone, I might have been viewed as prey. But, there's strength in numbers when it comes to bears in the wilderness.
We still had about ~1 hour to get back down and the rest of the way was giddy! We were all freaked out and tried to joke as much as possible. While nervously scanning our surroundings like paranoid fiends.
Thankfully, no more bear action. We made it down. What an incredible experience! What a day.
Ohhh, Delta Lake, you!!! You gave us the thrill of a lifetime! And, thank you for being kind.
My thoughts in the immediate aftermath:
Sadly, I had to part ways with the A-Team. They were heading to West Yellowstone and I was heading to Jackson Hole. And, driving out, I was lucky to see some non threatening wildlife.
And, stopped to admire the heavenly glow behind the Teton range.
And, back to Jackson, which rivals West Yellowstone in its charm and design!
All in all, an epic adventure in Wyoming, which now ranks up there in my list of most underrated U.S. States. Do yourself a favor and book a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. I know you will not be disappointed!
Oregon Trails
Oregon does not disappoint! I spent ~a week and a half hiking trails, putzing around Portland, looking at lava lands and floatin' down the Deschutes River. Oregon is on point!
Oregon does not disappoint! I spent ~a week and a half hiking trails, putzing around Portland, looking at lava fields and floatin' down the Deschutes River. Oregon is on point!
Portland gets a lot of hype and I get it now! Very charming city. Culturally rich! Coffee shops, boutique art shops, and big time beer culture. Here is a snap of Portland from the Ross Island Bridge.
But at the end of the day, I'm more inspired by nature than cities. I'm going to let the images do the rest of the lifting from here. No need for words when you got beautiful imagery!
On Father's Day, I hiked the Mirror Lake Trail to see some reflections of mighty Mount Hood.
Gorgeous weather...only thing better would have been to stay for the sunset to capture golden hour colors.
The opposite side of the lake is also sweet.
I got lucky when someone pointed out a snake swimming on top of the water. Not every day you get to see a snake on a lake.
A day or so later, I made my way down to Bend Oregon, aka "the new Aspen of Oregon" where I was going to meet up with my friends, Alexis and Roger. They highly recommended hiking at Smith Rock and even though it was 97 degrees that day, I embarked on the Misery Ridge Trail.
Hiking alone is nice, but when it's 97 degrees and you're huffin' n puffin' up the steep switchbacks, it's sometimes nice to have a buddy. Met this local girl Peri, and we headed up together.
Peri was only going halfway up the trail, so we hung out for a bit at this summit, before we parted ways.
This is the view on the opposite side of the mountain as you can see Bend off in the distance.
Smith Rock is known for having great rock climbing routes, and I saw tons of climbers diggin' deep in the heat. There were actually a few on this thumb-lookin' rock formation. Definitely a multi-pitch climb.
Seeing white capped mountains off in the distance when it is near 100 degrees is always bizarre to me.
That thumb-lookin' rock formation looks like a face from the other side!
Deer aplenty.
Did I mention it was hot? The hike is about a 3 hour hike, and by this time, I was definitely dehydrated and squinting from the sunblock that seared my eyes.
And, this is the final stretch of the Trail, a nice reflection photo for the road.
Here's a sweet little state park: The Cove Palisades State Park.
Some cool bridges.
Some rivers and waterfalls in Bend.
Floatin' down the Deschutes with Alexis Brandow!
And later that day, we visited the Lava Lands, or Lava Buttes, which are out of this world. A volcano erupted thousands of years ago, and today the lava still lies. Fascinating. Creepy? Maybe. Odd? Yup. Cool though!
Unfortunately, I did not make it to the Lava River Cave, but at that time, I realized, I gotta start heading east if I want to be in NYC by the Fourth of July. I never made it to Crater Lake either, which gets highly recommended, especially for photography.
Will put them on the list for future trips! So much to see in this great country. Good ole' USA! It is truly GREAT!!!
Chiling Falls with Mr Baby
MEMORY MONDAY - One of my favorite days on RY was the Chiling Waterfalls in Malaysia. We took buses ~1.5 hours outside of Kuala Lumpur and I was lucky enough to sit in front with our driver: 'Mr Baby'.
MEMORY MONDAY - One of my favorite days on Remote Year was the Chiling Waterfalls day trip in Malaysia. We took buses ~an hour and a half outside of Kuala Lumpur and I was lucky enough to sit in the front seat with our driver: 'Mr. Baby'.
I have no idea what his real name was, because he introduced himself to us as Mr Baby. He said all his friends call him that because he has 10 babies.
Mr. Baby lives in a village outside of Kuala Lumpur near a gorgeous area called Perhentian. He said it was common in their village for men to have ~20-25 children! But, "Mr Baby only 10 children. And, only 1 wife, because Mr. Baby is good man." He was quite proud of the fact that while his religion said that he COULD have 4 wives, he only has 1 wife and loves her very much.
Mr. Baby made my day! He is a solid driver, not shy of steppin' on it. And he doesn't like it when other drivers are slow. "See, this driver is sleeping. Mr. Baby don't like this."
And, he thinks "Indian drivers are the worst". Not sure if he realized Abe was in the back seat, but not sure he really cared anyways. He didn't say it mean spirited, just matter of fact like.
The Chiling Falls are located near Selangor Lake, which is a really beautiful cool blue.
We had to trek through the jungle ~1 hour to get to the falls. It was SWELTERING HOT. I was sweating the second we got out of the air conditioned Mr. Baby-mobile. Welcome to Malaysia!
One thing I've learned on Remote Year---I love the jungle / rainforest. I love the outdoors in general, but the jungle has a bit more vibrance than the typical green forests I'm used to. The sounds of crickets and insects are constant. And, there is just a buzzzzzzzz that you can't describe unless you're in it.
In order to get to the Falls, you have to cross the river 4-5 times. Wading through the river was so fun! The main reason is because it was SO HOT and the river was so refreshingly COOOOOOL.
But also, it added a bit of extreme danger to the trek. I had my good camera with me, and one slip would be fatal (to the camera).
I love adventure!
When we finally got to the falls, I was so excited to see that we could swim in them! It was a great reward for the sweltering trek. The water was so cold and refreshing!
When you get into the water you realize you are swimming with MANY fish, and YES, they do nibble at your feet n legs a bit!
And, we could jump off the rocks!
Some of us were a little afraid of takin' that leap, like Heather. :]
But, I was in it to win it! Here's my plunge with the GoPro in hand.
We could even swim UNDER the falls! I will say, being inside a waterfall is not very fun. It's like being in a washing machine or a tropical storm. It takes your breath away and feels a little dangerous. But, our fearless leader TRAVIS is the waterfall KING!
Couple groups shots:
And then we had to trek back.
I think these are termites, not ants.
We made it back!
Thankfully, Mr. Baby stopped at Selangor Lake on the way back and let us snap a few shots of the lake, which was stunning.
Jungle + Waterfalls + Adventure + Camaraderie + Mr. Baby = 1 of my favorite days on RY!
Chasing Croatian Waterfalls - Pt 1
Croatia is home to some wicked waterfalls in: Plitviče Lakes National Park, and Krka National Park. I set out on a solo adventure and it was very nostalgic. It’s fall in Croatia and the leaves were changing color. The foliage reminded me of the US...a little...
Croatia is home to some wicked waterfalls in: Plitviče Lakes National Park, and Krka National Park. I set out on a solo adventure and it felt very nostalgic! It’s fall in Croatia and the leaves were changing color. The foliage reminded me of fall in the US (a little bit).
The drive up to Plitvice is ~2.5 hours. I was cruising up the freeway doing 140 (km/hr), and the weather was perfect! I was thinking how easy the trip was going and how happy I was to be on the road again.
Until, the freeway suddenly...just...CLOSED.
Apparently, there were severely high winds and it's not safe to drive on E65 in these conditions. The problem was, my SIM Card was broken and I had no way of looking up directions. I DID have an old-school GPS, but it kept re-routing me onto the freeway.
I drove up to the tollbooth and asked for directions. She rattled off a series of directions in her limited Croatian-English and I barely caught anything except: “You must take the OLD road”.
But how is one to know where the old road is…?
Drove around, back and forth in the middle of the Croatian countryside. And I realized:
1. There are far worse places to get lost than Croatia! I was near some gorgeous lakes, with red and orange trees and big mountains in the background. Croatia is beautiful! I decided to stop and take some pics.
2. It is well past my pizza time. Croatia is near Italy and they are proud of their pizza. I must stop and fill the tank.
Stopping for pizza was helpful, as they tried pointing me in the right direction. But, I still got lost again. Finally stopped at a tollbooth for a second time and asked them to type directions into my phone.
I finally found the old road. Arrived at my AirBnB around 8pm. The trip was supposed to take ~2.5 hours. Instead it took ~7 hours. Oh well, I made it!
Plitvice Lakes National Park is pretty big. It is a series of 16 lakes that are connected by a wooden hiking trail and a series of waterfalls. It’s not the type of thing where you hike for a while to get to the ONE waterfall. There are several different hiking trails with MANY small waterfalls and lakes. I chose the H route, which takes ~4-6 hours to get through. This is the start of the H route---as you can see the lakes are crystal clear!
BTW, Plitvice is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can see why it is protected---it's wondrous.
And, it was a beautiful fall day for a hike.
Unfortunately, I think going in the afternoon was a mistake. It seemed like every awesome waterfall had the sun right behind it, which killed my photography game.
Maybe it would have been better to go in the am? But I had worked until 5am the night before and then woke up around 10ish. (This job is getting in the way of my sightseeing) :] That being said, here are the best of the shots I took:
Plitvice Lakes are gorgeous. It was a breath of fresh air to be in the woods during foliage season, especially after all the urban living the past 8 months. Plitvice is no Iguazu Falls, (the best waterfalls I've ever seen) but it is a beautiful experience!
Next up, in Pt 2 --- Krka National Park! Stay tuned...
The Sloandog Millionaire Two Peaks Challenge for Remotes that Want to Hike Good (and Do Other Things Good, Too)
The weekend was originally supposed to be the Three Peaks Challenge: hike the 3 tallest peaks in the UK in 24 hours. Snowdon (Wales); Scafell Pike (England); & Ben Nevis (Scotland). DJ Jeff Sloan was the organizer but due to last minute logistics, we ran the option play, and were presented with The Sloandog Millionaire Two Peaks Challenge for Remotes that Want to Hike Good (and Do Other Things Good, Too).
A brook in Scafell Pike, England
The weekend was originally supposed to be the Three Peaks Challenge: hike the 3 tallest peaks in the UK in 24 hours. Snowdon in Wales; Scafell Pike in England; and Ben Nevis in Scotland. DJ Jeff Sloan was the organizer but due to last minute logistics, we ran the option play and were presented with The Sloandog Millionaire Two Peaks Challenge for Remotes that Want to Hike Good (and Do Other Things Good, Too).
Two for three ain't bad!
The Sloandog Millionaire, really strong beard game
or some reason, I/we did not research hiking climate conditions in the UK in July. I think we were just overly exuberant to go on an excursion.
The Challenge Competitors: L to R: Kelly, Jeff, Paige, JP (Bottom), Me, Miranda & Johnson
IMPORTANT NOTE: Just because it is warm in London, does not mean it will be warm in the mountains.
Too much rain, so I could not take photos with my good camera. It's a shame, because Wales is gorgeous!
One exciting thing is that I got to drive on the opposite side of the car / road! This was scary. And exciting. And weird. I hit 5 curbs in about 4.5 hours of driving. The roads in Wales are super narrow, and the curbs are not steep...they were more like speed bumps. LOL
I didn't feel so bad, because Miranda hit 4 curbs and Sloandog hit ~4 in much less driving time. My curb to drive time ratio was actually pretty solid comparatively.
We drove down to Wales to hike their highest peak (Snowdon, aka Snowdonia) and the weather was so fierce that the staff could not make their way up to the peak to man the shack. That’s how crazy the rain, wind, sleet and freezing cold weather was. It was like a white out on a ski slope. I did not prepare for said elements. I thought we’d be hiking in warm weather. Rookie mistake. Moronic. Paid for it.
Us preparing for the hike. Are we really going to do this!?
I was completely soaking wet within 10 minutes of hiking. But, I powered through, because I’m a champ and, it's The Sloandog Millionaire Two Peaks Challenge for Remotes that Want to Hike Good (and Do Other Things Good, Too).
Paige, trying not to get blown over by the fierce winds.
When we got to the peak, we saw two Brits dressed in proper cold weather hiking attire. One said to us, "It's Wales in July, what did you expect?" Well, Mr. Smarty Pants. I've never been to Wales in July, so I guess I did not know what to expect.
No, it's my bad for not doing research. I own it.
Paige and I approaching the peak, up to the right.
The peak!
Yup, that's what I was wearing. At least I had a cold weather Patagonia long sleeve underneath.
Still having a blast, level 3 fun!
After drying off, and a nice warm meal in Wales, we headed north up to Scafell Pike, in Keswick, England. On the way up, we saw some gorgeous views of the countryside and the best rainbow I've ever seen, outside of Iguazu Falls.
We got some rest at a hotel in Morecambe Bay, England, just outside of Lancaster. It's a coastal town, and looks very New England-y...but I guess that's a weird thing to say, since it is definitively Old England-y.
The hotel did not have dryers for us to deal with our soaking clothes. We tried 3 or 4 hotels and we almooost got one hotel owner to bite. Until he saw that we had 7 peoples' clothes to dry and he angrily bailed with the quickness.
The next day, at Scafell Pike, our clothes were still pretty damp and cold, but our spirits were warm and fuzzy! The Sloandog Millionaire Two Peaks Challenge for Remotes that Want to Hike Good (and Do Other Things Good, Too) was in reach and we intended to finish it.
The weather at Scafell Pike was less fierce, but still fierce. There was much less rain than Snowdon, thankfully! But, winds were WHIPPING.
Whipping so hard that my poncho only lasted about 1 hour before it got ripped off my body. Mother nature was laughing at us again!
Me in the red / pink poncho.
We hiked up for ~3 hours, and almoooost made it to the peak. We easily could have summited, but timing was not on our side. We had to get back to England at a reasonable hour, and turned back an hour from the top.
It did not matter, because the hike was GORGEOUS. A lot of the fog cleared on the way back down.
This weekend classified as Level 3 Fun. Level 1 fun is the normal things you do in life, and you don't even think about them. Going to the movies. Seeing a show. Playing games.
Level 2 fun is planned fun. Going on a trip, and doing extraordinary things that you don't often do. Rare moments. Great memories.
Level 3 fun is when the unexpected happens! Like when you go on a hiking trip, and you're totally unprepared for the elements...but you embrace the ridiculous experience! This weekend was totally Level 3. None of us knew how nuts the road trip would get and how crazy the weather would be. But it all makes for an awesome story and unforgettable memories.
When we got back to the rental car place, my group surprised me with a birthday card. I was stunned, and feeling all sorts of good vibes. Definitely did not expect it!
They called me "Dad" because I was the oldest in the group and I was the first driver to start the trip!
What a phenomenal group of travel mates. We had so many laughs and so many good times! It was the first time I had traveled with a bunch of them, and it’s refreshing to get to know people in the group that I had previously not known well. Much love to the Challenge Competitors!
Weekend 1 was wondrous.
Weekend 2, is PARIS. Leaving on a train in a little bit...
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
I’m in Europe now, and South America is in my rearview mirror. (Epic montage video in the making...) But, I never got a chance to blog about the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which lives up to the hype in so many ways. The following post is an epic, 50+ picture detailed account of the 4 day trek.
From left, Tom, Carolyn, Kristin, Me, Jacek, Abby and Anhton
I’m in Europe now, and South America is in my rearview mirror. (Epic montage video in the making...) But, I never got a chance to blog about the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which lives up to the hype in so many ways.
My friends at AllTheRooms.Blog listed Machu Picchu #2 in the most beautiful scenery in the world! Read More
We chose the 4 day trek with Valencia Travel, which I definitely recommend. The hike is really expensive (~$680) compared to other South American adventures, but you’re paying tourist prices, and treading on sacred Incan trails. Only gripe with the whole Inca Trail, is that even though you pay tourist premiums, you do NOT get premium toilets. Expect to squat in gross stalls for the majority of 4 days.
The 4 day trek takes you through several different micro-climates. You start in the dry forest on day 1 and trek into the alpine tundra and the cloud forest on day 2, and then into some tropical rain forest jungle like areas on day 3 and 4. Thankfully, we didn’t get rained on. I guess the Incan Gods were on our side.
The food is phenomenal! 3 x 4 course-meals a day. Each meal starts with a delicious side like a guacamole plate or mushroom ceviche. Usually, you will have a fresh fruit agua fresca to go with it, like papaya, or pineapple. Then, they almost always give you a delicious steaming hot soup, followed by a heaping plate of mixed veggies, and a meat and plentiful-carb meal. The food is cleanly cooked, never heavy and creatively prepared. One day we had thai beef with mixed peppers and onions. I’m amazed at what our cook, “Juan de Dios” can prepare while camping. One night, he brought us flambeed bananas in Pisco for dessert.
I ate better in the 4 days on the Inca Trail than I have all 4 months in South America!
Day 1 is dubbed as an ‘easy’ day, but I think most of us realized that our packs were heavier than we thought, and this might not be as easy as we thought. The elevation is ~11,000 - ~12,000 feet and while we were pretty acclimated by this point, the trail features a lot of uphill and downhill, uneven stone steps. (Not to mention, the bus picked us up at 4:30am, and because I was jamming on work deliverables, I went to bed around 2am) By the time we got to our Day 1 camp, I fell asleep immediately.
Day 2 is the ‘hard’ day and it was challenging for sure. The first half of the day is an unrelenting 900 meter climb.
It was beautiful. When you get to the top of the climb, called Dead Women’s Pass, the views on both sides are breathtaking.
One of the main attractions on the Inca Trail are the Incan ruins...intricately designed settlements that are partially grown over by lush vegetation. Seeing these reminds me of video games like Drake’s Uncharted or Tomb Raider. And, it’s mind blowing to think of people living in them so many centuries ago.
Some of our porters, or "chaskis", who carry the tents, food, gear, etc.
Trail is starting to get a tropical feel at the end of Day 2.
Our Day 2 camp in the Cloud Forest was spectacular.
We had the best campsite, with picturesque views of the faint mountain ranges disappearing into the mist in the distance. This was a huge highlight of the trip, even though it was the coldest night by far. It’s ~13,500 feet up in the mountains and temps got to -6C.
When we woke up, there was frost on the ground and it took a while to de-thaw my digits.
Frosty!
Jacek loves llamas!
The normal 4 day trek has you arrive at Campsite 3 around lunchtime, go to bed early, get up at 3am, and embark for Machu Picchu at ~4am in order to arrive at the landmark for sunrise.
But, our group was so fast (Our guide Victor kept calling us “Speedy Gonzalez”) that we were offered the option of pushing through on Day 3, and making it to Machu Picchu for sunset. This would mean that we would not camp out on Day 3, but rather have to purchase rooms ($15 USD) at a hostel in the Machu Picchu town of Aguas Calientes. The benefits were: seeing MP at sunset AND at sunrise; seeing MP at sunset when there were FAR less people; getting to MP at sunrise earlier than if we hiked, therefore FAR less people; and getting a hot shower and warm bed at the hostel after 3 hard days or trekking and 2 nights of cold weather camping.
While this decision was somewhat controversial in our group of 7, we ultimately opted to go for it, as the Incan allure was far too attractive. The sacred ruins have quite a magnetic pull...
We made it!
I personally was so happy we decided to push through. Machu Picchu is a bucket list type of thing, and I don’t know if I’ll ever make it back. Might as well try to maximize the time we had while we were there. I got amazing photos at multiple times of day, different types of light, and it was FAR less crowded in the early evening then the following day, when we encountered Disneyland-esque lines.
MP is not like the ancient pyramids, where there's a mystery of how they were built. There is a huge rock quarry at the top of the mountain, and we know it took them ~60-70 years to build the village in the 1400s.
The mysticism of Machu Picchu is due to the fact that during the Spanish Conquest, Machu Picchu was never discovered and ruined, like most of the other Incan Empire villages. Most likely, the Incan people abandoned the area when the Spanish conquered their Empire, and the village was empty and unknown for hundreds of years before it was re-discovered in the early 1900s.
And, Machu Picchu is simply beautiful. Built on the top of the mountain, it has this unbelievable charm and essence that cannot be described. The Incan people worshipped the Sun, and they constructed the village around the cycles of the Sun, with some of the temples having windows that perfectly align with the solar equinox and changing of the seasons. Brilliant construction and knowledge of astronomy way back then.
Sunrise!
Loves those llamas.
Incan Sculptures mirror the mountain ranges. BRILLIANT.
If Machu Picchu is on your bucket list, I highly recommend visiting. It lives up to the hype. If you're adventurous, the Inca Trail 4 day trek may be a good option. There are also 2 day treks. And, other non-Inca Trail treks like the Salkantay Trail, which is much cheaper, but lacks the Incan ruins and settlements.
Just go. You won't be disappointed---except with the bathroom situations.