Down hill and more down hill. The steps going down were just about as hard as the steps going up the day before. Someone told me it was like doing the stair master for three days. They were right.
Kirk Running down the stairs. Each stair rise was 12 to 19 inches. Each tread varied from 4 to 12 inches. Needless to say its muy pelligroso (dangerous).
Day 3 was very cloudy at the start. They assured us there were ruins in the valley below us. I wasn´t buying it.
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Phuyupatamarca (someone correct me if I´m wrong). I remember thinking it was almost better that we didn´t have an aerial view of the ruins before we arrived. It kinda felt like we discovered the ruins as the cloud cover cleared. Phyupatamarca was very steep and really amazing. Each set of ruins is more astonishing as you approach Machu Picchu.
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View from Phuyupatamarca of the Urubamba.
View of Base camp and Jeff from Phuyupatamarca. I was trying not to distract Jeff, lord knows at his age a fall could be fatal. He is with child after all.
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These steps were really steep. Imagine carrying a 20 kilo sack of potatoes up this baby. Incan legs were made of steel.
Winay Wayna. I think the Incan leaders said “Lets find the most difficult place to grow food and build our empire there!” This place was simply amazing. It was crazy steep and very complex.
The Incans did some crazy things with stone to build their roofs. I believe this is a strapping point for the thatched roofs.
There is a rock that sticks out in the middle of no where. If you take three coca leaves and say a prayer to the mountain, the water, the earth and to Machu Picchu you can make a wish. I wonder if mine will come true?
This is the forever young water. If you drink it you blah blah blah you stay forever young. I figure people are wanting me to grow up a little so I abstained.
Kirk couldn´t take going without a shower any longer. He was going to jump. I unfortunately talked him out of it. He´s still with us.
Winay Wayna was the most impressive Incan site so far. Machu Picchu tomorrow is supposed to top this.
 
Miguel (chiggy chiggy) our guide was a player. On the final night after diner he sent all the guys to bed early and convinced all the girls to go out for a drink. I guess it was St. Patricks day and he does look a bit Irish.
yobo-
looks super awesome. mike is getting flashbacks to his trip…including his friend having diarrhea on day 2 of the hike. mike says to try some chicha (fermented corn beer). it may make you have the runs (he didnt)but he thinks that you can’t try it anywhere else in the world except in the quechuan territory. it’s not the tastiest thing ever but i guess do it for the experience.