Sacsayhuaman

Looking back over my photos I keep remembering things that I should have mentioned, like almost being bitten by a black widow spider.

I was not aware that they were all over Peru and so there we were climbing and me using my hands as much as my feet, and all of a sudden one of the Canadian goes "Wow, is that a black widow spider right there" and sure enough it was, although I had no idea it was that, but they sure did.

Today I woke up early again, in quite a bit of pain through my sunburn and I resolved to do a much better job of looking after myself for the next few months and thus it was that I made sure that I was heavily covered with an inch thick of factor 50 suncream before I headed on out for todays trip to Sacsayhuaman.

I had arranged to meet up with the same guide as yesterday, not that it needs a guide to get there, but his insights and knowledge was very welcome and as he thinks that this place is his favourite of all Inca ruins he was doing this run for free, which just goes to show how kind Peruvian people can be at times.

When we out there it was only a few minutes by taxi and another PES 40 entrance fee, which you could probaly get around if you was to walk from a little further down the hill and not follow the road, but then that isnt quite the point of it all.

We wandered round the ruins for half an hour, taking plenty of photos and discussing how the ancient rock carving were not the works of the Incas desite whatever the tour books try and fob off of you and then he led me through a narrow dark passage that had absolutely no lighting at all and I was sort of grabbing hold of my guides shirt tail as he led the way through and up to the secret chambre, that I very much doubt I would have dared attempt to enter without a torch and rope.

The climb up was not difficult, apart from that it was pitch dark and had a low ceiling but once it opened out then it was all worth it. From the edge we emerged into a huge circular amphitheatre that had stones so large that they made stone henge look like a kinder garden effort and fitting together so perfectly that it was as if the creator himself carved the very stones and put them there to taunt us of his power.

These stones were about 5 meters high and wide and deep and yet they were fitted together without any motar and had withstood the test of time, the Spaniards best efforts to remove all unholy sites and numerous earth quakes.

After this I can see why people in the know say that although Machu Picchu is the most recent find and the most complete site, it is not necessarily the most impressive or the most important of all the Incan sacred places.

Before I came to Peru I was stupid enough to think that Machu Picchu was one of the only places left where you can see any evidence of Incan works, but the truth is that there are dozens and dozens of sites worth visiting and all with their own story and offering their own insights into the Incas and the other native indian tribes of the South Americas.