Machu Picchu - 1978

This summer, some friends of ours visited the ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru. In 1978, Larry and I spent a month in Peru as guest helpers with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Most of that time we were in Yarinacocha, a base in the jungle near Pulculpa. Before we left Peru, however, we had the opportunity to visit Cusco and Machu Picchu.

We flew into Cusco from Lima. Early the following morning, we left Cusco for a 3.5 hour ride on the local train to Machu Picchu. Arriving at Machu Picchu, we ran from the train to waiting buses, managing to get on the first bus up the mountain to the ruins. As the pictures show, the stonework was amazing, both in the buildings and in the terraces.










Encouraged by our friends in Wycliffe, we decided to climb Juana Picchu, the tallest of two mountains overlooking Machu Picchu, seen in the background. According to my journal, it was quite a hike over to the mountain, and quite a hike up. The path was steep and narrow, mostly of stones hewn into the side of the mountain. Up, up, up, for about an hour and a half.




On the train from Cusco, we met two women from Michigan. They also climbed Juana Picchu.




This picture, taken from the vantage point of Juana Picchu, is the road from the train station in the valley up to the ruins. As you might imagine, it was quite a ride, especially as the bus negotiated each hairpin turn!



At one point, the path went through a cave.




This is a view of the ruins of Machu Picchu from up on Juana Picchu.



This is a picture of Larry and me at the top . . . nothing there but sky and a huge rock.



The hike down took about half an hour and we got back to the ruins without incident. Only later did we hear stories of people who had fallen off the path never to be found . . . The train ride back to Cucso was a bit over four hours. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us.