Hope and Moonstones

“When a finger points to the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger”

 Chinese Proverbs

One of the few things I remember about Washington 22 years ago was touching a moonstone.  To me it just seemed like a smooth pebble until I looked up and saw a security guard watching over it.  How could I have ever imagined I would be back a couple of decades later, a different person, yet the moonstone was unchanged.  My thoughts quickly turned to how many fingers had touched the stone and I began to wonder where the hand sanitizer was. 

“To be surrounded by sixty people who make your life miserable is to be at a family reunion. But to be surrounded by 600,000 people who make the whole world miserable is to live in Washington DC." 

Jarod Kintz

The Air and Space Museum is truly a highlight to any trip to Washington.  With 7 million visitors a year there is a little problem with overcrowding.  When the pushing and shoving through the display on early aviation got a little too much, we decided to escape into the theatre. It was inspiring to watch the Imax movie about Hubble, how they fixed it and the faraway stars that the telescope can now photograph.  Being on the road for several months has broadened my horizons for sure, seeing the other side of distant universes stretched my celestial sphere to the point of no return.  Time to get grounded and what better way than with American Airlines (especially in Miami).

"There are only two emotions in a plane:  boredom and terror."

Orson Welles"

I wouldn't so much say that American Airlines is our carrier of choice, it's just we are loyally locked into trying to actually spend our frequent flyer miles with them.  I have to say their entertainment is pretty boring in comparison with their Asian and European counterparts. I'm not quite sure how many miles we have travelled so far on this trip.  During some of these flights, I do confess to moments of abject terror while nursing my drink in a pressurized tin tube hurtling at 600mph at 37,000ft.  Statistically, of course, it is the safest way to travel.  However, I am sure that I experience way more turbulence than in years gone by, what is that about?  Is it just my older bones feel it more?  Or did they make the tin tube slightly thinner to cut costs?  

"The act of contemplation then creates the thing created." 

Isaac D'Israeli

We were thinking about lunch and on recommendation from one of the Air and Space Museum curators we went over the Native American History Museum Canteen.  The cafeteria was set out in sections according to tribe and was nobly trying to offer up the relevant indigenous foods.  Note to self: the Native American Indians while renowned for their horsemanship, tracking, hunting and warrior abilities are not particularly famous for food or gastronomic delights.  After an overpriced, undistinguished mush it was onward once more. Stopping briefly by a fountain gave us all time for deep contemplation and to decide which flavor snow cone to buy.

"There's no cone like snow cone" 

Unknown

It seemed like winter in the sculpture garden looking at the leafless silver tree and feeling the chill of the ice.  

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

 Leonardo da Vinci 

The sculpture is a "Dendroid" and is actually made of stainless steel.  It is two trees sprouting from the same trunk; one irregular, gnarled and twisted and the other rhythmic, smooth and elegant.  It represents man's need to change nature and also the strain between order and chaos.  

“When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing - just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park?”

 Ralph Marston

Winter was a mere illusion as the heat and humidity closed in under the relentless sunshine.  We were feeling a little chaotic from the pace of the museum viewing, so we cooled our heels by dipping them in the water.  Just sitting and watching the ever changing fountain was delicious, but we still wanted to make it to the Natural History museum before closing time.  

"Hope diamond 45.52 carats India.  

You are looking at one of the world's most famous gems- renowned for its flawless clarity, rare deep blue color, and eventful history. It is surrounded by 16 white diamonds and suspended from a platinum chain bearing 46 more diamonds." 

Natural History Museum 

The Hope Diamond was easy to find in the museum, all we had to do was follow the crowds to the first floor and join the scrum around a display in the gem section.  The diamond certainly has an illustrious past. 

Legend tells of it being stolen from the forehead of a Hindu Goddess in the 1650's.  From India it went to Paris and into the hands of King Louis XIV, who recut the stone and called it the "Blue Diamond of the Crown".  It was passed down to King Louis XV and Marie Antoinette then stolen after their death.  Rumor tells of it being sold to King George IV of England.  The diamond is on record, in 1839, as part of the estate of Henry Hope, which is where the diamond got it's name.  

The Hope Diamond has been bought and sold over the centuries by many people, including Pierre Cartier who sold it to Mrs Evelyn Walsh Mclean in 1911. Perhaps Cartier  increased the power of its curse as a marketing ploy because Mrs Mclean claimed anything with bad luck would become powerfully positive in her possession.  She would own the diamond until her death in 1947 when it was bought by the last owner Harry Winston.  He donated the gem to the Smithsonian in 1962.  

The gem is indeed beautiful to gaze upon, its legend extraordinary and its worth incalculable.  However, it was the look on the kids faces that I found priceless.

"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." George Washington 

One hundred years after the birth of George Washington plans for the memorial began.  Construction began in 1848 using marble, granite and bluestone.  However, donations ran out and it would take 30 years and a civil war before building would resume.  Unfortunately, the same stone was not available and that is why there is a change in color about one third of the way up.  When it was finished in 1885 it was the tallest building in the world and it is the tallest stone structure in the world at 555ft (169m).  

“Good friends are like stars.... 

You don't always see them, but you know they are always there” 

Unknown

It was such a beautiful evening with a warm breeze fluttering the stars on the spangled banners.  Carrie had been with me the day I swore my oath and became an American, it seemed fitting that we could remember the moment together, at the feet of our forefathers.

"Fourscore and seven years ago 

our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, 

conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition 

that all men are created equal." 

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

The Lincoln Memorial was the pinnacle of our evening.  Climbing the steps was difficult due to the large school groups.  Even though the building holds such historic symbolism the mood was celebratory and noisy.  It was so busy you had to be quick to get a photo without the crowds.  Reading Lincoln's address from the walls of this American Greek Temple was meaningful as tomorrow we would head out to learn of the Civil War in Gettysburg.  

Hard Core History

“Congress is so strange. 

A man gets up to speak and says nothing. 

Nobody listens - and then everybody disagrees.”

 Boris Marshalov 

Today was the day when we would make history, well not so much make it as go see it and learn all about it.  As one of the 24 million visitors that visit the National Mall in Washington annually, I confess to being a little disappointed.  I couldn't really marvel at the scope of the civic vista due to the construction crews and scaffolding.  It occurred to me the US economic stimulus plan was starting right here.  At one end the Capitol Building was a hive of stadium building for the upcoming Memorial Day celebrations.  In between the Capitol building and the Washington Memorial there looked to be some sort of archeological dig going on which turned out to be replacing the lawn.  Of course, the Washington Memorial was still off limits due to the earthquake and at the other end of the Mall the Reflecting Pools were dry while being rebuilt.  There was still a levy project underway by the World War II memorial and Constitution Ave was also under reconstruction.

"There they are. See no evil, hear no evil, and...evil." 

Bob Dole, watching former presidents Carter, Ford and Nixon 

standing by each other at a White House event.

Who am I to complain about the necessary evils of maintaining the nations monuments? A brief visit 22 years ago had left me with a memory of imposing pillars on official looking buildings, set along a wide tree lined boulevard with monuments dotted about.  I remember the whole place had a flavor of French architecture, which is no wonder considering it was designed by Charles L'Enfant.  In his 1791 plan, he had envisaged gardens alongside grand avenues with an equestrian style Washington Memorial.  This is one of the reasons I just love America, the horse never happened, instead a marble obelisk sightseeing tower was erected and the gardens have given way to useful paved roads. 

L'Enfant was supposed to design the Capitol but instead Thomas Jefferson created a competition where the best design would win a $500 prize and some land.  Jefferson insisted that the building should not be called Congress House but 'The Capitol' in association with the Temple of Jupiter in Rome.

Home to the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Capitol building is a temple to democracy.  It always astounds me how a group of founding fathers a couple of hundred years ago could conceive of a Constitution that is still relevant today.  Although I'm sure that the political parties have changed drastically since those early days.  What I can tell you is the party I'm traveling with is the best.

"The Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller, 

and get the chickweed out of your lawn. 

Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work, 

and then get elected and prove it." 

P.J. O'Rourke“

I am so fortunate to have Carrie as the leader of our party.  My wonderful friend, in her ever efficient style, lined us up with a visit to see Congressman Cantor followed with a tour of the Capitol building.  Time to scrub up and get my frock on.

"You walk through a series of arches, so to speak, and then, presently, at the end of a corridor, a door opens and you see backward through time, and you feel the flow of time, and realize you are only part of a great nameless procession.”

 John Huston 

We solemnly filed through security and respectfully attached our visitor badges.  I don't know if it was the presence of political power or if it was viewing the interior of such a famous historical building that made us talk in hushed reverential tones.  We were taken up to the Congressman's office and it became clear the corridors of power are interconnected by a maze of winding staircases.  I kept lagging behind taking photos of the amazing paintings and quotes on the walls and ceiling.  American history is so new in comparison to English antiquity, the colors of the past have not had a chance to fade yet.  History hasn't had a chance to fall into ancient ruin yet, it is still very much alive.  I think the simple wall art messages impressed me the most.

"How can a president not be an actor?"

Ronald Reagan

I got to imagining all the Presidents that had wandered past these very spots and how they must have chosen an empty section of wall and thought 'right, my turn to put up a picture and a quote'.  I suppose I saw it as olden day blogging, Andrea style - picture, quote, picture, quote....  However, we were nearing Congressman Cantors office so it was time to cast my thoughts back to  the present and the politicians of today.

"We must do all that we can, to give our children the best in education and social upbringing - for while they are the youth of today, 

they shall be the leaders of tomorrow."

John F. Kennedy

What struck me the most about the Congressman and his staff were their friendly and open demeanor.  Nothing seemed to much trouble.  The kids were even able to steal a couple of candies from his office while he was on the floor voting.  It was so important for them to see the mechanics of government to have a meaningful, tangible understanding of the democratic process.  We decided to take an even closer look.

"Are my efforts addressing job creation and the economy?  Are they reducing spending?  Are they shrinking the size of federal government while protecting and expanding liberty?  If not, why am I dong it…  Why are we doing it?" Cantor Rule

Filing silently onto the balcony to view the house floor was a slightly nerve racking affair.  Voting for the week had concluded and most Congressmen and women had gone home, back to their constituencies.  After being processed through strict security we were able to sit in silence and listen to a presentation to an almost empty room.  

"He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it." 

Confucius 

With our own private tour guide the rest of the tour was a little more relaxed.  The crypt was initially intended to house the body of Washington on his death.  However, his will requested his body to stay at Mount Vernon.  In the middle of the crypt is the star which is the point from where the streets of Washington are laid out and numbered.  Radical to think you were standing at the centre of the American Empire.  Yet we were in good company as statue upon statue of Presidents and politicians stood in every spare  nook and cranny.

“My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty.” Constantino Brumidi

From the crypt to the Rotunda, craning upwards I could have been in Italy such is the  fresco of George Washington as a god.  The Apotheosis was painted by Brumidi in 1865 using a 3D technique he had mastered in Rome called 'trompe l'oeil' - fool the eye.  The three words "E pluribus unum" are from the American seal and mean 'one from many'.  The frieze which wraps around the ceiling was started in 1878 by Brumidi.  He was 73 years old and while working on one section he fell off the scaffold and hung onto a rung  for 15 minutes until rescued.  Sadly he died when the freize was only half way through.  More was added by Costaggini in 1889 and then finished by Allyn Cox in 1951. 

 

With 14,500 crystals I was sure glad not be cleaning this chandelier.  Throughout the Capitol building the light fittings and fixtures are simply beautiful.  The amazing sculptors and works of art are reminiscent of a museum rather than a working building.

"If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it." Lyndon B Johnson 

Perhaps the first woman President will emerge from the un-carved piece of marble.  It certainly wont be me or Jasmin as neither of us are US born.

"In America, anybody can be president. That's one of the risks you take."

    Adlai Stevenson

Yes, I would have to think long and hard about entering politics.  Maybe the Library of Congress would be a more fitting place for all of us thinkers.  The day had passed quickly.  As we emerged outside, the shadows were starting to fall on the Statue of Freedom gracing the top of the Rotunda.  The statue looks east so the sun never sets on the face of freedom.

“Exhaustion and exasperation are frequently
the handmaidens of legislative decision.”
 Barber B. Conable, Jr

The twilight was a welcome sight after a long day of hardcore history.  Enlightened, but exhausted it was time to discover the joys of Union Station and the metro system.  It seemed befitting that we would ride to L'Enfant station and then wearily walk the rest of the way home.

"the City of Magnificent Intentions.... 

Spacious avenues, that begin in nothing, and lead nowhere" 

Charles Dickens

After feeding and watering the kids, Carrie and I decided on an evening stroll along the spacious avenues.  The sunset cast a magical light over the monuments and the cooler air seemed to hang quietly still in the moment before dark.  

"They fought together as brothers-in-arms. They died together and now they sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation." 

Admiral Chester A. Nimitz 

Walking almost the full length of the National Mall, we came to the World War II Memorial.  The noise of the water added to the hushed reverence as we walked the full circuit around the centre.  Reading and absorbing the inscriptions commemorating the lives laid down in this part of history was a moving experience.  

“I know only two tunes: One of them is 'Yankee Doodle' and the other isn't.”  Ulysses S. Grant

It was time to call it a day and relax over a cocktail at the Willard Hotel.  Fortunately for me Carrie is a most excellent tour guide and was able to fill me in on a little of the history of this renowned hostelry.  President Grant would frequent the hotel and enjoy a cigar and a brandy.  Legend has it that he would be hounded in the lobby by petitioners and would curse those 'damn lobbyists'.  Luckily no one bothered us as we ordered mint juleps and relaxed.  

Wave Hello Washington

“One day we’ll wave ‘hello’ and wish we’d never waved ‘goodbye.’”
Unknown

A welcoming wave to Washington DC.  Created by the Residence Act of 1790, the nation's capital was built along the swamps of the Potomac River.  This birthplace of democratic power had humble beginnings, but in 200 years has grown into the political face of the worlds largest economy.  On arrival, I would quite happily have settled for pillow face due to my severe lack of sleep.

"Washington, DC is 12 square miles bordered by reality." 

Andrew Johnson

The last 24 hours had been surreal, it took several flights to get us from Peru to Florida.  Then the plane from Miami to Washington Ronald Reagan was switched due to a mechanical error which meant departed after midnight.  This late hour caused us to be diverted to Dulles due to some excuse about re-tarmacking the runway.  Sometime around sunrise we arrived at The Smithsonian Vacation House, (a couple of blocks from  The Air and Space Museum) our new home for the next two weeks.  I fell asleep cursing American Airlines, swearing at the dawn chorus in the damned Cherry Blossom trees, but relishing the thought that our dear friends Carrie and Stella would be there when we woke up.

 

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." Anais Nin

The only world the adults wanted to enter was a coffee filled one.  It was nice to taste a good old US of A breakfast at Pete's diner.  It was divine to catch up with our dear friends, and hear news of Santa Barbara.  I felt as though a slice of home had been served up with our eggs and corn beef hash. The kids were so happy they could have hugged a tree, oh, that's right, they did.

"A friend is a hand that is always holding yours, 

no matter how close or far apart you may be." 

Henri Nouwen

School Week, what better time to have a fifth grade trip to learn of the history and inner workings of the world's largest democratic government?  By the way, after a semester of social studies it is glaringly obvious I am not smarter than a fifth grader. There is certainly some irony when an English mom tries to teach her South African daughter (who sounds Californian) about the Boston Tea Party, while traveling in Peru.  Nevertheless, it has been quite a historical journey for a newbie American citizen such as myself, to learn how America evolved from the shores of Jamestown to the battle cries of Gettysburg.  Who better than my American soul sister, Carrie, to guide me through the corridors of Capitol Hill.  The oldest (youngest looking) friend I have on these shining shores.  

In true gastronomical style after breakfast we headed for the Eastern markets to stock up on pate and blue cheese, and a few other of life's necessities - dessert.

"Keep Calm and eat cupcakes" Unknown.

With all that eating it was time to exercise our way around the historic sights.  Well at least try a bike on for size. The historic sites would still be there tomorrow. 

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride." 

John F. Kennedy

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love." Sophia Loren

A run through shower and we were ready to hit the shops and get a quick haircut.  Josh was a new man in no time.  

"You're only has good as your last haircut.”

 Fran Lebowitz

With everything taken care of it was time to eat again.  What better place to round of a day than at the restaurant 'Serendipity'.  And what better way to round off a meal than with a trough of hot chocolate?  

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
Charles M. Schulz

Lost and Found

"And that's the wonderful thing about family travel:  it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind."  Dave Barry

Going to the airport instead of the train station was one of those panicky freaky moments that none of us will ever forget.  That feeling of anxiety and running out of time is the worst part of any travel experience.  We arrived at the station in Cusco with a massive sigh of relief.  Of course in true Peruvian style we then had to hurry up and wait.  Finally we boarded the shiny blue train and headed down hill to Machu Picchu.  Yes, weird to think it was all downhill from here.

“It's my experience that most folk who ride trains could care less where they're going. For them it's the journey itself and the people they meet along the way."

David Baldacci

There was a real sense of camaraderie onboard, we chatted with some Canadian airport staff, a couple from Singapore and a lone South African travel agent.  The group bonded on the few hours it took the train to follow the river through the incredible scenery.  We snatched glimpses of trekkers on the Inca trail crossing the river on flimsy rope bridges and watched locals walking alongside the life blood of the railway.
  

"Travelers never think that they are the foreigners." 

Mason Cooley

Over 1 million people visit the site every year, the majority of whom are foreigners.  The government has tried to limit the vistor numbers to 2500 per day in an attempt to  protect the UNESCO World Heritage site.  In its hey day it is thought around 2000 Inca lived in this remote farming and ceremonial city.  Built in the late 1400's, Machu Picchu became lost when it was never found by the Spanish.  The structures and masonry escaped the pillage and destruction that befell  other Inca sites.  It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham, a Yale professor and explorer, in 1911.  The jungle had grown over the city and local farmers led the American to discover a site that would make him famous and immortalize him as the name of the plushest train plying the route.  Run by the Orient Express the Hiram Bingham train is the most opulent and elegant way to arrive.  Needless to say we were on the Vistadome special. 

“There are many paths to the top of the mountain, 

but the view is always the same”

 Chinese Proverb

Declared one of the new seven wonders of the world, Machu Picchu is the most visited tourism site in Peru.  Judging by the, crammed to capacity, train it was easy to believe.  Each person aboard represented a different route up the mountain.  Where they came from, where they would stay, the experience they would have.  I craned my neck to see the peaks and wondered what we would find in the "Lost City"

“I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, 

but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.” 

Andy Rooney

Machu Picchu means "Old Peak" in Quechuan and I was starting to feel old and peaky myself after four hours aboard Peru rail.  We began to see the outskirts of a settlement and the homes of those who actually lived on top of this mountain.  Shortly, the train arrived in Agua Calientes, our base for the next three days. Machu Picchu was elusively still a 30 minute bus ride further up the mountain.

  

"When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come." Leonardo DaVinci

Splitting the town in half, a river rages down the mountain side.  The white water courses over the river bed boulders loudly.  The name comes from the hot springs situated at the top of the village.  

“You cannot climb uphill with downhill thoughts.” 

Unknown

Naturally our hotel also involved a long trek up to the top of the village.  As we panted up from the station, past the markets, we realized Agua Calientes was a mish mash of hotels and restaurants that have sprung up to service the needs of the tourists.   

"Every Chess master was once a beginner"

Chernev"

Once again trip advisor had served me well and the hotel was well worth the exertion to reach.  We spent the afternoon chatting to our tour guide, planning for the following day's excursion and playing chess.  I had already organized our tickets for the bus ride and entrance to Machu Picchu, all that was left was to set the alarm and be waiting in line for the first bus at 5am.  It was incredible to discover that most of the other 2500 visitors that day had decided the first bus would also be a capitol idea.  A throng of people were shuffling around in the dark, luckily Patrick our guide was an old pro and had been saving a spot for us since 4.30 and we were only a few people back from the front of the queue.

"Remember when life's path is steep to keep your mind even." 

 Horace

The altitude, the traveling and the lack of sleep was starting to take a toll on our family unit.  There were few smiles as we wound our way back and forth up a series of hairpin turns, climbing hundreds of feet upto the pinnacle which was Machu Picchu.  Incredibly, in the dark, there were people running up the mountain, precariously clinging onto the edge of the narrow dusty road while the bus roared past.  I began to lament on my own self pity, how could I complain when these idiots had it worse?  


On arrival to the entrance we were dismayed to see the first light illuminate a huge crush of bodies already trailing down the entrance steps.  As we pushed and shoved our way forward it was not only the light that started to dawn but an awful realization that I had not brought our passports with us as a form of ID.  While everyone else proudly brandished their national identities.  I swallowed a lump in my throat and blinked back tears as my folly became the last hurdle to overcome.  So close, yet so far.  We were told that we would have to go all the way back down the hairpins to the hotel to bring back proof of who we were.  My belief in "where there is a will there is a way"  was tested to its utmost that morning.  I pleaded and begged alongside Patrick to have the rules bent slightly to accommodate our situation.  Out of 1 million people why did we think we were so special?  My other ethos of "catching more flies with honey than vinegar" was pushed into action with a sympathetic female who had been uniformed into officialdom.  She took pity upon us, or perhaps we were just blocking the turnstile enough that they wanted rid of us.  Our penance was that we would have one entry only, which translated into us not being able to step back beyond these barriers to use the bathrooms if needed.  With a slight nagging feeling from my bladder I shrugged off the penalty, mentally vowing to evaporate my excess fluid via my skin. We stormed through the narrow mechanical gate with jubilation.  It was time to huff and puff and pant our way up the cobbled path, Machu Picchu was still shrouded by a thicket of greenery, until we rounded a corner and there it lay, found at last.

Our hearts are drunk with a beauty our eyes could never see."

George W. Russell

The black clouds framed the distant peaks and created a spectral arena for my first glimpse of the Lost City.   I would never see the beauty of what it had been, all I could perceive were the ghostly footprints of those who had breathed this thin air over 500 years ago.  The cold mountain breeze swirled around, chilling and pulling at my strength as we climbed ever higher along the ancient paths in search of first light photo opportunities.  Greg of course slipped into work mode and with the ever present panic of missing that first precious camera light, he slipped off ahead with Patrick.  The kids and I were left with the lamas and the majestic views at every turn. 

"The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now.”

 Bill Cosby

The perfectly mowed grass and the roofless house outlines made me wonder if these were ruins of the past or half built homes of the future.  It would be phenomenally challenging to erect buildings up here in modern times, unimaginable to understand how the Inca's did it 500 years ago.  Yet the Inca trails and roads connected settlements and cities with efficiency and precision.  Their organization of agricultural techniques allowed a sophisticated culture to flourish.  The farming in Machu Picchu was achieved along the steep terraces carved out of every face of the hillside.

"Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall."

Salman Rushdie

Each terrace seemed harder to navigate than the next.  Greg and I entered a doomsday race between heaven and earth, grasping at each rock face with a white knuckle death grip.  I'm not sure if it is really vertigo that I feel in those situations, perhaps merely panic?  It's just that when one of the kids gets a little too close to a very long drop, my legs draw up in pain which can only be relieved by bringing my knees closer to the ground.  Crouching seems a much better proposition, unfortunately this is not the best stance for crawling out of precarious places.  We pushed on with the tour and tried to soak in the facts and figures Patrick was droning into us.  

Strange and haunting, the path of the sun…” 

Jim Morrison

The Temple of the Sun is one of the finest examples of how the Inca fit the stones so closely together with finite precision.  When the sun of the winter solstice shines through the central window it hits the ceremonial stone. There are many other stones which act as sundials at Machu Picchu, they give precise readings of summer and winter solstices.  This incredible understanding of the equinoxes highlighted the complexities of the Inca rituals and religion.  The Intiwatana, the "Hitching Post of the Sun" is a sculpted stone which sits precariously at the top of 78 steps.  It is both a sun dial and a ceremonial alter.  In 2000 a crew, filming a beer commercial, damaged the stone with a crane and questions about adequate protection were raised.  At one point there was even talk of privatizing the ancient site.   

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.”

 Deepak Chopra 

“The sun burnt every day. It burnt time.” 

Ray Bradbury

The Temple of the Three Windows is yet another amazing feat of masonary which is lost amongst the incredible grandeur that makes up the Machu Picchu site.  The trails and stairways are a maze of climbing and balancing acts.  As the sun slipped higher into the sky under the cover of the rain clouds, we managed to shelter from a couple of rain showers at the entrance to Wayna Picchu, the large mountain towering above the city.  Our time was being consumed as was our energy as we wove our way down the face of the terraces towards the exits.

“Every exit is an entrance somewhere else” Tom Stoppard 

The secrets of Machu Picchu are endless, to itemize each stone robs the magic from the monument.  It is a place to savor and each individual's trek to these ancient stones is a personal journey.  It is impossible not to be reverential towards the masonary accomplishments of the Inca, however my real appreciation is for how people from 500 years ago have reached out and chiseled a new perspective within me.  From an ancient world of lamas, maize and potatoes, a culture evolved which valued the sun and natural elements.  A culture that was able to overcome the altitude, the mountain and the hardships.  This was unlike anything I had seen before, it astonished me more than the pyramids, it awed me more than the great waterfalls.  It moved me because 500 years ago the Inca had thrived in this place where I struggled to exist even with all my western world advancements.  The ghosts of the Inca were laughing at us in our millions as we puffed and panted through their world.  

"The best climber in the world is the one who's having the most fun." 

Alex Lowe

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”

Bruce Lee 

The kids were not caught up in the history of the site and what it had been.  They focused on the present, on the living.  They saw the maze of paths as a giant jungle gym and enjoyed the antics of a baby lama more than the stories of the dead.  

The day had been tough, the planning had started months ago, the anticipation weighty.  It had sapped our energy to get up so early, to queue aggressively for the shuttle, protecting our precious place in line.  We had endured the sickening lurches of the bus and the dismay at the turnstiles.  We had coped with the crushing, rushing crowds and overcome the urgent panting climb and struggle for first light photos.  We had trudged all around the highlights and attempted to avoid getting too wet in the downpour.  We had overcome the high altitude headaches, the cold wind, the hot sun, sore feet, dehydration, hunger, being grumpy and tired.  After all of that, as we pushed through the exit gate I was left to wonder if we had accomplished the best visit possible. Did we see everything?  Should we have climbed Wayna Picchu?  Should we have bought a 2 day ticket?  

Machu Picchu is so much to take in during your visit that it is only the next day when you sit at the bottom of the mountain and recount your day do you start to really feel the wonderment of what you did.  The further away you move from the site the more the sense of accomplishment grows.  As the days go by it starts to dawn in your mind how special the experience was.  Flashes of the remoteness start when you arrive back at sea level and the modern world highlights the antiquity.  As more time passes the experience of Machu Picchu is starting to stand out as one of my favorite Wonders of the World.

The train ride back to Cusco was the end of our trip in Peru.  Machu Picchu had been the pinnacle even if not the actual highest point.  Peru had been everything we had imagined and so much more.  Considering the amount of tourists it was refreshing to see that the local people were welcoming and not jaded towards the influx of people.  More importantly the people of Peru were able to look beyond my blonde hair and understand my Spanish.  I was grateful to have Washington DC to look forward to otherwise I would have carried my despondency home.  The long train journey back to  Cusco and our onward flights gave me time to reflect.  It was goodbye to Peru but I was eternally grateful it was not the end of the journey.

One approaches the journey's end. But the end is a goal, not a catastrophe.

George Sand