Machu Picchu

There is a quote from an Inca sacrificial victim that reads, "Finish with me now because the celebrations they held for me in Cuzco were enough." It was recorded by the Spanish in the late 1500's. I found it many years ago and have remembered it, but have not thought about it in several months until now. Every day has been a celebration here and at the start of each day, the quote overwhelms me. Each day brings so many new things, new adventures, new growth physically, mentally, and spiritually, and stronger bonds between all of us here. It has been so overwhelming, it is as if my body cannot absorb anymore until the end of the day when I can reflect on my accomplishments and all I have experienced. Machu Picchu is a place that no words can explain. Students from Columbia University have asked us why Machu Picchu deserves to be one of the seven wonders of the world. I am at a loss of words to explain to them the power it holds. Just the fact that almost 8,000 feet above the Urubamba River at the base of the Amazon there lies a place untouched by time should be enough, but there is more than that. There is a peace and an amazement that comes within a person when they first see Machu Picchu. There is nothing you can do to stop the emotions that begin to fill your body and your soul. When you begin to look around you, high in the mountains there is more than just the ruins. There are pathways leading to the summits of each mountain, structures built at 9,000, 10,000, and 11,000 feet. There is a beauty in the plant life, animals, and even the insects. One can be at rest, completely removed from everything they know. This is all I can say. To understand, one must experience it for themselves. I climbed to the top of the mountain of Machu Picchu which stands at 9,500 feet. I stood at the summit above the clouds and looked all around me and I understood everything the Inca accomplished. I thanked the mountain Gods and the Inca for bringing me here and allowing me to experience all that Machu Picchu had to offer and then I descended. Today I am filled with an inner peace I have never felt and I hope to carry it with me for the rest of my life.