...even when you think you're going downhill. Not that I'm complaining – my heart, butt and calves will never be better!

I've just returned from Machu Picchu, which those of you who watch the Today Show know featured the site (I missed Matt Lauer by a day). Anyway, Machu Picchu was on my list of things to see in my lifetime, so I had purposefully made it my first stop.

Like the Grand Canyon, pictures just don't do it justice. Here was a colony of about 1,000 people who built a civilization 10,000 feet up, literally on the side of a mountain at the base of the jungle. The first thing that boggles the mind is, how did they ever get through the jungle to this spot, (perhaps by the swiftly running whitewater river that runs through the area)? Then, whatever possessed them to climb an hour and a half up a mountain (that's not on an established path) to build their home? Then, these people, who on average were shorter than my 5'1" (1.5 m, for the metrically inclined), but they quarried stone from this mountain and built an amazingly sophisticated and complex village... They even shaped some of the village to resemble the forms of an alligator and a condor, when seen from higher up.

I'm just not talented enough a writer to describe how awe-inspiring this scene is when you walk onto the complex. It just emerges from around a corner, this fairly well-preserved village perched on the edge of a mountain surrounded by even higher mountain peaks. And when the afternoon mist rolls in, the scene is something out of Jurassic Park. Mountain peaks poke through the clouds in parts; other mountain tops are completely enshrined in the mist. The entire area takes on an prehistoric feel, and you can imagine why these people worshipped the sun that only graces the area a few hours each day.

After spending the entire day there, I returned to Aguas Calientes (means "hot water" due to the natural mineral springs north of town), the town at the base of the mountain. That night, the entire town turned out to watch The Jungle Book, translated in the Spanish on a large screen set up in the village square. For 2 hours, most of the town stood watching the movie. I stood with them, mostly to see if I could understand anything. At one point I looked up, and the ever-present evening cloud cover had parted just where the full moon shone. It literally sent chills down my spine. I didn't have a camera handy, but the image is burned in my memory. The mountain tops were pitch-black silhouettes against a black-blue sky, the clouds had a silver-grey tinge, and the bright yellow full moon shown through and down on this tiny tourist town nestled among these 12,000-foot (3,657-meter) peaks. The sound of the nearby rushing river filled my ears, and for a moment I was alone in the universe, and so amazed to be here.

For all the Third-World poverty, the people I've met seem generally happy and very friendly. I met a woman from Florida yesterday who speaks some Spanish and had been cooking in the kitchen of the restaurant I was eating in. They let us stay way past closing as we sipped cerveza and talked. Another example: no one at the hostel I'm at speaks English, and when I couldn't understand directions, the young boy in the front office walked me to the location I was seeking.

The other thing I've noticed about Peru is the striking contrasts:

• Poverty yet generosity

• Modern buses traveling up steep, unpaved mountain passes

• Women carrying children the traditional way, in brightly colored shawls on their backs, while holding the hand of little children in Nike outfits

• Old men chewing coca leaves while young boys play Internet video games.

• Families in traditional dressing selling goods in the marketplace expecting you to pay them if you take their picture... capitalism is everywhere.

I'm told Peru is on the verge of breaking through Third World status. While I hope it's true because these people do have a hard life, I hope they don't entirely lose the charm and authenticity they have today....

What I lost this week: my Peru exit papers – I almost missed the plane to Quito, but more on that later!

Questions?
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