Oh So Beautiful Paper

We saved the best for last for our trip – Machu Picchu was even more impressive than we had expected.  It's really something that you have to experience in person, but we'll try to do what we can:

{this gate was the main point of entry to the residential section, and was built to protect the residents in case of invasion}

{walkways between residences}

{some of the many farming terraces}

{water channels carved into the stone, which conducted the population's water supply}

{Incans believed this stone was in the shape of a condor, an important symbol in Incan culture. They build a temple around this rock called the Temple of the Condor.}

{a stone carved in the shape of a condor, which was part of the Temple of the Condor}

{a staircase}

{according to our tour guide, all the stones used to build Machu Picchu were harvested locally, like from these large boulders}

{alpacas are everywhere at Machu Picchu! we saw this guy and at least 50 of his friends}

{amazing views, and what the houses would have looked like when in use}

{one more panoramic photo, just for good measure}

For anyone thinking about going, which you totally should, just be sure to stay up there after the main tour is over.  The tours all seem to run around the same time of the day, which means that there are thousands of tourists all at the same time, but most people leave after the tour to go down to the market and shop.  We stayed up the mountain for at least an hour after most everyone else left, and it was absolutely worth it.

I hope you've enjoyed our honeymoon photos.  If you're interested in seeing more, you can find the full collection right here.

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1. Honeymoon Registry says:

   12/07/2009 at 2:41 PM

   You went to Machu Picchu too! Lucky. :] I love the condor temple photos.
2. Tanya says:

   12/07/2008 at 1:42 AM

   I follow your blog for your fabulous taste in all things paper, but I was delighted to see these pictures of your recent trip. I’m sure you have a great camera, but the photographer always has more than a little to do with a great photo. Thanks for opening up your life & letting us share in this memorable trip.
3. Joey says:

   12/01/2008 at 2:22 PM

   Nole – Thank you for the information. I definitely don’t speak much Spanish, but I would have about 5-7 days for the trip. I’m thinking with my lack of Spanish it would be best to book through a tour company. Any suggestions?
4. beautifulpaper says:

   12/01/2008 at 12:53 PM

   Hi Joey,
   We actually booked our Machu Picchu trip through a local travel office in Cuzco. If you speak Spanish or have a lot of time for your trip (I’d plan at least five days for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu), then you can easily set something up with any of the numerous travel companies in Cuzco. If you only have a few days or don’t speak much Spanish, I’d probably recommend booking your full trip with a tour company before arriving in Peru. We really didn’t have enough time to see the entire Sacred Valley and wish we’d planned our tour ahead of time so that we could have done more. My husband was in charge of all of our in-country travel arrangements, so let me know if you have specific questions and I’ll be happy to put you in touch with him.
   –Nole
5. ellie
   Twitter: ellieofmint
   says:

   12/01/2008 at 12:44 PM

   looks like a fabulous trip! if i could get more than a week off for my honeymoon, peru would be top of the list. i’ve always wanted to see machu picchu!
6. Joey says:

   12/01/2008 at 10:30 AM

   These pictures are great. Just curious, how did you go about booking your trip?