Maria and I had been on the Inca trail for four long days. I was recovering from a cold and she has never been to this altitude in her life. When we made our way along the last two miles of the trail that wrapped tightly around the waist of the mountain, we were exhausted. Sleep is hard to come by in a tent and the night before we arrived it poured down rain. By the time we got to the Intipunku (The Sun Gate), Maria was sleep deprived, dehydrated, and half awake. When I asked her to marry me, she thought I was reaching into my backpack for a Snickers bar. I'm not sure if she knew what she was agreeing to and even after she got the ring, I think she was looking around for the Snickers bar. 
We had finally arrived. I can't say enough for vacations like this were you have a destination that you really have to work for. The sense of accomplishment is outstanding.
Machu Picchu itself is one of those places where you really need to go out of your way to take a bad photograph. The location, the weather, the surrounding mountains, and the intricacy of the ruins are astounding.
We had the advantage of being there for two days, the first was overcast and cloudy and the second was bright and sunny. I'm not sure which was better. From the sun gate we walked down the, at times, narrow stone path and steeps to the Funerary Rock Hut - what some refer to as the guardian house. It is from here that all the famous pictures of Machu Picchu you see in text books come from. We must of reeked after four days of not showering, but to walk past a tourist who was freshly cleaned and perfumed (who had taken the train in), I could only savor the rigors of my trek even more. We spent that first day wandering around slowly before we went to the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. It is the only hotel located on the mountain with Machu Picchu itself. The cost is criminally high and not worth more that a night - but everything is on the house once you get there. I'm undecided about recommending this place or not. There are some amazing places in Agua Calientes in the valley below. However, for our first night as an engaged couple it was worth it.
The next morning we woke up and met up with our guide Juan to check out the rest of the complex. We walked past the numerous farming terraces to the residential quarters. To this day no one knows for sure the purpose the ruins. Some say that it was an esoteric university for the spiritual training of the priest class, others recount - based on the location and surrounding walls that it was a fortress, and even others say it was a retreat for the emperor and his nobles.
What is impressive about Machu Picchu and other Inca ruin is how the structures were divided into farming districts, residential districts for the proletariat, the noble houses, and the priest and spiritual centers. Each Inca city was a self contained community that could support itself via local water supply and with its own food. Yet, each was connect with one another via and extensive road system that rivaled Rome and guardian watch towers which were in visual connection to allow for the propagation of messages. The architecture is equally impressive and there are many examples of the late imperial Inca stone work. As seen in the rounded solar observatory above whose windows point to the sun's solstice.
We made our way through the central courtyard and past the quarry site which still contained unfinished stones which were referred to as the "lazy stones" as they just didn't quite have the ummph to make it their final destination. I personally found the view from the temple of the three windows (below) quite impressive. From here one can see down the Urubamaba river far below.
At the very top of the ruins was the Intiwatana - an incredible altar built from the very bedrock of the mountain. It was the most spiritually revered place for the Inca. During the Spanish Conquest, the conquistadors made it point to destroy such structures in other ruins to better eliminate the indigenous religion in favor of Christianity. As the Spaniards never made it here, this is perhaps the last remaining structure of its kind. The Intiwatana is considered "the hitching post of the sun" and is not only oriented to the cardinal points, but also aligns with certain surrounding pillars to predict the solstice.
The sun came out in force the second day of Machu Picchu. The ruins were illuminated, but I missed the mystique of the slowly moving low laying clouds. By this point, we were too sore from the trial to attempt to climb Wayna Picchu - that large mountain in the back. However, as in most places we have been to, I guess there is something to be said about NOT doing everything and leaving something for the future. Perhaps on our second trip we will climb Wayna Picchu?
