Dream Trip 2008: March

Great Travel Moment

Just two hours before snapping this photo, I was preparing my hobbled, one hundred kilometer trek-hardened body for the grueling 1600-stair ascension to the zenith of Machu Picchu, the once-forgotten Inca holy city. I never imagined that waking up at 4:30am would yield such wonderful results. I arrived before the hoard of bus-bound tourists, securing my camera atop a centuries-old precipice build by Inca hands. Huaynu Picchu looms large in the background, enshrouded in a beautiful fog. The massive centerpiece tree almost looks split in two; yet upon closer inspection it appears to rise above the ruins, symbolizing the ultimate dominance of nature over even the most valiant examples of human craftsmanship.