Friday June 29, 2007

The day began very early with a 4:30 AM wake-up call. Many of us were not feeling very well, probably related to this high altitude. By God’s grace we all made the 6 AM train for the trip to Machu Picchu to see the ancient Inca ruins. By the end of our 4 hour train trip, most of us were feeling better, and could endure the steep climbing needed to see these beautiful ruins.

The climbing combined with the altitude slowed us all down somewhat. Occasionally, as we sought to catch our breath, we took turns suggesting that we all rest, “for Kay’s sake”. Some could be heard muttering: “If Kay can do this, I can do this” and “I’m not about to let a 70 year old great-grandma show me up in public” as we walked and climbed steps for our 3 hour tour. (It should be noted that Kay did have Evan’s assistance for every steep step). We were grateful for the sunny day and that we all endured the tour in good shape—no twisted ankles, no bad sunburn.

With narrow roads and many switchbacks, we were all grateful for safe travel as a large bus took us back down the mountain to the town of Machu Picchu! Thank you all so much for your prayers for our safety! At the bottom of the mountain, we made the most of a quick shopping opportunity at the market there, before boarding our clean and pleasant train for the nearly 4 hour trip back up to Cusco.

We had a quiet dinner in the hotel that night, followed by team devotions and prayer—always a highlight of the day. Unfortunately, Mark was ill with a significant fever that night. We are grateful to God for showing us that, because of his other symptoms, Mark should start taking the Cipro antibiotic that we had been advised to pack with us on this trip.
The night ended with everyone packing for the next day’s travels.