Day 5 Machu Picchu, Day 2

Despite the cuy disaster of last night, I slept soundly.  It was raining most of the night, but just cloudy when we awoke.  We again took the bus up the mountain (you should see those turns!) and got to the site relatively early.  We first took the 400,000 steps up (well, it seemed like that many) to the top of the "agricultural" side, where the peons stayed and worked.  The views from herre were spectacular, especially as the sun came out.  The temperatures rose, and we started peeling clothing.  More stories of the Incas and their civilization and how they enslaved others to do the work.  Building this place and carrying all the stones must have taken a LOT of planning and back breaking work.
We saw the irrigation system, where people lived and pooped, and where they "hooked up".  There was a large stone in the area where the girls and guys would congregate that was cut in an unusual shape.  It was thought to be cut to mirror the shap of the nearby mountain, but a researcher discovered it really was in the shape of a distant glacier (the source of water and life).
We saw the "Temple of the Condor" which was 2 outcroppings of rocks that were shaped like condor wings, and even carved to show feathers.  There were archeologic findings of ceremonies there with sacrifices of llamas.  No, the Incas had no human sacrifice.  There were caves where skeletons had been found, probably of venerated leaders.
By noontime, we were all pooped, and headed down the mountain. We had lunch at the restaurant of our hotel, which was nestled between some train tracks!
We gathered our belongings and went too the train station to return to Ollantaytambo, where we caught our bus for the trip to Cusco, now at 11,500 feet.  I feel a little dizzy, but not much.  Dinner was on our own, so we walked around the corner from our hotel (part of the Marriot chain) to get pizza.  Very good, and not filling.
Tomorrow, more of Cusco.