Macchu Picchu-Is there a more stunning place on Earth? If so, I need to Go!
Dec 15th, 2008, 03:13 PM
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Macchu Picchu-Is there a more stunning place on Earth? If so, I need to Go!
We just came back from MP (see trip report at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=6
and was absolutely stunned by the breathtaking scenery. We have been to quite a few places that I thought could never be beaten but at MP I actually convinced myself that there is no more spectacular place on earth. I would love to hear from other veteran Fodorites places that are better so that I can add them to my list so fire away!
and was absolutely stunned by the breathtaking scenery. We have been to quite a few places that I thought could never be beaten but at MP I actually convinced myself that there is no more spectacular place on earth. I would love to hear from other veteran Fodorites places that are better so that I can add them to my list so fire away!
Dec 16th, 2008, 12:09 AM
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Kyoto, Japan approx 20 Unesco World Heritage sites - all amazingly beautiful.
Koyasan - 60+ temples/monasteries on top of a mountain in Japan
Climbing Mount Kinabalu in Borneo - The view from the top as dawn broke was unforgettable (so was the climb up there!!)
The Salta region of NW Argentina - for me the most varied and amazing scenery in South America
Iguazu falls - NE Argentina - quite the most amazing natural wonder I have ever seen
Anywhere on the South Island of New Zealand - so much great scenery in such a small space
Ulhuru - Australia
We are currently on a year long round the world trip - further info and photos of some of these can be viewed on our blog -
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tml#ENTRY_LIST
PS I did like MP as well although to be fair we did not have the best time there - it was raining and the mist obscured the riuns for most of the time we were there, plus I had a bad case of "man flu" as my wife describes it!!!
Koyasan - 60+ temples/monasteries on top of a mountain in Japan
Climbing Mount Kinabalu in Borneo - The view from the top as dawn broke was unforgettable (so was the climb up there!!)
The Salta region of NW Argentina - for me the most varied and amazing scenery in South America
Iguazu falls - NE Argentina - quite the most amazing natural wonder I have ever seen
Anywhere on the South Island of New Zealand - so much great scenery in such a small space
Ulhuru - Australia
We are currently on a year long round the world trip - further info and photos of some of these can be viewed on our blog -
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tml#ENTRY_LIST
PS I did like MP as well although to be fair we did not have the best time there - it was raining and the mist obscured the riuns for most of the time we were there, plus I had a bad case of "man flu" as my wife describes it!!!
Dec 16th, 2008, 05:12 AM
#3
I have to agree with davez -- I thought MP awe-inspiring. Other destinations have been beautiful with spectacular scenery, but the sheer magnitude of MP combined with its history of the Incas make it tops on my list for now at least.
Dec 16th, 2008, 07:06 AM
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You can view davez's Macchu Picchu report here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35172071
Dave-- it looks like you linked to the Latin America forum at large;to capture the address of your thread click the title and the full url will appear.
The only place I've been that I think would make it on to many a list of the most stunning places on Earth is Alaska--- but I'd really like to visit Macchu Picchu one day.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35172071
Dave-- it looks like you linked to the Latin America forum at large;to capture the address of your thread click the title and the full url will appear.
The only place I've been that I think would make it on to many a list of the most stunning places on Earth is Alaska--- but I'd really like to visit Macchu Picchu one day.
Dec 16th, 2008, 10:10 AM
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I now have five trips to MP under my belt, and I'm sure there will be others. The last four have been work-related. The place just bowled me over the first time. It's not quite the same awe-inspiring experience each successive time I go, but I have to keep reminding myself of when the structures were built, where the structures were builts, and what limits must have existed to technology at that time. That's enough to impress me no matter how many times I go.
There's the whole mystique to the place too. It remained unknown to the outside world until 1911. To this day, nobody knows for certain what exactly MP was, why it was built, and why it was abandoned.
There is now cell phone reception in certain targeted spots up there. A few visitors seem to have figured out where those spots are, and it's just a matter of time before more do. Last time I was there, I rounded a bend and there was a teenage girl talking on her phone: "No, I haven't decided yet what I'm going to wear to the homecoming dance. I'll do that when we get home."
Oh, please ...
Sometimes you have to look beyond those things to appreciate Machu Picchu.
There's the whole mystique to the place too. It remained unknown to the outside world until 1911. To this day, nobody knows for certain what exactly MP was, why it was built, and why it was abandoned.
There is now cell phone reception in certain targeted spots up there. A few visitors seem to have figured out where those spots are, and it's just a matter of time before more do. Last time I was there, I rounded a bend and there was a teenage girl talking on her phone: "No, I haven't decided yet what I'm going to wear to the homecoming dance. I'll do that when we get home."
Oh, please ...
Sometimes you have to look beyond those things to appreciate Machu Picchu.
Dec 16th, 2008, 02:50 PM
#9
I agree the first time you see Macchu Picchu ...for that first moment when you are looking down , you really do not know what to think.!
You just sort of look and it seems like a million things rush through your mind.!
You can see all the pictures you want , but being there is a little priceless.
Iguazu Fall, at it's full splendor is another awe-inspiring sight.
The Fjords in Norway and Alaska are pretty spectacular also.
Being on the top of the Acropolis and looking down in all directions over Athens, is another lovely site.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is another terrific place to be at.
The Colosseum in Rome ,as you walk around over the whole place ,you think of the Roman Empire and the Gladiator fights that took place here.
I will stop now and let others share their views.
You just sort of look and it seems like a million things rush through your mind.!
You can see all the pictures you want , but being there is a little priceless.
Iguazu Fall, at it's full splendor is another awe-inspiring sight.
The Fjords in Norway and Alaska are pretty spectacular also.
Being on the top of the Acropolis and looking down in all directions over Athens, is another lovely site.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is another terrific place to be at.
The Colosseum in Rome ,as you walk around over the whole place ,you think of the Roman Empire and the Gladiator fights that took place here.
I will stop now and let others share their views.
Dec 16th, 2008, 06:10 PM
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40 years have gone by since I visited Macchu Picchu (I was a teen ager, then) and I still remember how awe inspiring it was.
About 10 days ago we (wife and I) returned from a 44 day trip to Argentina.
The high point was our visit to the Perito Moreno glaciar in Calafate, south Patagonia.
Absolutely spectacular! A three mile wide river of ice flowing down from the Andes into the Lake Argentino.
The wall of ice rises about 200 feet over the lake's surface and makes one feel small while passing by, in sheer stupefaction, on board of a pretty comfortable boat.
Just restricting myself to South America, where Cuzco/MP are, I would place the Perito Moreno Glaciar, the Iguaçu Falls (seen from the Brazilian side), the mighty Amazon River and the Rio de La Plata at the same level of grandeur, if not greater, as the Cuzco complex.
Not so easy to be impressed, (because you don't realise it is a river unless you taste the water) is the width of the Rio de La Plata in Buenos Aires (where else can you see a river 50 miles wide?).
Travelling down the Amazon, from Manaus to Belem, will let you sense the sheer might of the Amazon River in a 4 days trip down the river. (By the way, Cuzco/MP is where it begins)
About 10 days ago we (wife and I) returned from a 44 day trip to Argentina.
The high point was our visit to the Perito Moreno glaciar in Calafate, south Patagonia.
Absolutely spectacular! A three mile wide river of ice flowing down from the Andes into the Lake Argentino.
The wall of ice rises about 200 feet over the lake's surface and makes one feel small while passing by, in sheer stupefaction, on board of a pretty comfortable boat.
Just restricting myself to South America, where Cuzco/MP are, I would place the Perito Moreno Glaciar, the Iguaçu Falls (seen from the Brazilian side), the mighty Amazon River and the Rio de La Plata at the same level of grandeur, if not greater, as the Cuzco complex.
Not so easy to be impressed, (because you don't realise it is a river unless you taste the water) is the width of the Rio de La Plata in Buenos Aires (where else can you see a river 50 miles wide?).
Travelling down the Amazon, from Manaus to Belem, will let you sense the sheer might of the Amazon River in a 4 days trip down the river. (By the way, Cuzco/MP is where it begins)
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