Silent City

I'd guess that the vast majority of visitors to Machu Picchu make an image of the city from or near this viewpoint, and for good reason:  It's a classic, stunning view.  We first reached this spot at the end of our sixth day of trekking, a day earlier than we originally planned.  The early arrival turned out to be everything despite being so late that we could spend only a few minutes at the city's perimeter before it closed for the day, for we were fortunate to experience a Machu Picchu rarity:  silence.  There's not even a single person in this frame.  Llamas, yes; people, no. Photo © copyright by Greg Owens.

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