Perched on a narrow ridge that drops away on both sides, what most photos of the place don't show you is the raging rivers at the base of those cliffs, or the towering peaks that rise up on the other side and surround the site. The atmosphere of the place is simply stupendous. The ruins are larger than they look, with terraces, temples, astronomical observatories, and irrigation. Many of the buildings are constructed from huge, accurately carved granite blocks, that fit together like a puzzle, so precise that you couldn't insert a hair between. The ingenuity of the carving is extraordinary, let alone the skills of the builders to maneuver them there. As we left the site by a bus that descends down a winding track, a young boy dressed as an Inca shouted "Gooood-Bye!" and began to race the bus by following a steep footpath that descends more directly. At every hairpin he was there to shout "Gooood-Bye!", until inevitably, at the bottom he boarded the bus, for loud applause and some Peruvian Sols. Tacky maybe, but the local people have lost none of their ancient ingenuity.