We just got back from Peru where we had intended to visit the historic ruins of Machu Pichu. This is an Inca site built over 500 years ago by the great Inca Ruler Pachacuti who with his son Tupac Yupanqui are compared to Alexander the Great and his father and whose empire at its peak stretched hundreds of miles into Ecuador to the north and Chile to the south of present day Cuzco which was its hub. We did get a chance to see some of the impressive ruins of the Inca’s and many artifacts but a day before we were to take a train to Machu Pichu there was a torrential rain and resultant landslides took out the only two land routes in (the train tracks and the Inca walking trail). At one point our troupe was mulling over the idea of hiring a helicopter to fly us in (this of course before we knew how bad things were and how many people were trying desperately to get out). What we didn’t know was that those caught there were sleeping on a field in the cold rain with no shelter and that the water supply had been contaminated and food supplies were insufficient. On top of that, the landslides had killed people and evacuations were limited to a hand full of helicopters taking victims out a few at a time leading to riots. If we’d gone a day sooner we would have seen Machu Pichu but the price would have been high. Sometimes you have to thank your lucky stars for un-granted wishes.