Flight From Lima to Cusco

Dense fog completely encapsulates the capital city Lima; literally everything is grey. We arrive at about 6:30 in the morning and we are quick to get on the next flight to our final destination, Cusco, Peru. The rapid ascent of our plane through the thick clouds eventually reveals an expanse of soft, white plains. But then, just as quickly as we broke out of the clouds, the jagged brown peaks of the Andes Mountains come into focus. It's strange to think that something as seemingly routine as a mountain range could be so breathtaking. No picture I take could ever properly portray the beauty of what I now look upon. Any word or combination of words would be a gross understatement. It is a world above the world. There's hardly a hint of life that could be seen from where I now sit at 33,000 feet above sea level (a.s.l.). And even more strangely, I find the visible lack of human involvement soothing. It's the largest expanse of land I've seen thus far in my life that has been largely untouched by the human hand and there's something immensely remarkable about that. I'm exhausted from the 16 hours worth of travel but the scene from my window has awakened me. It's awakened parts of my conciousness that I hardly knew existed. It's brought me to the beautiful realization that there quite literally is an entire other world to be seen and while we are alive we must, with imperative fervor, see this world and behold its marvels.
The announcement explains that we are about to land in Cusco. And out of nowhere, humanity becomes evident. Humble abodes dot the outskirts of the city and eventually they come closer and closer until one of the highest cities in the world comes together. I look out and see the city of Cusco beneath me and I realize that this is my kind of religious experience. It is a world vastly different from my own and I'm ready to explore and experience this ancient land. I've never before felt what I feel now; I am finally in my element.