South for the Summer

Machu Picchu, Peru

Visiting Machu Picchu is one of the biggest reasons I came to South America to begin with. It is a site that you hear about from everyone that has gone to Peru, and that is known the world over. It has a huge reputation to live up to, and let me tell you, it doesn’t fail to deliver. It’s as majestic, beautiful, and mind-boggling as everyone tells you it is.

The classic shot

The mountain behind is Huayna Picchu, which we greulingling climbed later that day (see other pics below)

All of the rocks they used to carve the bricks we found on the mountain, they weren't brought in from anywhere else.

The temple of the sun - designed specificall to signal the start of the summer solstice (when it was the begining of the solstice the sun shone so as to hit the round rock thats in the middle)

Triangle shaped walls were once covered with thatched roofs.

The room of three windows - notice how the stones here are larger and smoother? It signifies importance. Plus the site was abadonned before they completed building, so some structures have smooth and rough stones on them.

Terracing for planting crops

Huayna Picchu

The three rock peaks mirror the mountain in front


Llamas on the property

This same day we also got to climb up to the top of Huayna Picchu. Being as sore as I was, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but man was it worth it! At the very top, you can see all of Machu Picchu and the landscape around it. Huayna Picchu is actually another Inca ruin, built at the very peak of this mountain. The trail on the way up is paved with stone stairs, for which you need to use the rope provided, at times. It was really, really steep, but really, really cool. It absolutely should not be missed by anyone visiting Machu Picchu. You do have to buy a ticket in advance though b/c they only let 200 people climb it at two time intervals per day. If you don't have a ticket, you can't go up.

Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu in the background

So pretty.

Winding trail at the top - at the ruins

View of Machu Picchu from the top

The rock I'm sitting literally leans out over the edge of the mountain - its honestly a little scary just sitting there

This is what we climbed up, and had to climb back down - the steps were probably half a foot in depth, super narrow and super steep

Another shot of Machu Picchu on the way down

The ruins on Huayna Picchu

Even after visiting Machu Picchu, the fun of this day was not yet over. Later that day, I took the Perurail vistadome train from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco (which was was also included in the price of my trek). The vistadome train itself is awesome, it has windows on the roof, allowing you to see the mountain peaks above you, as the train chugs along. In addition, we were served a complimentary snack and treated to some cultural entertainment: a traditional dance from the Andes, performed by a costumed man, and a full on fashion show in which the stuartists were models! In the middle of the Andean dance (which unfortunately, I don't remeber the name of, only that it is danced on rooftops), the costumed guy grabbed my hand and made me dance with him in front of a packed train...I got into it, it was great! Then all of sudden this techno/pop music came on with a heavy base, and we were treated by a formal fashio show in which the stuartists were modeling Alpaca fur pieces...too funny!

the dancing costumed guy

fashion show!

They were pretty good, at what they were doing!

Salkantay Trail, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Peru

44 km. 3 days. 6 brave people. 1 amazing guide. = an adventure of a lifetime.
The first day, after waking up at 3:30 in the morning we trekked 19km and hiked up to 14 000ft. This is the highest I ever been in my life. I may be wrong, but I think some commercial planes fly at 14 000ft (daddy, correct me if I’m wrong). Over the course of three days we saw and experienced many different micro-climates due to the changes in altitude. We went from a cold dry desert climate at the Salkantay viewpoint to cloud forrests, to practically jungle (actually its technically called transitional forrest). We were lucky enough to have rain-free amazing weather. I have NEVER been so SORE in my life.
I did the trek with a tour agency called Enigma, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. Our guide, Andy, was totally relatable, easy to talk to, and made everyone feel comfortable. Like he said in the beginning: we start together, and end together, as a team.
Not only was the guide amazing, we were also totally spoiled by the chef. I swear he cooked us five star meals from camping gear. The menu was varied, healthy, and delicious! There were also little things that made the trip special and well worth the money I spent: We were given snack bags full of goodies every morning to eat while trekking; at night when we arrived at camp they would give hot water, soap, and a towel to wash with; every morning we were served a hot beverage of our choice in our tent; and before or after dinner, Andy would tell us about Inca history as we sipped on tea of our choice.

The culmination of all our hard work ended in seeing Machu Picchu from across the mountain range on our third day of hiking. At that point, all the pain and hard work was worth it. At that point we knew we were almost near our trekking stopping point. The third day we hiked to the hydroelectric plant, and took the train into the town of Aguas Calientes where we would be spending the night before exploring Machu Picchu the next day. Upon arrival, we were apologetically told by Andy that the hotel we were supposed to stay in was overbooked, and that we would be staying in a different hotel. So I was like alright, all I want is a bed and a shower….I don’t care what the hotel looks like. So we walk about ten minutes from the train station and arrive at Inkaterra hotel: and let me tell you, U.P.G.R.A.D.E! This was 5 star hotel. The pictures I have barely do it justice, so click on the link above. I had a double queen room all to myself. The shower I took that night was the best shower I’ve had in South America so far. Not only was the hotel amazing, but we were giving a free complimentary drink (pisco sour) and dinner that night and breakfast the next morning was included. Of course, the food was amazing.

Overall, the trek was really the highlight of my trip. The beautiful scenery, our amazing guide, Andy, the couriers and cooks, and the great group of people that we had really made it a memorable and amazing experience: one that I will remember fondly for the rest of my life.

View of where we started our trek-after driving 3 hours from Cusco

The van we drove in and all our luggage/food-ready for the courriers and horses

Breakfast day 1

Starting our hike....

Horses behind us...this section was particularly steep

Salkantay mountain-the snowcapped peak in the back

Almost to the top....could barely breathe

We made it-went up 4000 ft in elevation-Salkantay base

My self made statue-signifying leaving the past behind and moving into the present. Lots of people had made them at the peak. I wonder if mine is still there...

Downhill, heading for lunch....still day 1

Lunch camp

Lunch, day 1

Start of day 2

Beautiful 7am view

Small break with Andy, Tom, and Dave

bridge crossing

A hikers lodge we came upon in the middle of our hike-so pretty

huge landslide

waterfall

Check out the baby bananas

people do live out here-all are farmers, who grow all kinds of crops on the side the mountains at like a 70 degree angle. Its incredible to see the crop fields just in the middle of such a steep mountainside...and even more incredible to think that people climb up there everyday to pick and maintain it!

lunch day 2

Lunch! day 2 - amazing!

Campsite day 2

start of day 3 - hiking up behind our campsite we found a coffee farm...this is the machine that they use to get the bean out of its shell

Wild turkeys putting on a show-I'd never seen a white turkey before.

a view from halfway up the mountain

on the way down the other side-a view of Machu Picchu from afar

close up of the view - you can totally see the terracing

We ended up at this Inca ruin, on the mountain opposite Machu Picchu, which the Incas used as a lookout point to keep an eye on the sacred site from afar