Seth eating a fancy dinner of guinea pig (cuy) at MAP cafe in the Museo de Precolombino in Cusco the night before we started the hike. Not too bad except when you consider that you used to have guinea pig as a pet when you were a kid... poor Spike.
Saqsaywaman is an old temple overlooking Cusco and is one of the highlights of our trip (besides Machu Picchu). The rocks were rolled on logs from a quarry 8 km away. Look how big they are! They are carved to fit perfectly together and have withstood many earthquakes and are a fantastic Incan site that everyone who comes to Peru should try to visit.
Our group at the top of the third pass on the Camino Inca (Inca Trai). My friend Emily Howland, fellow Macalester soccer player and her friends, Devon and Anj who are traveling around the world, went with us and we met other awesome people in our group.
Steep steps with lots of people taking breaks. Our day packs had everything from bug spray and SPF to sunglasses and rain gear - and we used all of it everyday! Seth and I hired a porter which was a life saves as Seth wasn't feeling great for the first few days. It's part of the initiation into Peru but nonetheless it is not fun to be sick while hiking.
Our favorite ruins - Winywayna - with a nice hike down to a hidden waterfall (thanks Lizz for the tip) behind the terraces.
Can you see Seth?
The clouds in the valley next to Machu Picchu.
We woke up early every morning to hike but the last day was the worst as we had to get up at 3:45am to stand in line at the check-point until they opened at 5:30am and rush to Machu Picchu for sunrise. It was chilly and dark and it rained for the last hour of our hike before the Intipuku (Sun Gate, where you can see Machu Picchu for the first time). The valley was covered in clouds and we couldn't see anything when we got there. So we waited... and waited and finally walked down 45 minutes to the terraces above Machu Picchu but still, nothing. More waiting... ate our AM snack but still nothing but clouds. Then we climbed down to the entrance to check our bags and explore the ruins when all of a sudden the clouds lifted and you could see everything (except Winapicchu) but it was great!
An alpaca on Machu Picchu (or is it a llama- i can't tell the difference) but they are very cute.
Overall I would highly recommended this trip except November is the beginning of the rainy season and it rained everyday! Friends who have done this hike warned us and I will warn any adventurous readers who want to hike it - two of the four days are climbing up (and sometimes down) very steep stairs at altitude (12,000 ft or more). It's not easy (except our guide had an 80 year old on one trip so it can be done).
After a two-hour tour from our guide Jime (pronounced Jimmy in English) we relaxed on the terraces enjoying the beautiful views until our tummies were rumbling and it was time for lunch. It was weird to get on a bus after hiking. It was a bit confusing to be hiking and seeing lots of amazing ruins and going over mountain passes of over 13000 ft and camping outside when it was 40 degrees F and then seeing tourists with purses and make-up who were speaking dozens of languages on our last day when we hadn't showered. Oh well. The dirt road to Aguas Calientes, a horrible tourist town full of people who are only in Peru to go to Machu Picchu, had lots of switchbacks (with all the money that Machu Picchu makes you would think the road would be paved). We ate lunch at a restaurant that our guides get a commission for taking us to but the food was ok. Emily enjoyed a real coffee (none of that instant stuff they had on the trail) and we said goodbye as Seth and I boarded the train to Ollyatatambo for a few days in the Sacred Valley before heading to the Amazon (next post).
What a great trip!
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