Last Week in Peru

Hi! I'm now in Buenos Aires, but I thought I'd write a little bit about my last week in Peru.

On July 15, I took a bus from Huancayo to Lima, which was very easy. I stayed at a hostel right near the center of Lima and had the opportunity to spend the evening looking at the governmental palace and other incredible architecture of the main square. Very early on the morning of the 16th, I caught a flight from Lima to Cusco. Although I was planning on sleeping for the whole flight, I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the flight was. The airplane flew very low, and I watched the sunrise over the snow-capped Andes poking through a thin layer of clouds (it kinds of looked like islands in a very still ocean). I met my friend Frank in Cusco, (an absolutely incredible city) and we spent the day exploring. It was very interesting to see the buildings where the Spaniards built directly on top of the Inca walls. Although the Inca walls are much older, they have endured the time, weather and earthquakes much better than the Spanish walls have. After a quick briefing, we packed and went to bed early in preparation for the beginning of the Inca Trail!

July 17-20: Inca Trail

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was one of the most incredible things I've ever done. Although it's a little pricier than most of the trekking in Peru, I would definitely recommend it for anyone who ever gets the chance. Our group consisted of 9 hikers, 2 guides, and 13 porters. We hiked for 4 days and three nights along the trail the ancient Inca upper class used at a type of pilgrimmage from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I was amazed at how quickly the terrain changed... we hiked through forest, jungle, and more rocky and alpine terrain. The highest point (and part where I struggled most) was Dead Woman's Pass (14,000 feet). Our guides were great and the porters carried our tents and food. Although we were sleeping in tents, it wasn't exactly roughing it.... the porters went ahead to cook us amazing meals, set out bowls of warm water for us to wash every morning and evening, and woke us every morning by coming to our tents with hot coca tea.

The trail wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, considering that I carried most of my own stuff. Although most people hire porters to carry their clothes, sleeping bags, etc., Frank and I decided to carry our own. It definitely made the hike I bit harder, but it added a little sense of accomplishment to do it on my own. The hike was incredibly beautiful...I could hardly put my camera away. Not only were there incredible views, we saw one or two ancient Inca sites every day. The people in our group were great, and the trail wasn't as clogged with tourists as I expected it to be.

Machu Picchu was also incredible. Our group woke up extra early and was second in line at the check point. When the check point opened at 5:30 AM, Frank and I ran along the jungle paths (guided only by the light of our headlamps) and ended up being the 2nd (Frank) and 6th people to reach the sungate, giving us the unique opportunity to see the site before the 2,000 daily tourists arrived. Although not as mysterious and spiritual as the other sites due to the volume of tourists, Machu Picchu was amazing to finally see.

After the Inca Trail, we spent a night in Aguas Calientes, took the train down to Cusco, and then spent one final night in Cusco. On the morning of the 22nd, I flew to Buenos Aires. I had an amazing time in Peru. The people are so warm, friendly and generous. The hikes I went on were absolutely gorgeous, and the Andean culture is fascinating. Although I'm loving Buenos Aires, I definitely miss Peru too and hope to return again to see all the things I missed.