Perhaps we should´ve hired the porter...

---

We went to the orientation tonight for our four day hike along the Lares route to Machu Picchu tomorrow, and were a bit surprised to learn that everyone else in the group hired porters to carry their bags. One man even complained quite forcefully about having to carry his own 1.5L water bottle! This should be interesting.

We´ve spent the past couple of days exploring the area in and around Cusco. This city was the capital of the Inca empire, and the amount of ruins here are simply astounding. Poor Steve has had to endure MANY hours of me salivating over various museum exhibits of Inca artifacts. It´s amazing to see in person all of the pieces I spent years studying in undergrad (Anthropology major).

I have been most impressed with the architecture of many structures. The stones are fitted so perfectly together that no mortar was needed. The irrigation methods and agricultural terracing of the slopes also fascinates me. I probably took about two hundred pictures of stones and terraced mountainsides yesterday before Steve threatened to take the camera away!

We have a very early start tomorrow, so I´m off to get some sleep first.

- Kelly

P.S. Happy birthday, Dad! I´m sorry I couldn´t be there to celebrate with you.

---

Comments

[mariah]

so does that mean people could hire people to carry them on the hike as well?

[Honeytrekker]

The porters were all about 5´1¨ and 100 lbs, so I can´t imagine any of them would be able to hoist me. The guide brought a saddled horse along the second day after a few people had trouble on the first, but no one accepted a ride.