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Published: November 10th 2007
Date of trip: July 2002
So, after finishing grad school I had yet to travel outside the U.S. (except for Canada) so why not start with Peru. What could beat a 4 day hike to Machu Picchu!
Cuzco and Sacred Valley Cuzco was the capital of the Incan Empire and it is also one of the highest cities in the world sitting at nearly 11,000ft. Just climbing to the edge of the city is a challenge. At the top you eventually get to Sacsayhuaman that was the ancient fortress that watched over the city. The nearby Sacred Valley was a great place to explore--unfortunately, I don't have all of my pictures of that area. There were protests in Cuzco just before we came to Peru and one morning the plaza was filled with army trucks full of soldiers who were armed with guns and shields. If you go to Peru I would recommend avoiding the fried guinea pig . . . . unless you have a strong stomach. It is a specialty there but I just couldn't try it. For food, I would recommend going down "Gringo Alley" that shoots off one side of the plaza. There are
many good and incredibly cheap restaurants there. Check out the sun temple while in town, just off the square--the masonry is unbelievable. Also, just spend some time off the plaza wandering around the smaller streets.
The Hike to Machu Picchu If you go to Peru to see Machu Picchu do the 4 day hike instead of taking the train there if you are able. It is so much more rewarding and an experience you will remember for a lifetime. My group was rather small and consisted mainly of folks from Europe. They were so much fun to hike with! We had a Quechua guide and porters and even a cook--the food was wonderful. The hike itself has breathtaking views of the mountains and rugged landscape. And there are numerous ruins from the Incas along the way. Temperatures vary significantly along the way from short sleeve temps to having ice on your tent. No showers until the last night before going into Machu Picchu. The day arrive at Machu Picchu you have to get up very early (around 4am) so that you can arrive in time to watch the sun rise over the mountains to shine on the ancient
city. Your first views of Machu Picchu are truly memorable. And the peace of watching the sun take over the city is a surreal experience. If you take the train (then bus) to Machu Picchu then you march in with countless others in a "Disney World like" scene. The city itself will take a number of hours to explore all the views.
Colca Canyon Given limited travel time I had the opportunity to get to one other location--so the choice was to seek out the Andean condors. In order to do that you can get there from Arequippa. Take a drive through the Colca Canyon--canyons that are deeper that the Grand Canyon. When you are in the Colca Canyon area you really feel you are away from it all. Very simple little towns and houses dot the sides of the canyons. Life here is very simple and poverty is evident all over. The condors can be viewed only in certain areas of the canyon. They are so large they begin circling towards the bottom of the canyon and work their way up as the air gets warmer during the day and then they fly down down the canyon.
They are difficult to photograph given they are in such a large canyon. The brief time that we saw the birds was worth the efforts to get there to see them.
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