Advertisement
Published: April 2nd 2009
Coca Tea
This stuff REALLY works...just one sip and you can start to feel its effects. I wouldn't have been able to acclamate to the altitude without the magical powers of this tea.The altitude affected me the moment I landed in Cusco (11,300ft) from Lima (sea level.) It was difficult to breathe and I felt light-headed and dizzy. The moment we walked into the hotel, we were offered a cup of coca tea and it was amazing how fast is started working. Just one sip of tea and I started to breathe better, and most of my light-headedness went away. We were advised to take a lot of rest the first day in order to acclimate to the altitude so we did just that.
Our trek was most definitely a once in a lifetime adventure! Our 1st day was supposed to be the easiest of the 4 days; a bike ride on Mt. Abra Malaga that came to an abrupt halt only 30 minutes into our tour. We were informed that there was a large land-slide and the construction workers were looking into the safest path over it. We started up the path and we were stopped by the police who instructed all group guides that the land was too unstable and made us turn around. At that point the various guides got together with the construction workers and offered us the
choice to get back in our van and drive to our next stop or truly trek through the jungle on a path freshly carved out by machete! We, of course, voted as a group to trek on. I have to admit, our alternate route was a bit scary especially when a few of us fell down the side of the mountain and had to grab on for dear life until we were rescued. We all made it safely to the other side and at the end of the day it was all worth-while.
Our 2nd day was a typical day on the Peruvian trail with tons of steep inclines, sheer drops and beautiful scenery. On our way from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa, we came across an abundance of flora, fauna, coca plantations and friendly locals. After hiking all morning, we stopped for lunch in Qellomayo and relaxed in hammocks while the rain passed. After our break, we continued our trek beside the Rio Vilcanota until we reached the hot springs of Colcamayo. It was such a treat to soak in the springs and think that we were half-way through to our main destination! Our 3rd day consisted of
Hillside ruin
Pit-stop on our way from Cusco to Santa Maria. more hiking from Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes, the closest town to the base of Machu Picchu.
Waking up at 5:00 AM to be one of the first at the base of Machu Picchu seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect we should have waited until later in the morning since it was difficult to see much of anything through the haze of the clouds. We walked amongst llamas and familiarized ourselves with the terrain and were in awe of the pristine and green grounds when the sun came out and the clouds finally cleared. I feel very lucky to have been able to visit Machu Picchu, since the grounds are slowly deteriorating and UNESCO is enforcing stricter rules every year to keep this wonder in tact.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0382s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Abby
non-member comment
The Udeshi Voyage Continues
I had no idea you were back on the road...or path, but glad I can see your beautiful pics. We might need to get you a show on the National Geographic Channel