Advertisement
Published: June 10th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Hola Amigos! We are sorry, it has been a long time since we updated our little journal. So, we have been here for one week now and a lot has happened since then. We have explored Cusco and the Sacred Valley, stumbled upon Corpus Christi celebrations and and my cousin Kristin, hiked 49 km with the highest peak of 13,779 ft, arrived at Machu Picchu to see the sun rise and wash away the pain in our legs with Cusquenas... a local beer!
Cusco and the Sacred Valley are beautiful! We spent three days simply exploring the city of Cusco and the seemingly endless ruins that surround it. The culture in this area of Peru is so vibrant, with a mix of Inca and Spanish traditions. On our second day in Cusco we went on a tour of the Sacred Valley and saw ruins at Pisac and Ollaytaytambo. We also visited our guide, Martin Martinez's hometown of Chinchero... again a unique mix of Inca and Spanish cultures. Chinchero is thought to be the birthplace of the rainbow! The rainbow and many other things in nature were very important to the Incas as in other ancient cultures... but the fact that the rainbow still remains a major symbol of this area just gives you an idea of how happy and colourful the places and people are.
On our third day in Cusco we went to see the ruins of Sacsaywaman on our own... a joke among guides is that it sounds like SEXY WOMAN. Har har! The ruins were amazing with giant interlocking stones which were 128 ton, more complicated versions of lego. Hahaha! Later on we planned to see some more typical sites in Cusco but were completely side tracked for the rest of the day by the Corpus Christi celebrations. It was amazing and we were so glad to see them. Cusco has 12 different areas that are represented by a saint. So San Pedro, San Cristibol etc. Every year, 6 weeks after Easter each church from the 12 areas travels with a massive statue of the their saint, dancers, bands, and their congregation to the main Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas. They move through the streets of Cusco entertaining and celebrating with every one along the way. We have a ton of pictures, so once we get organized we'll post them on flikr so you can see! The last highlight of our third day was a quick visit with my cousin Kristin. We didn't think we'd get a chance, but we managed to head out for dinner with Kristin and her friends who were in Peru after a month in Equador building a school in a small town!
For the last four days we have been on the Inca Trail... the original trail which the Incas used to travel to Machu Picchu and other sites in the Sacred Valley and Peru. Here are some fast facts, we hiked 49 km over 4 days, camped 3 nights in the Andes, ascended and descended 3 passes... the highest being 13,779 feet above sea level, saw 5 Inca ruins along the way!
It was an amazing experience. Exhausting, but one we will never forget. The views both day and night were fantastic. Whether it was it the milky way, a snow capped mountain, an Inca terrace hundreds of feet below or the daunting trail ahead... it was all beautiful. The first day was pretty easy, just another hike for two canucks, but the second day kicked our butts. With a combination of too much sun, altitude and some kind of stomach bug for me, we had to push ourselves to limits unknown. However, we made it and the third and fourth days were unforgettable and at times pretty relaxing! Camping at night was rather chilly, but the porters supplied our group of 18 with delicious food and hot drinks every night. On the first night Kevin wandered off to the dodgy bathroom and took a pee in what appeared to be a urinal... he later saw one of the porters cleaning our dinner dishes in the same facility which was a SINK. Hahaha!
This morning at 4 am we woke up to hike to the Sun Gate. We watched the rise over the mountains with a distant view of Machu Picchu... this made the entire hike worthwhile! We continued on for about another hour until we actually walked into Machu Picchu high above a lost city and terraces. Soooo amazing! It was one of the most stunning things I had ever seen, and because we had worked so hard to get there it was even more satisfying. After visiting the site for a few more hours we descended back into the jungly valley to the small town of Aguas Calientes to have a few last beers or Cusquenas with our group. Now we're here at our hotel and looking forward to toilets with seats, hot water and a bed! So as I sit here along the Urubamba river, listening to Peru Rail rumble by I sign off for us both. We're ready to put our aching limbs to rest! Hope all is well and we'll be in touch soon! Love L and K
Advertisement
Tot: 0.08s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0568s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mom & Danny
non-member comment
Terrific picture!
It looks wonderful up there.It was super you were able to catch up with Kristin. Saw all there is to see! Take care care. Allie is fine Love Mom and Danny