Blogs from Inca Trail, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 8

So we arrived in Cusco a few days ahead of the start of the Inca trail to acclimatize to the altitude. This meant we had some free time to explore this beautiful city. With a current population of 349,000 Cusco use to be the Inca empire’s capital city. Today the Inca history is visible everywhere from the cobblestone streets to the walls and buildings built without mortar. Discovering the streets and visiting the Inca museum to learn more about this civilization was fascinating and Cusco will defiantly be a city that I will always remember. The night before our trek started we stayed in a village outside Cusco called Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley where there are yet more Inca ruins. Again another quaint cobbled street village which was very picturesque. The Inca Trail to Machu ... read more

18.11.11 The hardest day of the lot today. We climbed to the summit of one of the mountains we crossed during the trail. It was 4218m above sea level. We set off at 6 after breakfast and a coca tea. The porters provided us with a bag of snacks and off we went. Straight away we were on an incline and the legs burning. It took us 3 hours to get to the top (dead womans pass) which the guide said it would take 5 and a half, so we did well! We had a 30 minute break half way and stopping regularly to catch our breath and to drink water. We were 3rd and 4th out of our group with only a U.S helicopter pilot and a tennis coach infront of us. At the top ... read more

In August of 2011, I headed to Peru with a friend to ultimately see Machu Picchu. Our journey would begin right out side of Lima in a ocean side suburb called Miraflores. The taxi was a bit lost when searching for the hostel, making wrong turns down dark sketchy alleys with looks given from the outside wasn't the most welcoming feeling to Lima, but we would eventually arrive to my first hostel of my traveling ventures. Miraflores is a very modern suburb with a lot of upscale restaurants and shopping centers that are perched upon a cliff that over looks the pacific. Surfers take wave during the high tides of the winter while paragliders sore over the cliffs taking in the ocean side view. Which was I to do? I figured it was a bit risky ... read more

For those of you who are wondering if we ever came back to the States - we did; only to leave again a good 6 months later. This time, it was only for two weeks, not two years. The following is an account of our time in Peru (hopefully with the Chile account soon to follow.) The main goal of our trip to Peru was to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Our trip started out in the Denver area, where we stayed with some of Justin's family for a few days. We adjusted to the altitude there, since we would begin our hike less than 24 hours of arriving in Cuzco, Peru. Justin's family spoiled us with the novelty of going to a different frozen yogurt shop every evening that we were there. Plus ... read more

Today we awoke in quiiiite a bit of pain from day 2 but once again it was an early start and we were promised that it was a much easier day today with a mixture of up down and flat. Once again Reuban (our tour guide) was lying and it was mainly up and very steeply down with big steps, but it was a lot better that yesterday! It was a bit of a learning day too as we stopped at lots of ruins and learnt about the Incas etc. Crazy fog today which was very cool. Is in a few photos! Again had amazing food for lunch and dinner and the best part of today was knowing that where we were camping was at a lodge that had cold beer and a hot shower for ... read more