Cusco, the Inca Jungle Trek and Machu Picchu

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We arrived in Cusco early in the morning after a night bus from Arequipa. Unfortunately our room wasn't ready as it was only 6am. We wandered around Cusco and found a place for breakfast before sitting in the Plaza de Armas and people watching until a more respectable hour and we could check in.

We walked up the hill to the Saqsayhuamán (sexywoman), an Inca site of both religious and military significance. Unfortunately only 20% of the original site remains as after the Spanish conquest they removed many of the stones and used them to build houses in Cusco. The majority of what is left is made out of huge stones that the Spanish probably couldn't move and were too big for house building.

We booked onto the Inca Jungle Trek to make our way to Machu Picchu. We were picked up from our hostel early in the morning before heading off to begin the trip that involved mountain biking from Abra Malaya (4,350m) to Santa Maria (1,430m). Before we started we were provided with a ridiculous amount of protective gear to wear including body armour, shin pads, gloves and helmet. I'm not sure what the reason behind all this gear was as it wouldn't have saved you if you were hit by one of the crazy Peruvian drivers. The views on the way down were amazing and we all made it down safely. The ride was pretty easy as it was a sealed road and not particularly steep so we need a fair amount of pedaling to try and keep our speed up.

After mountain biking we had a free afternoon with options to go white water rafting or quad biking. We decided to relax as Gary wanted to watch the football (again!) and I was quite happy to just read my book.

The next morning we were given a ride in the back of a truck to the start of the trekking trail so we didn't have to walk along the dusty road. The trek was long time wise, but short distance wise as we made many stops and our guide talked lots. Part of the walk was along an original Inca trail. We had great views along the way and had a short ride across the river in a "cable car", or more accurately cable bucket. We finished our trek for the day in Santa Teresa at the hot pools which was great after a " long" day hiking. That night at dinner we were given inka tequila to try, however the guide made the error of providing alcohol to everyone and then trying to take orders for breakfast the next morning, he gave up in the end and everyone had the same thing.

In the morning we went zip lining. The zip lining was great fun, it started with a steep climb to the first of 4 runs. The longest run was about 1.2km with awesome views of the valley below. On the second one Gary had the opportunity to fly like Superman by putting his harness on backwards and flying with one of the guides who held his legs. On the last line I did a double Superman which was great fun but I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed in a Western country.

We were driven to the hydroelectric plant where we began our trek to Aguas Calientes pueblo. The walk was pretty easy as it was flat following the train tracks. As we walked we got our first glimpse of Machu Picchu and the excitment began to grow. We finally arrived in Aguas Calientes and had our final meal with the group before having an early night.

The alarm went off at 4am, we met the group and headed off with our torches in the dark but without the guide as he was having a sleep in before buying his train ticket back to Cusco and catching the bus up to Machu Picchu. We got to the bridge at the bottom of the climb and joined the line as the gates don't open until 5am.

The climb up to the main entrance of Machu Picchu was 45 minutes of climbing up steps. It was a very good workout and got the thighs burning and our muscles pumping. We made it to the entrance and waited for the rest of the group and the guide.

We entered just after it opened and were greeted by clouds and fog covering the site, but once the sun came up most of the clouds burned away and we had fantastic views. It was amazing to finally see Machu Picchu after seeing so many photos and hearing so much about it. We had a guided tour for about two hours which turned out to be a bit frustrating as we had a group of 24 people with only one guide and there were so many other groups and people around that at times it was hard to hear and see what he was talking about.

After the tour we left the site to have a bite to eat as you are not allowed to eat inside. On our way back in we bumped into Chris and Emily, who we first met in Sucre, so they joined us to climb Machu Picchu mountain. We had to sign in and show our tickets before we could begin. The climb up Machu Picchu mountain was probably one of the toughest treks we have done, I think it was due partly to our early morning trek up to the entrance from Aguas Calientes and partly due to the number of steps we had to climb. Over the last few treks I've been debating if I prefer steps or just a steep path, after this trek I have concluded that I definitely prefer the path option to steps as the steps are never designed perfectly for my stride length.

The views on the way to the top were fantastic as well as a great excuse to stop for a rest or a photo. As we got closer to the top Machu Picchu got smaller and smaller until it was below the clouds. We sat at the top with a feeling of accomplishment and waited for the clouds to clear for our perfect photo.

Heading back down was definitely much easier than the way up had been. When we reached Machu Picchu a large portion of the crowds had left so we had a chance to take photos and enjoy the slightly more tranquil setting. I was debating catching the bus back to Aguas Calientes but the line was pretty long so we both walked back down together to catch the train back to Cusco. Our train back to Cusco was pretty uneventful but super expensive.

Our next two days back in Cusco again revolved around the football as it was semifinal time. As Gary was watching Germany thrash Brazil, I decided that I would check out another cooking class we had stopped by in the morning before the game. The chef offered me an afternoon class that day and if no one else signed up it would be a private class as long as we made Lomo Saltado. Perfect, I hadn't made that before but I had eaten it and enjoyed it. When I turned up in the afternoon no one else had signed up so it was a private class. We started by checking which ingredients they already had before heading to the market to buy what was needed. At the market we tried different fruits most of which I had previously tried. The market is very touristy in Cusco especially compared to the Arequipa market and I felt that the fruit wasn't as good as some I have tried before. When we returned we started the cooking, I made a quinoa soup and Lomo Saltado which is essentially a yummy beef stir fry with tomato and onion. I also learnt the art of making pisco sour cocktails. One of the great things about Lomo Saltado is that we have all the ingredients back in NZ so it will be a dish that I'll be able to make again.

For the second football semifinal I joined Gary in the pub but unfortunately it was the game between Argentina and the Netherlands which went to a penalty shot out and I have been told it was probably one of the most boring games of the tournament.

We visited the Sacred Valley on a day tour from Cusco, we booked through one of the many agencies and made it onto one of the many buses. I got the feeling that it made no difference what company you booked through as all the tours are exactly the same, the only difference is if you had lunch included and the price you paid for the tour. The first stop on our tour was at the market in Pisac, we had an explanation about silver before wondering around the market, where I bought a beautiful table runner. From here it was a short drive to the Pisac ruins, which are high on a hill with two gorges either side. The Inka site has some very impressive curved agricultural terracing with the ceremonial centre above and great views of the valleys below.

After lunch we visited Ollantaytambo, an Inka fortress and ceremonial centre. The steep terraces surrounding the site helped the Inka successfully defend the site from the Spanish until they returned a second time with a quadrupled calvary force. The hill across from Ollantaytambo appears to have several faces that overlook the site.

Our last stop on the way back to Cusco was Chinchero where we visited the local church and a weaving workshop. We learnt about the natural products used for dyes and were given a demonstration before heading back to Cusco.

From Cusco we headed to Nazca.

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Comments

[taracloud]

Flying and killing the calves on stairs
Wow--you two are so buffed out--walking up to Machu Picchu and doing the mountain. I'm totally impressed. I so agree with you about the steps. I'm about the height of an Incan, yet the stairs always seem to be for people much taller--I don't get it. I love your flying in the zip lines and how that wouldn't be allowed in our countries. That's one of the things that I love about traveling here in South America--being able to experience a wild thing or two. See you in Nazca--it's supposed to be a gorgeous ride to the coast.

[robyngary]

Thanks
Hi Tara, thanks for your lovely comments.