The rest of the group was either staying an extra day or leaving in the morning. I was the only one leaving in the afternoon. My flight didn’t leave until 8:16pm, so I had all day to explore. Since I had plenty of time, I slept in and then hung around my room until it was time to checkout at noon. Then I checked my luggage at the hotel so I could explore Cusco without dragging it around. I grabbed a map at the front desk and planned my excursion.
I first decided to walk to San Pedro market, which was on the other side of the town. It took me a while to get there because I got a little lost, but I did eventually make it. It was okay. They had a lot of stuff but I liked the one in Aguas Calientes better. I didn’t find anything I needed to buy so I wandered back to the hotel. The first day we did a walking tour of Cusco, so I already saw the highlights of the city. I started getting hungry, so I went to a restaurant that was by the hotel. It had good reviews, and I had plenty of time to kill. I took my time eating while I read my book and people watched. In the same square was the Quechua museum, which is free so I decided to explore it. It was only a couple of rooms, so there wasn’t much to explore. They had some pottery and exhibits about Quechua life. I took my time wandering through it. I still had about 2 hours after I finished exploring. So I went into the hotel so I could use their wifi to look up a place to buy chocolate and coffee. Peru is known for their chocolate and coffee, so I decided to buy some as a souvenir and so I could use up my remaining money. There was a shop a couple of blocks away, so I walked over there and bought 3 bags of coffee and 2 chocolate bars. I didn’t have anything else to do and I only had 3 sols left (about $1), so I decided to hang out at the hotel until my driver picked me up to go to the airport. I found a comfortable couch that was near a plug and charged my phone while I read and waited. The van picked me up with no problems and took me to the airport. The guy escorted me up to the counter to check my bag and deal with any airline questions and then escorted me to Security. I had no issues with Security and sat down to wait until it was time to get on the plane. There was a long line to get on the plane and I was patiently waiting my turn. There was another shorter line, but I didn’t know what it was for. Then I heard another tourist say in English that it is for people that only had 1 bag. I only had my backpack so I decided to switch lines. He was right and it didn’t take long to board the plane. The flight to Lima took about an hour and then I had a 2 hour layover until I finally boarded the plane at 11:47pm to DFW. I was so tempted to abandon ship at DFW when I landed at 7:20am, but I waited the hour and a half so I could catch my flight back to Austin. Mom and Joe picked me up at the airport and took me to lunch. The next day, I had to drive back to DFW in my car. But it was definitely an amazing trip and worth the money.
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Sleeping in a bed is a lot more comfortable than a cot. I will never take sleeping in a bed for granted again! We had the option of waking up early to go back to Machu Picchu in order to hike up Huayna Picchu, which is the mountain beside Machu Picchu. We had to make the decision last night, and I decided I just wasn’t up for it. If the whole group was going to do it, I would have forced myself to go, but everyone preferred to sleep in. Except Jim, I could tell he wanted to do it but he didn’t want to be the only one. So we got to sleep in and then go to breakfast before packing up and meeting in the hotel lobby. We left our bags at the hotel and they are supposed to transport them to the train station for us. While we were in the lobby, Jim was missing. John talked to Jon and told him that Jim was throwing up in the bathroom. For some reason he started getting really sick last night and into this morning. It’s a good thing he didn’t plan on doing the Huayna Picchu hike. We walked down to the bus stop in Aguas Calientes to take the bus back to Machu Picchu. Along the way, we stopped at a local pharmacy to get some medicine for Jim, but he didn’t want to buy any. I was tired of having coughing attacks, so I asked Jon what the local cough medicine was and bought some. The lady at the pharmacy prescribed cough drops, so I bought some and a huge container of water. Then we got on the bus and took the switchbacks up the mountain to the Machu Picchu entrance. Machu Picchu was a lot more crowded today! We first went to a scenic overlook of the site. Along the way we passed the Sacrifice Rock. It is called the Sacrifice Rock, but no one actually knows its function. It was used in some kind of ritual, but we don’t know what.
After making it to the bridge and taking pictures, we headed back up the path. On the way, we decided to stop and make a wish on the cocoa leaves the shaman had given us. He told us to take the 3 leaves, blow on them and make a wish, and then leave them at Machu Picchu. We took a minute to make our wishes and then released them over the side of the path. What we didn’t count on was the wind blowing them back towards us, so we had to literally toss them over the side to make sure they didn’t come back.
Jon took us to the train station. Surrounding the train station was a market where we could shop for souvenirs. We had about 2 hours to shop or find somewhere close by to wait for the train. I didn’t have any money, but the closest ATM was inside the train area. But when I went there, there were people crammed into every corner. I decided to browse the market while I waited for the next train to come so all the people would clear out. Every 10 minutes or so I would check to see if I could get to the ATM until I finally accepted defeat. I decided to look outside of the market to withdraw money. Luckily, while I was looking for another ATM I found Jon and Chris and they pointed one out to me that was just up the street. I withdrew the money so I could finally shop. On my way back to the market, I found Tessa and her family. They had just bought “I survived the Inca Trail” shirts. I definitely wanted one of those and they showed me where they found them. So I bought a shirt, and then I found some shot glasses to give out as souvenirs when I get home. By this time it was almost time to gather by the trains, so I returned to the train depot. There was a guy selling his artwork to tourists outside, so I asked to see his work. I was able to find an oil painting of Machu Picchu that I really liked. My goal is to get a local painting at each of the Seven Wonders. I have a spray painting of the Coloseum and now I have an oil painting of Machu Picchu. He originally wanted the equivalent of $99. I was willing to pay that, but I knew I was supposed to haggle so I talked him down to the equivalent of $90. We both left happy. While I was haggling, the rest of my group showed up. Tessa also decided to buy a painting of Machu Picchu and Allison bought a painting of some llamas. A guy also showed up with the group picture we had taken at the start of the hike. He knows the tour guides and how long the trek takes so he just waits at the train station for us to eventually show up. The train is the only way into and out of Machu Picchu. I, of course, also had to buy that picture. Once we all gathered, Jon led us into the train station. Our bags from the hotel were waiting for us, so we grabbed them and then got on the train. I was really happy that I was assigned a window seat so I could watch the passing scenery. The seats are set up 4 to a table. At my table was me, Jim, Jane, and Aubrey. We joked that our table was the sick table because we were all sick except Aubrey.
Once the train got to the station in Ollantaytambo, we grabbed our bags and got off. We then met up with our bus driver to take us back to Cusco. It was a long drive in the dark. On the way, Tessa realized that the painting she bought had fallen out of her bag on the train. It was too late to go back and get it, so she lost the painting. I could see she was upset about it, but at that point there was nothing anyone could do. Once we got back to the hotel we finally had access to our suitcases again. We had time to go up and change for dinner. Dinner was the last time we were going to see Jon and Chris, so I went down early so I could use the ATM to withdraw money for their tip. They really did an amazing job! I gave them about a hundred dollar each. Everyone else also came down to give them their tip and say goodbye. Jon and Chris were taking us to dinner, but half of the group decided to stay at the hotel. Jim and Aubrey were already sick so they stayed. Bill also started feeling bad on the drive back to Cusco, so he and Allison decided to skip dinner as well. Jon, Chris, Tessa, John, Cynthia, Aubrey, and I were the only ones to go to dinner. We rode the van over to the dinner place and had a great last meal. The place was right by one of the squares and through the window we saw a guy selling paintings. John took Tessa over there to replace the painting she had lost. He bought her a new one, but it was smaller and cost more than the one she had in Aguas Calientes. The guy apparently wasn’t willing to go down on the price. Then Jon and Chris walked us back to the hotel and we said our final goodbyes before going to bed.
When we did make it to the lunch spot, they still weren’t ready for us. Since we still had another 20 minutes, we dropped our bags off and walked to the Winaywayna ruins. We were supposed to explore them after lunch as we continued on the trail, but we decided to save time and do them before rather than sit around.
After we finished exploring, we headed back up to our lunch spot. The food was amazing as always. I really wish the chef would write a cookbook for those of us that don’t know how to cook on a stove, let alone over a propane tank. After we finished eating, we used the bathroom for the last time. By this point REI had run out of toilet paper so the chakski cut a paper towel roll in half which we used up this morning, so there was no more toilet paper left. Luckily, we were all prepared and had our own toilet paper because we heard the toilets on the trail wouldn’t have them. We also had to say goodbye to our remaining chakskis for the last time. As soon as we left, they would pack up the lunch stuff and run down to catch the train so they could return home. It was really sad to say goodbye, but we did. We kept on heading down. We weren’t far from the lunch place when Tessa realized she didn’t have her cell phone. Luckily Chris had left the lunch spot after us so Jon radioed him to look. He looked but couldn’t find it, so Tessa turned around and ran back to the lunch spot to also look for it. We didn’t want to believe one of the chakskis had stolen it, but that is what it was looking like. She couldn’t find it either, and then she looked in her backpack and found it. She had it all along! Tessa hikes up and down fast, so it didn’t take her long to catch up with the rest of us. The joke the rest of the trip was “Tessa, do you have your phone?"
As we were heading down, I think I somehow twisted my knee. Jon noticed that my gate had changed before I did. I didn’t want to delay the group, so I kept pushing on. It eventually got to the point where I couldn’t take steps down with my left leg. It was my right knee that was hurting, but every time I stepped down with my left leg my right knee would bend and cause a shooting pain up my leg. So I had to keep stepping down with my right leg, which made different muscles sore. I knew we were on a time crunch, so I kept powering through. When we finally reached Machu Picchu, we had to actually exit before we went in. I don’t know why, but I just started crying. My leg wasn’t really hurting, but I think I was just overwhelmed that I had actually made it. I didn’t want anyone to notice, so I tilted my hat to cover my face. The rest of the group had gone ahead, so it was just me and Chris and he didn’t notice. A random person noticed and asked if I was okay and I assured him I was. We exited the site and then checked our backpacks and the entrance before entering the site again. We had about an hour to explore with Jon as our tour guide before the site closed down for the day. There were a lot of people, but not as many as I expected. Most tourists come in the morning instead of right before closing, so we were able to avoid most of the groups in our pictures.
Jon knew there would be more crowds tomorrow, so he decided to take us to places all the tourists flock to first. Our first stop was the Temple of the Sun. It was used as an astronomical observatory by the Incas in order to track the position of the sun and the summer and winter solstice. It was extremely important to the Inkas, and only the head priest or The Inka (the king) would be allowed to enter it. Below the Temple of the Sun was the Mother Earth’s Temple or Royal Tomb. It was literally a cave with the stepped stones inside. It was used for sacrifices and other ceremonial occasions. Archaeologists believe that it was created to house the tomb of someone important, but it was never actually used.
At the end of our route was the Sacred Square. This was where ceremonies were held. On one side of the square was the Temple of the Three Windows. It was dedicated to Pachamama, where the number 3 was very important. On June 21st, when the Sun’s ray enter through the 3 windows it produces a projection of symmetrical shadows on the ground. Also in the square was the Main Temple. The Main Temple was still in the process of being completed when the site was abandoned. Sadly, there were some foundation issues with the ground sinking a little bit which caused the temple to shift out of balance.
We took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes. Since I didn’t travel with anyone, I claimed my own seat on the bus. Our group was the first to board and even though we were at the front of the bus no one wanted to sit next to us. I’m sure by this point we were smelling pretty rank since we hadn’t showered in 4 days. I thought there would be transportation waiting for us when we got off the bus, but we still had to walk uphill to our hotel. It was only about half a mile, but it was definitely felt like longer. I though I was done hiking for the day but sadly was not. When we got to the hotel we all collapsed on the lounge chairs while they processed us. Once we got our hotel keys, Tessa and I went to our room. I let her take a shower first while I texted everyone and posted on Facebook that I was still alive. She didn’t have to worry about that since her parents were on the trip. When it was my turn to shower, that shower felt amazing! I didn’t want to get out of it, but I knew I had to.
I did learn something about hiking. If you run out of toilet paper, don’t use paper towels in its place. We all got rashes in unpleasant places. It didn’t help that we had to keep walking, which made the rashes worse. Luckily the rashes didn’t develop until the last hour or 2 before we got to the hotel so we didn’t have to suffer the entire day, just a couple of hours. We hiked 6.2 miles to Machu Picchu, starting at 11,975 feet above sea level and walking down to 7,874. We then spent several more hours walking around Machu Picchu and to the hotel, so we probably walked at least 8 miles.
We had to push on, so we started our hike. Sadly we had some more distance to go uphill, but it wasn’t as bad as yesterday. Also, I was well rested this time and it was only about a mile or so. I was still lagging behind everyone, but I was only a couple of minutes behind.
Before we went into the dining tent for dinner, we gathered in a group to meet our chaskis. Only 1 or 2 of them spoke English, so Jon translated for us. They told us their names, how old they were, where they were from, how many children they have, and what their job was on the trek. We got to meet the chef, our waiter, the guy that was in charge of the toilets, and the men that carried our luggage and food. The men ranged in age from 18 to 55. Almost all of them were from the same small village. Jon told us that REI sponsors their village. Their experience in being chakskis only go back about 5 years, because that is how long REI has been offering the Inca Trail trek. Most chakskis are from Ollantaytambo or villages around there because they can take the train to the start of the Inca Trail. The village our porters are from is further from the train station, so they were never given the opportunity to be chakskis on the Inca Trial. REI pays very well and gives the chakskis extra money/transportation to get to Ollantaytambo so they can take the train. REI has 3 or 4 villages that they support this way. They chakskis are very grateful to REI and to us for using REI because it gives them extra money to support their families instead of only relying on subsistence farming. They encouraged us to come back and tell all our friends about REI so REI would arrange more trips. I thought that was an amazing thing that REI does, because they didn’t have to. They could take the cheaper route and use only locals, but instead they charge a little extra to actually support communities of hard workers. I certainly don’t mind paying the extra to help these people. We also introduced ourselves and gave a little history about us. It was funny when Tessa tried to do it because she tried to say it all in Spanish. I understood what she was saying, but instead of saying she was 24 she said she was 14. They all just looked at her until Jon said he thought she was 24. Tessa was embarrassed and we all laughed about it. After the introductions were over, we went into the dining tent and had another amazing meal. At one point, Jon and Chris were out of the tent so I asked everyone if they were going to tip the chakskis. I wasn’t prepared because in our packets it said that tipping the chakskis was already included in the fee we paid, but I didn’t know if the rest of the group was tipping extra. I knew tipping Jon and Chris were not included, and I had about a hundred dollars in US cash I was saving for Jon/Chris that I could give out and then withdraw more later. However, everyone was of the same mindset that the tips were already included in the fees, so no one else was tipping extra so I was able to save my cash. For dessert at dinner, the chef brought in a cake. I don’t know how he made it, but he somehow baked a cake while camping. Not only did he bake it, he did a great job adding piping to it. The cake was amazing! It was a white cake with strawberry frosting and we got strawberries with it. I wanted a second piece, but I felt bad asking for another since half the cake was left and I’m sure they were going to share the remaining pieces with the porter. So I sadly didn’t ask for more. We had a debate on how they were able to make a cake. We thought maybe they brought a dutch oven, but Jon said they didn’t. He said the chef somehow bakes the cake using 2 pots. I wanted the chef’s recipe book, but Jon said he hasn’t had time to write one. If he ever does, I’m definitely buying it. We went to bed early today because we are going to have an early day tomorrow. Today we hiked 6.1 miles. We started at 10,991 feet above sea level, went up to 12,631 feet, and then went back down to 11,975 feet. All in all, not a bad day. Using a headlamp to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night is an experience. It didn’t help that it was cold and rainy and I was really warm and comfortable in my tent. But the sky looked beautiful with the moon and the clouds and no lights everywhere to distract you. I also saw a llama on my way back to my tent for the night. In the morning, we were woken up to Chris outside our tent offering us tea or coffee. Since I knew today was going to be difficult, I decided to try the cocoa tea. It actually wasn’t that bad. It isn’t something I would drink if I didn’t need to, but it was okay. We all gathered for breakfast in the dining tent and got some delicious crepes. They also had cereal, yogurt, crackers, and break for us to snack on while we waited. After breakfast, we put on our day packs and headed out.
Chris and Jon were amazing. They took turns walking in the back with me. One time during the hike Chris and I had a little conversation in Spanish. Mostly just basic things I remember from high school, like Donde estas and Cuantos anos tienes? He also did a great job making sure I staid hydrated and drank plenty of water. Jon was also amazing. He wouldn’t rush me and he would point out the different birds and flora while I was catching my breath. He would also sometimes drop back to take pictures so I didn’t feel like I was dragging him behind. I was sick before I came to Peru, and hiking and camping did not help. I was doing better and only coughing a little before we started the Inca Trail, but by this day I would have long coughing fits and I kept having to blow my nose and cough up phlegm. When I was have one of my coughing fits, Jon or Chris would keep saying “Don’t die, Cory. There is to be no dying today.” I guess they didn’t want to deal with the paperwork… Lunch was as amazing as all of the meals. Since every meal was 3 courses, Alison and I started requesting smaller portions. We basically told them to give us half what everyone else was getting. We felt bad wasting the food, especially when the porters could enjoy it instead. The smaller portions were still more than enough to fill me up. Lunch was a nice break, but then we had to keep on hiking. After lunch, I kept falling farther and farther behind the main group. The views were amazing on the way up, but I was mainly focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, so I didn’t take many pictures. We faced the American Killer, which were stairs going pretty much straight up and is called that because they are killer on the knees. As we got closer and closer to Warmiwanusca (Dead Woman’s Pass), which is the tallest point at 13,780 ft about sea level. I had to take more breaks because I was having difficulty breathing and I kept coughing. I wasn’t the only one having difficulty. People would pass me, and then I would pull ahead while they were taking a break, and then the cycle would repeat itself. I thought about turning back and giving up, but by this point I knew I would have to walk about 10 miles back down and I didn’t think that was worth it when I only had a mile uphill to go, so I kept pushing through until I finally made it to the top. I was so happy to make it up there. There was one other group at the top, a father and what looked like his 10-13 year old daughter that had passed me on the hike up moving at a fast pace.
Today we hiked 7 miles, going from 9,678 feet up to 13,780 feet and then back down to 10,991 feet to camp. But the good news is that we all made it past the hardest day and it should be smooth sailing from now on. After dinner, I collapsed on my pallet and quickly fell asleep.
Well, today is the day we start on the Inca Trail. Before we left the hotel, I made sure to buy 2 more Gatorades. We then got on the bus to go to the beginning of the trail. When we pulled in, our porters were all waiting for us wearing REI shirts. As we got off the bus, they all started clapping. They had a tarp laid out so we could put our bags down so we could go to the bathroom before starting the hike. I have heard horror stories about the bathrooms on the trail, so I made sure to go. When I got back, I put on a lot of sunblock and bug spray. Jon let us choose a Machu Picchu bag and they also had a table set up with different snacks that REI provided. So I had my backpack and a crossbody bag loaded up with some snacks to give me energy for the hike. When we were all ready to go, our group grabbed our bags and went to the check in station. There, we had to show our passports and our permit to hike the trail. It didn’t take that long and then we were ready to begin our hike. First, we had to stop and take pictures by the Camino Inka sign. All groups stop and take pictures here because it marks the official start of the trail. We also had to take a group photo to mark the occasion. John and Chris took most of the photos, and then for the group one there was a local who took a photo that we will be able to buy when we get to the end of the trail.
The start of the hike wasn’t that bad. It was mostly flat or small up and down hills, which Jon referred to as Peruvian flats. Within an hour of starting our hike, we came across our first ruins. Sadly it was across the valley so we could only take pictures but it looked cool. I dropped to last place in our line pretty fast. I tried to keep up, but I just couldn’t. Most of time I was only a minute or 2 behind the main group. Since I was last, I spent a lot of time with Chris and Jon. One of them was always at the front and at the back of the group, and then everyone was in the middle. The good thing about walking with the tour guide is he was always willing to take pictures of me with the beautiful backdrop.
We made a stop for lunch at what looked like a farmstead. There were a couple of houses and a pig and chickens wondering around. When we got to the area, the chaskis were waiting for us and they all started clapping. They had a tarp on the ground for us to put our bags on. There was also the toilet tent set up on the side. Jon explained to us how to use it. First, you do your business. Then you have to pull on the tray at the bottom of the toilet which flushes it. Finally, you close the seat lid and there is a pump that you push up and down a couple of times which circulates water to clean the toilet. It wasn’t that hard. The hardest part was squatting over the toilet because my thighs were starting to burn by that point. There were separate toilets for the men and women. We then had an awesome lunch. There was a lot of food in our 3 course meal.
When we got to the camp (called Huayllabamba), we were greeted by our chakskis (it is a nicer name for porters) all clapping for us. They had stayed behind to pack up our duffel bags and the other items at the start of the trail and they passed us pretty quickly. We all headed directly to our tents and one of the chakskis brought us all an orange bowl of hot water so we could have a cowboy bath. In our tents were cots with a mattress pad and our sleeping bags. There was also a rug and a little nightstand in the tent. We were definitely camping in style! We made it to camp just in time, because shortly after we got to camp the rain started coming down hard. We all stayed in our tents for about an hour and then met up in the dining tent. Tessa and I noticed it was a little wet in the tent, but we didn’t really notice how wet everything was until we got up to go eat. When we got to the table, Jon was asking how everything was so we mentioned that the inside of our tent was wet. He immediately told the chaskis and they examined it. Apparently the rain cover had slipped so water got in. It wasn’t a lot so it wasn’t a big deal but they got it fixed so no more water would get in. Dinner was amazing. I expected the food to be a lot more basic since there was no easy access to food on the trail. Everything that we ate had to be carried on one of our chaskis backs, so I didn’t expect a lot. But we still got a 3 course meal with an appetizer of soup, the main course which had vegetables as a side dish and an amazing pear in a wine sauce for dessert. There was plenty to go around. They also gave us heated water bladders and blankets since it was cold. After dinner it was dark so I had to use my headlamp to walk over to the toilets and use the bathroom. Then I took my water bladder and extra blanket to bed. It was a long day hiking 5.7 miles and going from 7,900 feet in altitude to 9,678 feet.
We eventually made it to Ollantaytambo. After Cusco was overtaken by the Spaniards, Manco Inca and his army retreated to Ollantaytambo. They established a base at the Inca site there and were victorious against the Spanish in the Battle of Ollantaytambo. We got off the bus in the town and had a quick tour. Jon pointed out some flowers, because he is really passionate about flora.
At the top, we walked into the unfinished Sun Temple. The walls hadn’t been started before construction halted, but 1 wall was completed. It is now known as the Wall of Six Monoliths. These rocks are huge! Especially with all of the steps, I don’t know how they got to them to the top of the mountain. I had issues just walking up the steps, I can’t imagine having to hall those huge rocks without a crane. But they somehow did it because the rocks came from the quarry across the valley. Also, you can still see carvings on the rocks from the Inca time. I recognized the Inca cross and one of the monoliths had pumas.
The good news is that we made it safely to Moray. I didn’t know what to expect when we got off the bus. We went up a little hill and then the site of Intiwatanamuyu opened up. It was the stepped terraces in circles. I thought it was a stadium with seating, but it wasn’t. According to Jon, the circular terraces were used as a research laboratory for the Incas. Families would live by the terraces and experiment by combining different crops together. Jon told us that an archaeologist measured the temperature of water at the bottom terrace and compared it to the top terrace, and there was a change in temperature by 15 degrees Celsius. With these terraces, the Incas could also experiment by growing the crops in different temperatures before the main farmers grew the crops. This is a level of sophistication that I did not expect of the Incas.
The bus took us to a little church in the countryside. When we walked in, we saw a white tent set up to the side with people preparing a picnic lunch for us. However, before we ate we were supposed to meet the shaman. It turns out that he was set up on the hill a little bit away from the church because they didn’t want to mix the religions. So we had to get back on the bus and drive closer to him. He didn’t speak English, so Jon translated for him. His family has had many generations of shamans. He was taught by his father, as his father was taught by his grandfather and so on. His mother was there to help him set things up.
The process of the salt pans is simple. The water comes from the ground and is channeled into the different salt pans. It then sits there for a couple of weeks while the water evaporates, leaving the salt behind. The salt is then carefully collected by the local families and is sold. I thought it was interesting that each salt pan is owned by a local family in Maras. It is like their own plot of land to harvest. After the salt is collected, it is packaged up and sold in the community and in gift shops for tourists. I was one of those tourists. We got to go among the salt pans to the bottom of the quarry. They had narrow paths along the pans. The paths were wide enough for one person to walk down. The entire time I was worried that I would lose my balance and fall into one of the salt pans, but luckily I didn’t.
We had a little time to take a shower and get ready for dinner. At dinner, we had the option to eat llama. I had to try it at least once since I was in Peru so I ordered it. It tasted similar to venison, but was a lot tougher. I probably won’t order it again, but I was glad I tried it. During dinner, Jon told us that he and Chris would be coming by to weigh our bags. We could carry what we wanted in our personal bags, but the bag we gave the porters couldn’t be more than 12 pounds. The porters are limited carry a max of 44 pounds by the Peruvian government. This is to protect the porter and prevent porter abuse. Tessa and I weren’t ready when we went to dinner, so we requested to be weighed last. After dinner, we hurried back to the room to pack our bags. I packed what I thought I would need on the trail but wouldn’t need access to, and put the rest in my day pack. When Jon and Chris came by, my bag weighed 11 pounds. Jon asked what kind of shoes I was bringing for the campsites and I showed him my flip flops. He recommended close toed shoes because some of the campsites have a lot of loose rocks, so I replaced my flip flops with tennis shoes. Jon weighed my bag again and I was at 13 pounds but he said it was close enough. After they left, it was just a matter of packing up my suitcase, which will be waiting for us when we return to Cusco. Then Tessa and I went to sleep to be well rested for tomorrow.
Once we got to the top, we had some time to explore the ruins. It was really beautiful from the top. On one side is the Urubamba Valley and on the other side is the Sacred Valley. You could see for miles from this site. It overlooks the town of Pisac below, which was an important trading village in the era of the Incas.
Once we got in Pisac, we had about an hour to explore before lunchtime. We were able to drop our bags off at our lunch spot so we didn’t have to carry them around. We passed by a lot of souvenir shops on our walk in, but I didn’t want to wander since I have no sense of direction. So I stayed in the main square and shopped around there. Jon recommended a jewelry shop if you wanted to buy nice jewelry, so I stopped in there and bought a necklace. The necklace was in the shape of the chakana, which is the Inca cross. It is a geometric stepped cross and it based on the constellation of the Southern Cross as it is seen in the Southern hemisphere. Inside the cross is a spiral, which represents Pachamama. Pachamama is the earth goddess to the Incas. I try to limit my souvenir shopping to one item per place since I travel a lot. So I was done shopping in Pisac. While I waited for lunch time, I hung out in the main square. Jim was there, so we talked for a while. He is actually spending a month in South America. He is on our trip, a trip to Lake Titicaca, and a trip to the Galapagos. It confirmed my assumption that he is rich, because he is already retired in his 50s and he has the money to do long trips like this.
In Chinchero, we visited the textile cooperative to learn about the weaving traditions that had been passed down among the local people for centuries. The cooperatives are cool because the local women who work there own them. There is no big company that is making a profit off them. The women hand make all of the items in the store.
That was the last part of the demonstration. Afterwards, we had a little bit of time to look at the products. I asked how much the table runner was, and it was $300 US. I decided I didn’t need one that much, even if I could haggle the amount down. Especially since it would get dirty on my table. I also asked about some socks, but they were $40. Bill & Allison actually bought one of the table runners for their house. Jim bought some laptop cases that looked cool. I thought about buying one of those as a souvenir, but I really don’t put my personal laptop in a case so I wouldn’t use it. Afterward, we got back on the bus and went to the hotel. The hotel that night was cool, because it used to be a monastery. So we got to sleep in the monks’ rooms. Of course, it has been remodeled since then, but it was beautiful. That night at dinner, I got to try llama. It was okay. It tasted similar to venison, but it was tougher to eat. After dinner, we all went to bed to rest before tomorrow’s adventures. We landed at about 5:20am in Lima. There, I had to grab my suitcase, recheck it, and go through Customs and Security again. I was really surprised about Security. It was really different from the U.S. checkpoints because you didn’t have to take any electronics out of your bag or take your shoes off. Why can’t we have Security like that? The gates are also different. Instead of each gate having a seating area, the gates were all on one wall and there was a huge square seating area. I had to pay close attention because they called out the gates, but it was all in Spanish. Luckily, I knew my gate number in Spanish so I could listen for it and line up at the correct time. We boarded a bus and the bus took us out to the plane. The plane to Cusco wasn’t full at all, so I got my entire row to myself, which was nice. On the plane and the bus ride, I saw a lot of people carrying hiking backpacks, but I didn’t know which of the trails they were going to hike.
I ended up having to wait for 2 hours. I kept checking back every 45 minutes or so until they finally gave me a room. On one of the times I was checking, I saw an older guy sitting in one of the chairs and he had a paper with the REI Adventures logo. He also didn’t look like a fitness buff, which relieved me because I thought I would have some company at the back. I finally got to check out my room and drop off my bags. The room was pretty nice, and I hung out there while I charged my phone and read my book. I also decided to brush my teeth since I had been traveling so long, and it didn’t occur to me until afterward to check if the water was safe to drink or not. I googled it, and they actually boil water in Peru because the water isn’t safe. Oops! I waited for my new roommate to show up, but she never did. Eventually, I went downstairs to meet up with the rest of the tour group for our orientation. I sat down on one of the couches. Across from me was Bill and Allison. There were an older couple. I would peg Allison as late 50s and Bill as early to mid 60s. Later, when the guide was asking if we had any medical or other issues they should be aware of, Bill told us that he is partially blind. He can see directly in front of him, but he has no peripheral vision. On chairs to my left were Jane and Aubrey. Jane is Aubrey’s mom, and they were doing this trip as a girl’s trip. Jane is a clerk/typist at a courthouse and Aubrey is a lawyer. Aubrey also let us know that she is afraid of heights, but she has always wanted to hike the Inca Trail and wants to do it before she chickens out or her fear gets worse. On a chair to my right was Jim. He was the one I saw waiting on a room in the lobby. He was also traveling alone. I estimated that we was about mid-50s. He lives in California and is retired. He asked if any of us had signed up for the extended travel but no one had. John, Cynthia, and Tessa came in late and joined me on the couch. John and Cynthia are married, and Tessa is one of their daughters. Tessa is also my roommate for the trip. Cynthia just retired from being an OBGYN and John is an engineer. Tessa is currently working on her masters for engineering, but she has had a couple of internships and jobs in the field, which is how she was able to afford to come. When everyone was there, out guides introduced themselves. Our main guide was Jonathon (we called him Jon) and the assistant guide was Chris. They passed out the duffel bags that we would need for the Inca Trail and a map on the trail. Jon then went over an overview of each day of our trip including what we would face on the Inca Trail. He made it sound easy, but I had my doubts about making it.
Even though the Spaniards thought it was a fortress, Jon told us that it was actually built in pre-Inca times and it believed to be a religious site. One piece of evidence that support that this was a religious site is the walls. They were built in a zig-zag shape, which is believed to represent lighting.
Jon and Chris took our cameras to take a group picture of us overlooking Cusco. On the far left in the reddish orange jacket is Jim. Next to him is Jane, then Aubrey, Allison, and me. Behind Allison in the orange jacket is Bill. It was funny, because Allison would get confused because Jim and Bill were wearing the same color jacket. So Allison kept trying to grab Jim’s arm to lead him around obstacles thinking he was Bill. Beside me is Tessa and her dad, John. In front of Tessa is Cynthia.
After we finished walking around Saqsaywaman, we got back on the bus and it took us down to Cusco. Jon then took us on a tour around Cusco and we went inside many of the churches. Sadly, we couldn’t take pictures inside the churches, but they were unique. That is something I have noticed about the different Catholic churches I have been in, they are all similar but they also reflect the local customs. For example, in these churches the paintings were all done in style that is unique to Peru. People aren’t depicted realistically, but instead have the shape of a mountain which reflects power to the local people. Also, instead of a white scarf on the cross, they have a patterned one with many different colors. As we were walking through the churches, Jon pointed out the Madonna displays. Each month/year (depending on the display), a local family is chosen to make the dress of the figures in the scene. They aren’t the only ones that bear the cost. They reach out to family and friends, who will contribute pieces to the construction of the costume. At the end, there will be a ceremony and the figures will be dressed in their new outfits.
After San Blas, on our way to our next stop we passed by one of the Inca walls. There were tourists in front of us taking pictures, so I thought there was something cool about it. They were taking pictures of the 12 angle stone. It is literally a stone in the wall that has 12 corners. Why that is impressive, I don’t know, but apparently it is. Though the engineering of bulding the wall is very impressive because that takes a lot of skill and patience, especially since they didn’t have modern tools. Jon told us that the walls showed the importance of the place. So walls that had large stones and were flat were more important areas than walls that had a lot of small stones that were rounded. Our next stop was in the Plaza de Armas, which is one of the main square in Cusco. In this square is a huge cathedral, which took 94 years to build. I thought we were going into the Cathedral, but we actually entered a church to the side of the cathedral. The church is called Templo de la Sagrada Familia. We walked through the church and then into the cathedral. The church was very pretty on the inside, but we were not allowed to take pictures.
Our final stop was the Convent of Santo Domingo. Before the Spaniards came, it was the Inca Temple of the Sun. When the Spaniards took over Cusco, they destroyed the temple and built a church and convent on top of it. Cusco had an earthquake and it destroyed the walls of the convent but left the foundation that the Inca’s built untouched. They rebuilt the walls of the convent, but left the foundation visible so we can look at the Inca stonework.
We then went into one of the rooms and saw a large painting. When we look at the Milky Way, we see the different constellations. When the Incas looked at the Milky Way, they instead saw the space between the stars and saw animals in this space. They saw the lama, the lama’s offspring, a partridge, a toad, a snake, a fox, and a Shepard. I thought it was interesting how 2 different cultures had such different interpretations of the same thing.
Our final stop was a the qhelqa, which is a large golden plaque. The original was seized by the Spaniards and probably melted down for the gold, but students at the local university recreated the plaque based on historical records. We don’t know for sure what the images stood for, but it was very important to the Incas. The convent was right by our hotel, so we went back to the hotel. We were on our own for dinner, so everyone split into their groups to go eat. Since I as Tessa’s roommate, her family invited me to go eat with them. We walked to an Italian restaurant somewhere. I was completely lost, but Tessa and her dad looked like they knew were they were going. We ate pizza and pasta. I told them about myself and I found out about them. Tessa is in school, her dad is an engineer, and her mom just retired from being an OBGYN. But she is a volunteer for people with substance abuse. I also found out that they travel and hike a lot. They have been to almost every U.S. state and national park. They also just got back from Hawaii. Since I was going next month, I asked them about it. They did the Stairway to Heaven, but they went the legal route. They warned me to not do it alone because there are steep drop-offs and it is very dangerous when it is muddy. They were literally sliding down the mountain on their butts when going down. I’m glad they said that, because it convinced me I shouldn’t do it without a hiking buddy. And I’m 99% sure Kendall doesn’t want to hike it, so I wouldn’t have one. Afterward, we walked back to the hotel to get some sleep before the next day.
I flew into San Antonio the night before from Columbus, Ohio and I must have picked something up because I was not feeling well. I had a headache and my nose was congested, which is not good on a flight because I couldn’t get my ears to pop. I did get some sleep on the planes, which helped a little.
My flight to Cusco didn’t leave until 7:50pm, so I had all day to recover. Mom and I went to a couple of places to buy some last minute items I had forgotten, like an adapter and converter. On the way back to Mom’s house, we stopped by the local doctor’s office so I could get checked out. Based on my symptoms, they were worried that I had the flu, which is highly contagious. They tested for it by sticking a long Q-tip up each of my nostrils. Luckily, I didn’t have the flu and I was just sick. They gave me a steroid shot on my butt and some antibiotics and cough medicine for my trip. We then went back to Mom’s house so I could take out items I didn’t need from my suitcase and re-pack the things I needed. Then Mom drove me to Austin for my flight. I don’t know why, but it was $500 cheaper to fly out of Austin than DFW. Which is stupid because my first of 3 flights was from Austin to DFW. Luckily it was a short flight with no delays and my layover at DFW was only an hour. Then I got on the long flight to Lima, which was about 7 hours. The seatback chairs didn’t have screens to watch movies, but I had downloaded the American Airlines app on my iPad so I could watch them. I tested it out and it worked, but I didn’t feel like watching any. I read a tour guide book I had gotten for Christmas, so I would know what to expect on the trail. After reading for a while, I was tired so I went to sleep. I have never been able to sleep on the plane before, but it helped having the window sleep because I could lean against it. While I was sleeping, I was suddenly jolted awake by a scream and someone pushing my chair violently forward. I thought the person behind me was having a seizure or something, but when I looked she was fine and apologizing. I later found out that she was having a dream that someone was attacking her. That person was the back of my chair, so she was trying to shove him away and scream. It definitely woke all of us up. I tried to go back to sleep afterwards, but I couldn’t. I still tried the rest of the flight until we were landing. |
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June 2022
AuthorThese are details from my adventures around the world. |