Peru
Where would you go if you could win the lottery?
Peru was on my bucket list and I finally went in the summer of 2018.
The prep for this trip included booking a hiking tour for the 5 day Salkantay trek and if that wasn’t enough, a 2 day Inca trail trek. I had decided that my Peru trip would be a fitness trip and I was ready. I prepped for this trek with running, hiking, and strength training.
Nothing prepared me for my flight plan.
I was currently living in Timor Leste and there is no easy way to get from Timor Leste to anywhere, except for Bali. Bali was always easy. I mapped my trip from Bali to Peru using skiplagged which is a cheap flight website that will show you deals to stay in a city for a few days on the way to your final destination. Sure. It’s summer. I have time. Seoul, South Korea was the cheapest way and I got to spend 3 nights in Seoul. Yes, I went from Bali to Seoul, and you’re probably thinking, you are still in Asia and need to get to South America. Correct. The flight plan had me going from Seoul to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Rio, Rio to Lima, and Lima to Cusco.
Finally in Cusco.
The evening I arrived we met our tour group to prepare for the 5 day Salkantay trek that was leaving the next morning. While I prepped for the fitness demands, I was not prepared for the weather and I did not give myself time for the altitude. Thankfully, after our initial meeting I was able to get to a store to buy additional leggings and a fleece jacket.
Salkantay Trek
This trek was outstanding. The first day we hiked to the summit which is 4630m above sea level! We drank tea from coca leaves that helped with elevation sickness. While I can’t say for sure this worked, I can say that I never got sick! This trek was everything and more. We stayed in cabins, tents, and makeshift structures. We were always comfortable with this variety of sleeping arrangements. The crew lugged our big packs, the food, the dishes, the supplies, and they were always faster than all of us. I was always in the last group to arrive. The hospitality and the food was always amazing. My thoughts before the trip was that I would be 10 pounds lighter because of the trekking and lack of food. Nope. They kept us full of calories for this trek!
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu was phenomenal. I ended up walking around this site three times during my stay. It was unreal. The history, the location, the llamas, it was all so beautiful. To think that this hidden city had been built hundreds of years earlier still boggles the mind. The astronomical observatory was an interesting piece that our guide took us to. This stone sits so perfectly on the mountain that it shows two equinoxes during the year because it results in no shadow.
Q’eswachaka Bridge
During my time in Cusco, I was able to book a private tour to the last standing Incan bridge, the Q’eswachaka Bridge. This bridge is still maintained as it was during the Incan times, with the reweaving and burning of the old one every year. The entire suspension bridge is built from weaved grass. Only one person can go at a time, but during the Incan times horses and men walked across. When the Spanish came to South America and saw the suspension bridges built by the Icans, they took this knowledge back with them.
