Top Takeaways - Cinco

We've spent the last week and a half in Peru, mostly doing the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu but we also spent some time in Cusco exploring. Here are some of our takeaways!

Machu Picchu.

1. Peru isn't super into gay pride. Well, it might be but that's not why there are rainbow flags everywhere. The rainbow flags are for the city / area of Cusco and are prominently displayed all over the country. When we first arrived we wondered if Cusco was just really liberal!

2. Peruvians are the friendliest people we have met thus far in our travels. Our tour guides, hostel hosts and restaurant servers were all eager to help and patiently work through our Spanglish.

3. It's easy to travel on a budget in Peru. A US Dollar is worth about three Soles and things were very affordable: 4 Soles for coffee, 15 Soles for sandwiches at a nice cafe, 30 Soles for an upscale dinner entree. We were happy to save some money before heading to Buenos Aires and Rio, where we know our money won't go as far.

4. Vegan food is tasty but challenging for someone with a nut allergy. We love meat but kept hearing about an amazing little vegan restaurant in Cusco so we finally checked it out. While the food at Green Point was really good, nuts (or nut milks) were included in almost every dish. We tried!

5. Altitude is no joke. In advance of our trip, most of my concerns were regarding altitude sickness. Upon arrival I was thankful that Alex and I weren't feeling sick but I hadn't expected the severe impact on our breathing. Just walking up a hill or flight of stairs (of which there are many in Cusco!) was enough to leave me winded. I wished I'd somehow been able to prepare a bit more for our trek!

6. We didn't pack enough cold weather clothes. The weather in Cusco varies wildly during the day: we'd start out hot in the morning sun with short sleeves and then grab winter coats in the afternoon when the cold rain moved in. We both ended up buying sweaters and will probably need to buy a few more things in Argentina.

7. Alpacas are everywhere! You can't enter a store without seeing "real baby alpaca" advertised and most restaurants serve the meat too (it's actually delicious). We saw a bunch during our outdoor sightseeing and there are also Peruvian women who walk around with little alpacas and charge you to take a photo.

8. Peruvians tend to be on the shorter side. Not something that we would really notice, except that Alex was always having to duck and sometimes smacked his head on doorframes. He didn't fit into our mummy-style sleeping bags during the trek either!

9. Cusco is great but the city realllly caters to tourists. You can't walk ten feet without being offered trinkets, alpaca sweaters, massages or tour opportunities. We know that tourist dollars are important here but it's still hard to keep saying "No, gracias" every thirty seconds.

10. South American airports are different than what we're used to. Sometimes our bags get checked through to our final destination, other times we have to reclaim them during a stopover. In Lima we had an hour to catch a connecting flight and we had to exit through baggage claim (though our bags were actually transferred directly to the next plane) and then go through security and customs before running to our gate. I'm sure there are reasons and standard rules - we just haven't learned them yet.

Peak: Machu Picchu (obviously)

Pit: Popular Art Museum (but it was worth a laugh at least!)

Next Stop: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Inkas, Alpacas & Pisco

Sarah and I tried to take the free walking tour of Cusco on Monday - some of our trek mates had recommended it and we figured it would be a good way to learn more about the city. Unfortunately, the morning tour was cancelled unexpectedly. Too bad; maybe that’s why it’s free?

We did get to witness a Municipal Police take-down of a jewelry saleswoman in the center of Plaza Regocijo. Presumably she was selling stolen or counterfeit jewelry? Or, if you believe some of the stories about corruption in the Peruvian police forces, they could have just been robbing her. Either way, it was a bit startling to see a uniformed officer tackle a woman half his size and run off with her goods… 

Anyway, with no walking tour available we decided to make the most of the tourist passes we bought while ATV-ing. For 130 Soles (about $45) we got a 10-day pass to most of the historical sites and museums in and around Cusco. We visited the Museo de Arte Popular and the Mueso Inka first. The Popular Art Museum was a total bust - literally just a single basement room filled with what looked like poorly constructed toys. Sarah let the world know how she really felt on TripAdvisor.

Would you pay to see a room of this stuff? Neither would we (glad it was included in the pass so we didn’t waste any money)!

The Inka Museum was much more informative. Lots of history on the Inkas and even pre-Inka civilizations. Interesting fact: the Inkas’ love of mummification distinguished them from other cultures in the area. So, naturally, the Inka Museum had a lot of mummies as part of the exhibit.

Little hard to see it here (the museum must think the red lighting adds a dramatic effect) but most of the mummies were in a seated position like this.

We were getting hungry so we decided to take a break for lunch at Green Point, a vegan restaurant recommended by some of our vegetarian trek mates. It was good, but I could only order three things on the entire menu - nuts (and nut milks) are really popular among vegans, apparently! Fortunately the portions are HUGE so I was totally full just on the samosas we ordered for an appetizer.

It was raining in Cusco by the time we finished so we decided to head back to the hostel. We rested for a few hours then headed to the Museo del Pisco to get acquainted with the local liquor. We had a private tasting of four piscos and an accompanying history lesson. Afterward we decided to stay and sample some of the pisco-based cocktails offered at the bar - Sarah claims to have found a new favorite drink: the Francis Drake (pisco, two types of vermouth and cocktail onions)!

Another fun fact: like Champagne in France, Pisco can only be called “Pisco” if it is produced in one of five regions along Peru’s coast.

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Cicciolina, an Italian restaurant nearby. It was great - just the reminder of home we needed after many redundant Peruvian meals. Plus the antipasto plate we got there was better than some we’ve had in New York!

Unique bathroom door “labels” at Cicciolina - no one will confuse the men’s and women’s rooms!

We began today with a trip up to Saksaywaman, an Incan fort right in Cusco. It is at the highest point in town and the hike to get there is a little challenging; fortunately our hostel is also most of the way up the hill so we had a head start. The weather was perfect this morning so we had amazing views of the city to accompany the ruins.

Worth the hike up to the top.

There is a herd of alpaca that roams around the ruins and they snuck up on us as we were taking in the views.

Viva el Peru.

Saksaywaman with Cristo Blanco on the left.

That herd of alpaca seemed to be following us around and two of them ended up getting into a bit of a scuffle - hard to tell if they are playing around or seriously fighting. In any case, they made a lot of noise doing it.

After exploring Saksaywaman we hiked over to Cristo Blanco, Cusco’s version of Christ the Redeemer. It was cool to see, but I expect we’ll be more “wow’ed” in Rio.

Cristo Blanco.

Sarah made friends with a baby alpaca at the base of Cristo Blanco.

We headed down the hill into the main part of town for lunch at Jack’s Cafe, a casual, semi-American-themed restaurant. We each ordered fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, which were amazing. Definitely check it out if you are in Cusco (we went three times)!

After lunch we figured we should maximize the tourist pass we bought so we headed to three other museums: Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Museo del Chocolate and Museo de Historia Regional. The Contemporary Art Museum was probably my favorite, though they were giving out free chocolate samples at the Chocolate Museum…

From the Contemporary Art Museum: an artist's interpretation of our views from earlier today.

Tired of walking around museums, we had a coffee and a beer at Kushka...fe before heading back to Inkazuela for our final dinner in Cusco. Just like our first dinner in town, the stew was delicious - a must-do if you are ever here!

Tomorrow we fly to Buenos Aires to begin exploring Argentina. Thanks for all the good times, Peru!

Peru Moto

Sitting behind a small Peruvian man on the back of a motorcycle was not exactly how I expected to start the day!

Luckily, Alejandro was a very skilled driver.

At the recommendation of a trekking mate, we signed up for an ATV tour to sightsee around Cusco with Peru Moto. We didn’t realize until this morning that the base camp was actually 40 minutes outside of the city and we would be riding on motorcycles to get there (thankfully we weren’t expected to drive). Apparently Sunday is a slower day for ATV / motorcycle excursions so we ended up having a private full-day tour with our guide, Juan. We could not have asked for better weather and the ride out of Cusco was beautiful (when we stopped gripping the seat - and driver - long enough to turn our heads). Once we reached base camp, we had a brief lesson with the ATVs before heading off-road and into the mountains.

We had a perfect day to be outdoors.

Taking in the blue sky views.

During the trip we had to look out for cows, sheep, dogs and donkeys!

After an hour or so of riding, we began heading to the first stop: Moray, an ancient site believed to be an agricultural "test ground" of sorts for the Incas. We quickly learned that ruins are scattered all over Peru, particularly near Cusco and the Sacred Valley, so we would be able to see more than just Maccu Picchu during our stay.

Standing in front of the ruins of Moray.

After a brief stop to explore the ruins, we were off again to Maras. Maras / Salineras is a town near numerous active salt mines, which comprised a pretty unique landscape.

On the road to Maras / Salineras.

Checking out the salt mines and the surrounding Sacred Valley.

We had a delicious and filling lunch at Maras so we could refuel and rest before the last part of our tour. Our next stop was a beautiful church nestled in the mountains, Tiobamba.

Stopping for a brief pose in front of the church.

Alex looking like a natural while snapping a few pics.

Some of our final views for the day.

After checking out the church we headed back to base camp where we could brush off the dust and catch our motorcycle ride back into Cusco. The tour ended up lasting from 9am - 5pm and covered over 50 miles! We had such a great experience and would highly recommend the team at Peru Moto for a sightseeing adventure while in Cusco.

Machu Picchu

We made it!

For the last five days Sarah and I have been doing the Salkantay Trek, a 40-mile hike to Machu Picchu. We left at 4am on Monday and spent four days hiking to Aguas Calientes (with some fun along the way); our trip culminated with a full day at Machu Picchu on Friday.

Neither of us had ever done a trek like this and it certainly was a challenging and tiring week. That said, it was easily one of the best experience of our lives! We can’t say enough about Willie (our guide) and the whole team at Salkantay Trekking - they really made the experience as enjoyable as possible. And we had such a great set of trekking mates! John Paul, Dawn, Sarah, Amanda and Martin - you all helped make the trek memorable and fun! Hope our paths cross again on our travels!

Day 1: Cusco - Mollepata - Soraypampa (Alex)

Distance: 8.5 miles

Maximum Altitude: 13,800 feet (Umantay Lake)

The day began with our guides picking us up at Hostal Wara Wara at 4am. We made a few more stops to pick up the remaining members of our crew then drove to Mollepata, a small town where we had breakfast. From there, it was about an hour drive through the mountains to Marcocasa where we unloaded our gear from the vans and began hiking. Fortunately Willie was willing to let us start at a leisurely pace so we could adjust to the higher altitude and take some photos of amazing scenery.

Great view of Umantay Mountain in the distance. Our camp for the night was at the base of this mountain.

As we continued hiking we got a view of both Umantay (on the left) and Salkantay (on the right).

We arrived at our camp around noon and had an hour or so to relax before lunch; we were interrupted, though, by an avalanche on Umantay! Apparently this happens all the time, but we were all pretty happy that we were still far away from the mountain!

Avalanche on Umantay.

After lunch we had a two-hour siesta. We hadn’t planned on getting a nap in the afternoon, but we all passed out immediately - guess the early wake-up and hiking had caught up with us! Around 3pm we set off on another hike up to Umantay Lake. This turned out to be quite a challenge…we weren't ready for such a strenuous hike right after a nap! We eventually did made it up to the lake and we were in time to catch the sunset with the other half of our Salkantay Trekking crew.

Umantay Lake.

The hike back down to camp was much easier (thankfully!). We headed straight into the dining tent to get some tea and popcorn (the “Salkantay Happy Hour,” as Willie described it) because the temperature had dropped a lot since the sun went down. After Happy Hour it was time for dinner and then bed - tomorrow is the longest and most challenging day of the trek so we'll need to be well rested!

Day 2: Soraypampa - Salkantay Pass - Huayramachay - Chaullay (Sarah)

Distance: 13.5 miles

Maximum Altitude: 15,253 feet (Salkantay Pass)

Day two was repeatedly described as the most difficult and it did not disappoint. Today's hike included not only the greatest distance traveled, but also the most significant change in altitude and highest overall summit. I approached the day with a positive attitude and reassured myself that once we had made it to Salkantay Pass, the worst would be over.

We started with a 5am wakeup, some coca tea and a filling breakfast. After packing up everything (in the dark!) we headed up a fairly gradual incline toward Salkantay.

Looking back toward our campsite (way down by the winding path). By 8am we had already made a lot of progress!

View of Salkantay. Really glad I brought my sunglasses!

It had never occurred to me that I might not be able to complete the trek, but by mid-morning the altitude was seriously affecting my breathing ability. As I watched numerous other hikers pass on horseback (the alternative if you simply could not continue), I focused on small victories and Alex (ever the cheerleader) encouraged me to push forward. Reaching the top of Salkantay Pass felt like a huge achievement, not only for the day but for the entire trip - I now felt confident I could make it to Machu Picchu.

Posing at Salkantay Pass after I knocked my head into the sign - I was in a bit of a daze.

The view of Salkantay Mountain, the highest peak in the Cusco region, is pretty spectacular.

After reaching the highest point of our trek, we hiked another two hours downhill (mostly in the rain/snow) to Huayracmachay for lunch. A note on our food - I was expecting "camp" food like rice and beans and toast, but every meal (and snack!) was thoughtfully prepared, filling and tasty! Between three full meals a day and multiple snacks to keep our energy up, I am convinced I have never eaten more in a five day period.

The scenery continued to change as we moved further downhill and into the mountains.

After lunch we had a brief rest (I am pretty sure Alex snuck some photos of me passed out face-down on the ground) and then continued hiking for three more hours. Thankfully a lot of it was flat or downhill and the weather started to clear up.

Views as we started to approach the rainforest - pretty different from the snowcapped mountains!

We actually reached our camp for the night early, around 4pm, and collapsed on the ground to rest for a bit before "Happy Hour" and dinner. Chaullay was a much more established camp with many trekkers, a few houses, hostels and even a bar. There was also a cold shower available, which somehow Alex was able to endure. I took a hard pass on that option and decided to hold out for the hot springs tomorrow. We were in our tents by 8pm and relieved that we were warmer and able to sleep in an extra hour after a very long day.

Day 3: Chaullay - Collpapampa - La Playa - Santa Teresa (Alex)

Distance: 9.5 miles

Maximum Altitude: 9,500 feet

We woke up at 6am on Wednesday - another hour of sleep might not seem like much, but after the long day on Tuesday it felt great not to get up at 5am!

Our route took us into the rain forest today, quite a different climate than we’d gotten used to on the trek so far. We needed to hike all 9.5 miles before lunch in order to visit the hot springs in Santa Teresa in the afternoon and thankfully we made it to La Playa for lunch in about five hours.

Most of our hike today followed the Santa Teresa river.

Very nice scenery for our hike today - even though it's a big change from 24 hours ago!

After we ate lunch at La Playa, we were thankful to hear that the last half-hour of our trek to the campsite in Santa Teresa would be by bus (we were all very sore at this point!). Once we arrived, we re-packed our day bags and left right away for the hot springs - we wanted to maximize our time there before it got too cold in the late afternoon. I was expecting something like a lake with warm water, but the locals have turned the hot spring into more of a swimming pool. The water was very clean and held at a bath-like temperature - all around a very enjoyable few hours!

Not what I was expecting when I heard "hot springs" but I'll take it! (Also, they had hot outdoor showers...our first since we left!)

We returned to camp for dinner and a "normal" happy hour with some local beers. The campsite we were staying at was hosting many different trekkers and some kept the party going until late in the evening. We all went to bed around 9pm so we would be able to beat the rush to the zipline tour in the morning!

Day 4: Santa Teresa - Aguas Calientes (Sarah)

Distance: 6.5 miles

Maximum Altitude: 7,700 feet

We woke around 7am to our usual routine: coca tea, packing our things and enjoying a hearty breakfast and were excited NOT to be starting the day with more hiking (or so I thought). A van picked us up around 8am and drove us to the zipline location. I was so surprised by the 20 minute, nearly vertical hike to the first platform that I didn't even have time to be scared.

View from the first zipline.

After ziplining in Costa Rica, I felt like I was prepared for what was to come, but crossing the mountains in Peru was a completely different experience: the views were 360, the lines were higher and, most importantly, we did the "Superman!" Some of our best GoPro footage is captured in the video below.

After an exhilarating start to our day, the van drove us to Hidroelectrica, where we would begin the hike along the railroad tracks to Aguas Caliente. We stopped briefly for lunch, where I tested my basic Spanish skills and managed to obtain some hot sauce, and then continued onward toward Machu Picchu.

Not quite as sketchy as the Costa Rica / Panama border crossing, but a little wobbly.

Even though the hike was only about three hours, we were all pretty exhausted from the previous three days of trekking - my knees were sore and I had some pretty nasty blisters. While the terrain was flat, it was literally next to / on the train tracks, which was not particularly enjoyable. Having said that, the scenery was beautiful and we were able to start seeing views of Maccu Picchu.

Approaching Maccu Picchu.

Pausing in front of the mountains.

Alex may disagree but this three hour hike felt like eternity to me. Each time we checked the time or stopped for water I couldn't believe we still had more to go. Finally seeing the entrance to Macchu Picchu (and 25 minutes later) the town of Aguas Caliente was a huge victory and we wasted no time celebrating with a beer.

Aguas Caliente, the "base town" of Maccu Picchu.

Salkantay Trekking had arranged for us to have dinner at a local restaurant (with free pisco sours!) and sleep in a hostel (with hot water!) so we were pretty happy. We had a great night with the rest of our group before heading home to sleep before a 3:30am wake up call.

Day 5: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Cusco (Alex)

3:30am was almost not early enough! By the time we got to the bus line around 4:15am there were already around 100 people lined up. The scramble to get up to Machu Picchu before the crowds is a bit of an intense experience, but we managed to get a seat on the fourth bus and were among the first tourists inside. The weather was not ideal - cloudy, rainy and foggy - but it was still incredible!

View from one of the highest points in Machu Picchu - glad we were able to beat the crowd! 

Though Sarah would've preferred I carry her around all day, I only had to do it for this photo.

Misty Machu Picchu.

Group photo after Willie's tour.

We walked around the ruins after saying goodbye to Willie for an hour or so. The view of the mountains never got old.

Even on a cloudy day Machu Picchu is very impressive.

Sarah was a little cold and tired so we left her with a warm coffee at the souvenir shop while some of us walked up to the Sun Gate. This is where trekkers taking the Inca Trail enter Machu Picchu. We had to wait about half an hour for a clear shot, but the view down to the city was awesome.

Looking down on Machu Picchu.

After catching a break in the clouds at the Sun Gate, it started to rain pretty steadily so we all decided to head back to town. We collected Sarah and began the long walk back - 3,000+ steps down to the river then a 30 minute walk to town. We had a celebratory drink at a local restaurant then grabbed our bags and boarded the train to Ollantaytambo (this is the only way in or out of Aguas Calientes, by the way). From there we boarded a bus back to Cusco.

The whole week was exhausting but an amazing experience! We have four more days in Cusco to see the sights before heading to Buenos Aires on Wednesday (and I think we'll have more energy starting Sunday after resting most of the day today)!

To Peru

Our journey to Cusco was actually pretty smooth, considering how many hours (18) and flight connections (3) it took to get here. From Cartagena we flew back to Bogota, arriving around 1:30am. The airport is open all night, but most restaurants and stores are not so we joined other travelers camped out on the floor to get an hour or so of sleep. The three hours from 1:30am - 4:30am at the Bogota airport were definitely the most miserable of our trip so far. Alex and I both slept a little more on the three-hour flight to Lima, which helped give us the energy we needed to power through the final leg to Cusco. We landed with all of our baggage safely in tow and were rewarded with some pretty incredible views upon making it to Hostal Wara Wara, our home base in Cusco.

View from Wara Wara's patio overlooking Cusco's historic center.

We decided to take it easy given our travel exhaustion and upcoming Machu Picchu trek so we just wandered around the Plaza de Armas and explored the area for a bit.

La Compania de Jesus Church at Plaza de Armas.

Cusco Cathedral at Plaza de Armas.

After checking out the Plaza and surrounding areas we made our way to the Mercado Central de San Pedro, a large market with pretty much anything you might want. The market is organized by section, including handmade crafts, clothing, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, spices and small cafes all lined up next to each other. We stopped to grab café con leche (two for 5 soles, or less than USD$2) and wandered down the eclectic aisles.

View of the side-by-side restaurants in the Central Market.

We passed on the pig heads.

Wowed by the favorable exchange rate, we bought some snacks and Alex ended up buying an Alpaca sweater for about US$12. We were very surprised by how warm and pleasant the weather was during the day given how far south we've traveled since Colombia. That said, it got very cold at night - we definitely needed our Alpaca blankets! After some shopping, we walked back to the Plaza de Armas to find a place to watch the sunset.

View of the Plaza de Armas from Norton's, a british-style pub overlooking the square.

After watching the sun disappear behind the hills, we wanted an early dinner before our bodies collapsed from the long day(s) of traveling. I head heard about a place serving hearty stews and excellent pisco sours, so we headed there. Restaurant Inkazuela definitely lived up to the hype and I expect we will return there soon. After a very warming dinner we walked back to our hostel. I had read some reviews complaining about the walk back from the square as it is all uphill, but figured these people were either out of shape or exaggerating. Well, I was wrong! The walk down to the square is steep but easy to navigate whereas the walk back forced us to pause a few times to catch our breath - I hope we start to acclimatize a bit over the next 24 hours! Once we finally made it to the top, we were happy to stop and check out the nighttime view.

Plaza de Armas at night.

Now that we are back home, it is time for bed (and it's only 8pm)! Tomorrow we will run some errands and prepare for our Machu Picchu trek, which begins at 5am on Monday. We'll be "out of pocket" for the next five days but will be sure to update the blog when we return to civilization!