I’m doing it! Finally going to New Zealand to visit my two travel buddies, Dana and Hayden! They live in Wanganui, towards the south of the North Island. To get all the way there, I’ll fly from Boston to LA, wait around several hours, then take the 13 hour flight to Auckland… officially my longest flight ever! Yikes! Haha, here we go! Oh, and then another hour flight down to their town a day or two later. So much travel time! 

I’m happy to say, the 13-hour flight wasn’t that bad! I mean, it was long, and my ankles were swollen by the end, but I actually slept, and I fared much better than I thought I would. I guessed I would be very restless and annoyed and just dying to get off the plane, but I suppose I was so tired that I knocked out, and that was that. In total, I flew for about 19 hours before arriving in Auckland. 

While waiting in the immigration and customs line, a woman walking near me, also sporting a Cotopaxi Allpa 35L bag (is that the international symbol for a backpacker? Haha). She asked if I was a solo traveler as well! I said yes, and we shared snippets of what we’d be doing in New Zealand, and we realized we are staying at the same hostel! What a coincidence! Although, it IS the first hostel that pops up when searching for Auckland. 🤣 She offered to share an Uber with me, but before leaving the US, I booked the “Super Shuttle” from the airport into town. A great service for around $20 USD; a shared van ride with hotel drop-offs! Perfect! So my new friend, Julia and I, parted ways for now, but hoped to meet up back at the hostel. 

I arrived at the Lylo Hostel too early to check in, but they had a luggage room for my backpack while I left to explore the city! Nothing like starting the adventure immediately, hehe. First up on my list was to buy sunscreen and other small toiletries I didn’t want to travel with. The sun here, I was warned, “just hits different,” haha. On my weather app, it also showed the UV index at a 10. So, yeah, I want the sunscreen, hehe. 

On my walk, I quickly realized just how hilly Auckland is! I had no idea and was quite surprised by that, haha. It felt good, though, after sitting for so long, to walk around and move my legs. I quickly decided I needed a coffee for both caffeination and planning; perfect excuse for a pit stop. Hehe

I ultimately decided to go up to the Sky Tower to see Auckland from above. I debated, but I was right next door, so it was an easy thing to check off the list. It was nice; the views were fabulous, but unless you wanted to buy refreshments or do the Sky Walk or Sky Jump, there wasn’t much to do once you were up there. 

Something Hayden recommended I do was check out Mt. Eden, a volcanic hill right in Auckland. Turns out there are several of these scattered around the city. And you know I love a good volcano, hehe. No matter the size. This was easily my favorite part of the city, and it confirmed my realization that I prefer nature to cities. Auckland is lovely: clean, tons of places to eat, the people are friendly, but, send me out into the woods, please. lol. 

I discovered a long “city trail” on All Trails that included three of these volcanic peaks. I ended up doing a second peak, Mt. Hobson, and it was beautiful from the top, but after a 40-minute walk to get there, I felt more impressed by Mt. Eden. Although, I witnessed the strangest thing: two young girls “sledding” down tall grass on the hill. Hahaha. Is this a thing here in Auckland? 

At this point, I decided it was time to try out the public transit. I checked online to see if you could tap to pay, and you can! I may be behind the times, but I don’t think that’s totally universal yet? 🤔 However, not needing to find a transit card kiosk to purchase the card and load money on said card, is SO AMAZING. I feel like I can go anywhere! Haha. The bus I took was a double decker, and you betcha I was on the top, enjoying some city views. 

By the time I got back to the hostel, I was able to check in, and this was done at little iPad stations. I opted to stay in a dorm room with “pods.” The pods are nearly enclosed/built-in bunk beds. They offer more privacy than typical bunks with no curtains or anything to close yourself off. I will say it feels like a cozy little cocoon! Hehe, I love it! 🤗 Except that the rooms are hot, and if you close the sliding door of the pod, it’s even hotter, haha. Oh well, I guess my New England blood will have to adapt. 😅.

Overall, the Lylo hostel is awesome! It was recommended to me by a co-worker, and I am super pleased with it. It was easily one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in. And the largest. The room network is crazy! 

I ran into my new friend Julia, and she didn’t have any dinner plans for the evening, and I happened to have made a reservation at a restaurant called Ahi for a tasting menu experience. Julia was interested in joining me, and I was able to have them add her to my reservation! Yay! So after I had a MUCH needed shower after traveling for nearly 24 hours and hiking and walking around the city… we met up and walked down to the Queenswharf neighborhood right by the water. It was a beautiful walk down hill… That return walk is gonna be rough, haha 😅.

The tasting experience was incredible! Not super cheap, but it was worth a splurge, and I never wanted it to end. I highly recommend that restaurant… each dish was such a perfect combination of flavors. I also tried an orange wine for the first time. It gets its orange hue from the grape skins that are left on during the fermentation of the wine. 

On our walk back to the hostel, we saw the Sky Tower all lit up for Chinese New Year. The tower changes it colors for different holidays and charities. So neat! 

Rangitoto Island:

I woke up pretty early today, perhaps due to the jet lag… hehe. The breakfast at the hostel doesn’t start until 7:30 AM, which feels so late! lol. I eventually made my way down and enjoyed my coffee and a delicious eggs benedict and worked on writing from the first day of adventures in Auckland. 

As I was trying to write the blog, I was also attempting to plan my day. Turns out, I waited too long the day before to book a day tour for today. Whoops! 😅 I had been heavily considering a day tour to the Coromandel Peninusla. However, I had been told this area of the North Island is amazing and should be visited with plenty of time to enjoy it, and it should not be rushed. Well, chances are, on a day tour, it would be rushed. So I debated and debated until it was too late, lol. Which was honestly fine for me. One less decision to make. 😅🤣 So, that left me with a wide open day to fill. 

I ultimately decided to take the ferry over to Rangitoto Island. It’s a prominent sight across the bay when looking out from the city. I saw it many times yesterday when walking around the city, and especially from atop the small volcanic peaks. 

I took the 10:30 AM ferry and opted for the 2:30 PM ferry back to Auckland. It didn’t seem like I’d need more time than that, but once I got there, I realized how long each “track” (trail) would take. I asked the park ranger if it was possible to take the last ferry at 3:30, even though I had purchased my ticket for the hour prior. She told me it was highly likely I would be able to and recommended a loop that should take about 3.5 hours to complete. 

I started off fast, thinking I could probably walk the entirety much faster than the suggested times, and if I had to, I could run a bit, and maybe accomplish that distance before the 2:30 PM ferry. 

Back on course to the summit, I was hustling uphill, my calves screaming, hehe. I’ve recently learned that I am a stair person, not a gradual incline person. Give me stairs all day long! Haha. Before I knew it, I made it to the crater viewpoint. It immediately reminded me of “El Boqueron” in El Salvador. A fully vegetated crater, it is almost difficult to see the iconic shape of the crater, but a volcanic crater nonetheless. I scurried up to the summit viewpoint and took in the beautiful turquoise waters of the bay surrounding Auckland. 

The hike up was through a lot of lava fields, and I was so excited to see the black porous lava rock! Hehe. Anything that has to do with volcanoes… Sign me up! 😁🌋 One of the off-shoot tracks was to see some lava caves. I’ve had the fortune of seeing these before and actually being able to walk through them. The ones I encountered on Rangitoto Island were less susceptible for people walking into them and, rather, truly, looked like simple cave entrances rather than full-on tunnels. I was a little disappointed but would have regretted not taking the side route to check them out. 

I originally anticipated going around the loop the park ranger had originally suggested, but I ended up back on the summit trail, headed back to the wharf. While realizing my mistake, I decided I didn’t want to hike for the full 3.5 hours, and it would be lovely to find a cozy spot and just enjoy the scenery. And that is exactly what I did. Well, after walking even more. Hehe. 

I took the McKenzie Bay Road to Flax Point, which boasted a beautiful view of Auckland. Along the way, I found a lovely little bench and stopped there to lay down on my way back, soaking up the warm weather and the sound of the water crashing on the lava rocks. I waited here until I saw the 2:30 ferry arriving, and I knew I had my fill. I was eager to find some local beer to sample. 😁🍻

There was a brewery right near the wharf, and it happened to be a rooftop location, so that was the easy winner right there. I tried their rotating hazy IPA on tap, and it was quite nice! I don’t usually gravitate towards the IPAs, but I liked this one. And I ordered a ceviche to start. And it was made with coconut cream! Oh. My. God. Was it delicious. I immediately asked my friends who live in NZ if this was normal. It was not confirmed, and now the challenge is on: order ceviche wherever I can while traveling here, and see what it’s like. I will say, so far, my favorite food in NZ has been the seafood. Lots of raw fish. Yum! Hehe. While doing the dinner tasting with my newest solo traveler friend, Julia, I realized I prefer to eat raw fish to cooked fish! #themoreyouknow

After enjoying a margarita pizza to replenish the energy spent on hiking, I walked back up to the hostel, where I quickly gathered my iPad and headphones, as I KNEW, if I dawdled too long in the room, I’d end up staying and napping, lol. I wanted to be sure to write about today to keep up to date with the blog since, apparently, that escapes me sometimes. 😅

Tonight, I have no plans but to… relax? Does that ever happen on vacation? Lol. Tomorrow will be an early start for the Hobbiton Tour! Hooray! 😁

April 26th: Lima

I woke up early and showered, then took all my stuff out of the dorm room and tried my best to organize it. I bought two bottles of Pisco at the vineyard in Ica, and now had to expertly pack them so they wouldn’t break since I had to check my bag. Never my first choice, but one of the bottles I bought was a Pisco Cream of Cacao, so rich and choclately, I didn’t want to risk not finding it again, hehe. I spent the better part of an hour trying to organize my things and make sure I had what I needed for the travel day in my daypack and everything else in the soon-to-be-checked bag.

Once I was satisfied with my packing, I headed down to breakfast and to check-out. I’d be out and about from 9am until 6:30ish, when I needed to be back at the hostel to catch my ride to the airport.

The first task of the day would be to walk to the ocean! Well, pretty close to it, hehe. Turns out the neighboordhood I was in, Miraflores, is right by the water, but also on a pretty large cliff. I wanted to stroll along through some of the parks and chose this over walking all the way down to the actual shore. It was really foggy, and only I was only able to make out the water in a few places.

As I continued walking, the fog began to lift, and pops of blueish green came through the grey fog. I’m so glad I stuck around and waited! Hehe. I now had to make my way to the meeting place for the walking tour I signed myself and Kim up for. We would be doing the historic center, which was a good bit of distance from Miraflores. Our guide would help us take the bus into town and begin the tour once we got there.

On my way to the meeting place, I decided I needed just a bit more cash. I was wondering if a money change place would exchange a $20 bill for me, so I walked into one attached to a tourist information office. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t, but I went in anyways. And then I realized why….there was a gorgeous mural of Starry Night, but it had llamas, and it was set a Machu Picchu! Omg! Hehe Soooo coool! I never even asked if they’d change my $20, as I knew the world conspired for me to get there just to see this image. So I went around the corner to the ATM and pulled out $20 worth of the local currency, soles, for the day.

The walking tour was nice, primarily walking from one large plaza to the main plaza, learning a bit about the history on the way. The most interesting thing I learned was that although many of the buildings looked colonial, they were fairly recent, from the 1940’s! Hehe. There was a mix of colonial style with art deco and art nouveau, including one building that appeared to be influenced by Gaudi. Overall, the historic center was beautiful, and we got to witness the changing of the guards, which our guide said was pretty much just for show. Either way, still pretty cool to see.

After the walking tour, Kim and I decided to take the bus back to Miraflores, as we had noted earlier that the buses seemed way faster than the car traffic. This bus line went directly down the middle of the highway and bypassed many of the congested areas. Genius! We did have some trouble trying to get on the bus, as you need a bus card, and as we were trying to buy one to put money on, a local accepted some money from us and tapped us in. Cool!

We split ways here for a few hours while I went to a cooking class. I was a bit late, as the bus we wanted took a little bit of time to arrive, and when it looked as though I had reached tge cooking class location, I couldn’t see a sign for this place anywhere in sight! I did notice that there was a restaurant/bar called “Saha,” and we were given a coupon for a free pisco sour for this place, so I made a mental note. I also went in and looked around for someone to ask directions, but nobody was there. I headed back outside and asked some construction workers, but I’m not hopeful they’ll be able to help. One thinks he’s seen the place I’m looking for, “Luchitos,” on the previous block. So I run over there, can’t find anything, and it looks like I’m moving in the opposite direction on the GPS. Nooo! Haha. I really want to do this! Not to mention I’ve already paid, hehe. So I go into another store and ask if they know, and the guy working has no idea. Haha. Grrrreat. So I follow my GPS again, to the same spot by Saha. I wonder if I missed an alley entrance or something. This time, I went in, and there were people inside, so I asked them, and they happily ushered me upstairs. That was it. The cooking class was upstairs above Saha. Omg. Lol. You think there could’ve been a sign?! Nothing. I’m wondering how the others found the place, lol. I shoudl’ve asked them, but I never got around to it.

When I arrived, they had a spot saved for me with an apron and a name tag already laid out. I quickly washed my hands and took my place at the table. This was my first cooking class ever, and it was quite fun. Although we didn’t actually “cook” anything, we mostly just assembled ingredients, lol. We crafted “causa,” a traditional Peruvian dish made with mashed potatoes and shredded chicken and avocado layered in between. I hadn’t tried this yet, so I was extra excited to make it and taste it. Delicious!

Next up was a pisco sour…Pretty sure I can make this drink by memory now, lol. Seems like everywhere you go, there is a free pisco sample or a Pisco Sour making class. I guess that’s a good thing? Hehe I’m excited to try making one at home. See if it’s the same….lol

After we had fun with our pisco, the last dish we’d be creating was the infamous ceviche. Made with white fish, sweet potato, choclo (a large variety of corn), and small, almost popped corn kernels. This was so yummy, too. I added some extra spice to mine. Apparently, in Peru, there is a saying, “If it’s not spicy, it’s not ceviche.” Hehe. I love it! Haha

Overall, I had a lovely time at the cooking class. I wanted to do something culinary related while in Lima. Ideally, I would’ve gone on a food tour, but they were so expensive! I was quite surprised by this, and the cooking class ended up being less money than the majority of the food tours. I may not have tried as many things as I would’ve on the food tour, but I actually got to make them! I loved it!

My friend Kim found her way to Saha for her free Pisco Sour, and once I wrapped up with the cooking class, I met her below and we took advantage of one last Peru Hop ammentiy: the free drink hehe. We then headed to the market to do some last-minute shopping.

Afterward, we walk toward the park where we know we can find a famous Peruvian desert: picarones. A donut like desert made from sweet potatoes and served with a sweet honey. The woman in this park who sells these is actually Netflix famous! There was a documentary about Latin American street food, and she was on it! Hehe. So we had to go to Mary’s Picarones. And they were sooo good! The documentary is called “Street Food: Latin America” and the episode is Lima. Guess I know what I’ll be watching later! Hehe.

We enjoyed eating our picarones in a park filled with cats that the locals feed. It was like a cat cafe, but park edition. Lol. It was so relaxing, and a great way to finish off the day, and well, my whole trip to Peru. Kim and I said our goodbyes as she headed back to her hotel, and I went to my hostel and eventually to the airport.

I make it back to the hostel and grab my bags from storage, and end up waiting around a while before my ride comes. I’ve paid for a communal van ride to the airport, and I was picturing a bigger bus like the Peru Hop ones I’ve been enjoying the last several days, but this is one of those smaller, 15 passenger vans. Ahhh, yes, should’ve realized, haha. It was about 15 minutes late, and it took us around an hour and a half to finally make it to the airport. Phew! Glad I didn’t have to pee! Haha.

Check-in was smooth, and I stopped in a lounge for one last pisco sour and to sort through my bag, making sure what I’d need was handy. It was almost time to head to the flight, so I went to the gate and patiently awaited a seat assignment. The odds were looking somewhat iffy, but I could see 1 seat left in first class. It’s mine! Hehe. Unless it’s blocked off for some reason. I kept the faith, and soon, I was rewarded with a boarding pass for that very last first class seat! Woooohoooo! The best way to end the trip, hehe. I had a little dinner and threw my eye mask on, and I was out cold until the breakfast service began. What a beautiful way to travel, hehe. I’m so grateful!

I thought I’d have an issue getting onto the next flight to Bosotn, but that also went smoothly, and before I could process the fact I was saying goodbye to Peru, I was waiting curbside in Boston for the bus. And just like that, my Peruvian Adventure came to a close.

I wonder where my next adventure will take me? 🤗

The drive to Paracas was the shortest bus ride I’ve experienced yet. As soon as I got to my hostel, I got ready for a shower, prepared an outfit for the next day, and was in bed. I was more tired than I realized and fell asleep rather quickly.

My bed wasn’t the most comfortable, and I learned that when in a multi-bed dorm with no bed assignments, ALWAYS check the beds to see which is the most comfortable, hehe. I already had the bed fluffed and ready, all my belongings set up before I realized my grave error. Oh well, lol. Love goes on, and it was still better than sleeping on the overnight bus, hehe.

The next morning, I met a group of Peru Hop people to do a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands, the “Galapagos of Peru.” We were hoping to see a variety of wildlife and another Nazca line.

First up was the Candelabria Nazca line, and it was awesome! I’m so glad I got to see some of these amazing creations. Essentially just carved into the earth, they have withstood years of weather and humans, and have seen the passing of time. I find it amazing they’ve survived for so long!

Next up was the islands…along the way we were greeted by several sea lions. Once we arrived to the islands, they were swarms of birds everywhere! And even more sitting up on the rocky island. The smell of bird poop was strong, and the sandy brown rocks were turned a yellowish white from all their droppings. Apparently Peru is one of the largest exporters of guano. Who knew? Haha. 💩

We were so fortunate that our guide pointed out two penguins! They were a couple, and penguins are also monogamous. One was walking toward the other, and it looked like a sweet little reunion for the two. This was my first time seeing wild penguins! Hehe. I’ve seen them in aquariums and in a little pen at a resort in Hawaii…lol. But THIS was far better to see them in the wild. We would end up seeing a couple more inviduals, but this first sighting was made better by the pair.

The boat captain took us into a couple of the arches that the islands are famous for, and we spotted several species of birds, some crabs, and just about before we were to return to the port, we saw a momma and a baby sea lion! Soooo cute! The mom was teaching the baby how to swim. Apparently, when born, the baby sea lions do not know how to swim and must be taught. Both the momma and baby were sort of growling/barking at each other, and it was the cutest thing! I kept imagining a conversation going some like this: “Mooooooooooommmmm, I’m drowning, help me!” And the mom replying, “You’re a sea lion dammnit, either learn to swim or die!” Haha. Guess you had to be there, but it was quite entertaining.

Back on shore, my new friend, Kim and I, decided to meet up after checking out of our accommodations. We walked around the small seaside town and did a little bit of souvenir shopping and found ourselves having a snack at a restaurant. I ordered “tequeños” which are sort of like a mozzarella stick meets a folded spring roll. Inside there was a piece of ham wrapped around a cylindrical cheese. They were quite tasty, and to help wash them down, Kim and I enjoyed a delcious beer. What could be better? Hehe

Soon, it was time to meet up with the Peru Hop bus again, and this time, we were headed to the Paracas National Reserve to visit a few key sights. The reserve is all desert, and it was once submerged below the ocean. There are many fossils here, and tons of natural salt left behind from when it was part of the ocean. We saw some cliffs and formations just off the shore and a red beach. The red isn’t as brilliant as it once was, but the deep reddish hue was still present. Nothing will beat the Red Beach in Hana, though, that’s for sure, hehe.

Back to Paracas, we went to pick up some more people who were joining us on the way to Lima. I thought it would be a straight shot into the capital, but we had a stop at a historic Hacienda. It was built by slaves that were taken from Africa, and we learned about the sordid history of slavery in Peru. I didn’t realize they had slaves, and although it was heavy, I was glad to have learned about it.

The ride to Lima wasn’t terrible, but it was a bit long. We got in around 9:30pm, and I checked into my hostel and essentially went straight to bed, lol. Tomorrow would be my last day in Peru, and my only day in Lima, so I wanted to get started early before embarking on the journey back to Boston.

Another long day on a bus. Haha. This time though, the AC was on! Thank all the gods! Haha. Leaving Arequipa, the landscape was just rocks. And more rocks on top of rocks. Rocks for as far as I could see, lol. I suppose we really are in the desert climate of Peru, haha. Eventually, we make it close enough to the ocean to have a lovely view of where the desert meets the water. Some parts of the road were at sea-level, and other areas were up high on the desert cliffs…it was quite a beautiful ride.

We’re cruising along, making good time, but we soon slow down and come to standstill. Apparently, the locals in this community have blocked the road in a strike, trying to get the attention of the mayor, and demanding a water service be brought to their town. Fair enough, I’d want to strike for the same reason. Our driver tries to take a shortcut, an almost off-road adventure to get around the massive traffic jam. We were almost out of it when we were stopped again and were thwarted from making any more progress by the locals.

Our guide told us it could be as long as 4 hours before they cleared the roads! Yikes, haha. As if our bus ride wasn’t long enough already, haha. We waited almost an hour and began moving again. Then we stopped. Uffff! I thought we were clear, lol. It didn’t take much longer after that to get started once again, and this time, we were free! Hooorah! We initially thought that due to the potential 4 hour delay, we’d be missing the Nazca Lines, but now we had enough time to make it there! Yay!

We grabbed some lunch to eat on the bus in order to maximize our time, and we made it to the Nazca viewing tower just as the sun was setting. It was beautiful! And I was more impressed with the Nazca lines than I thought I would be. Hehe. Maybe it’s the anthropology/archaeology in me, but they were soooo neat! Having seen just a few of them, now I DO want to take the flight over them. Next time! Hehe. I plan on visiting Peru again….it’s been so wonderful!

After we had our fill of the mysterious and elegant Nazca lines, back in the bus, we go on our way to Huacachina, the desert oasis.

I make it to my hostel, check-in, and decide to sit at the bar to work on some pictures and my blog. Nobody comes to take my order….haha. It’s so strange, not even eye-contact! Lol. Just as I’m about to give up, someone asks if I want a water. Ummm….no, I’d like a beer! Lol. But, it was getting chilly, so I leave and grab a sweater, and come back out. This time, though, I walk up to where they are cashing people out, and order my beer. Aha! I guess this is the way its done here, lol. I sit by the pool, going through pictures, but each sip of the beer is putting me one step closer to my bedtime, haha.

Before I know it, I’m crawling into my top bunk, trying to fall asleep listening to all the music and commotion outside. Surprisingly, I fall asleep quickly and don’t wake until the morning.

…

I wake up after attempting to sleep in, as this morning, I don’t have any real plans. As I try to silently get out of the top bunk, a near impossible task, I hear a gravely whisper say my name, and I know it’s my friend, Julia! Hehe. She and I are in the same dorm room, and after waking up so early for the last bits of our trip, sleeping in until 7 is about the best we got, haha.

So we get up and have some breakfast, and decide to go walk around the town. I bring my laundry and drop it off, and we start exploring the very small oasis. We find the water, and it’s quite beautiful, and surrounding the tiny pond are many restaurants. We quickly see all there is to see and decide to hike up the biggest dune to get some views. Wow, that was a tough hike, lol. I mean, being a sandy desert, you sink down with every step, and I’d say every other step is a slip back or to the side, so it took us quite a while, and worked our calves to their limits. Uggghhhh…so worth it! Hehe.

The views from the top were incredible, and on one side, it was desert dunes as far as we could see. Amazing! The bus ride here showed tons of rocky cliffs and desert, but this was like something out of the Sahara…just tons of sand. Hehe.

On our way down, I was trailing behind after taking extra pictures, so I began to run. So. Much. Fun! Hehe. It’s almost like skiing with your feet, and I guess I looked like I was having fun because before long, Julia was also running down, hehe. When we got to the bottom of the dune, we realized just how hot the sand was becoming. Ouch! Hehe. We’re very glad we decided to hike the dune in the morning because it would surely be impossible in the middle of the day, lol.

Back at the hostel, we sit by the pool, getting in and out leisurely and joining a few volleyball games. They were so fun! I’ve never done pool volleyball, and it’s much harder than it looks, haha. Your movements are so restricted by the water resistance, and the bottom of the pool was slippery, so when you did try to lunge for the ball, you’d just slip and fall, almost in slow motion. Haha. It was hysterical to watch, and we had way too much fun, hehe.

An official game broke out in the afternoon, and the winning team would all get free shots. As soon as the stakes changed, the game became 10 times more intense and catty. Self-decided team captains were ordering people to stand in certain places, and now it was a strict 3 touches only per side. I’m just here to have fun, lol. In the end, the hostel hostess gave everybody free shots; rewarded for participation, hehe. The shot was more passion fruit juice than vodka and was delicious, lol.

After drying off, it was time to get ready to go for a ride on the dune-buggy and go sand boarding! Wooohoo! I was super excited for this! Hehe. The dune-buggy fit 10 people, and I ended up on an outer edge. The driver told us to take off our hats and to make sure our rollercoaster style harness seatbelts were as tight as they’d go. Oh boy, haha. I have a feeling this is gonna be a bumpy ride, hehe.

We start off very slow and calm, and I think our whole group was thinking, “oh, okay, we got the old slow guy,” haha. Well, that must be his little technique because once we were feeling comfortable, he steps on it, and we’re off in a bumpy whirlwind flash of sand and dust, lol. We are CRUISING through the dunes, and we’d climb up a tall one and careen down the other side, our stomachs being turned upside down, lol. It was EPIC! We’re all screaming and laughing and holding on for dear life, lol. We’d been going fast, and the driver would whip us around a tight turn, and it felt like the whole buggy could flip over, but we never did.

Soon, we are stopped, and the driver gets the sand boards ready. We’re each given a piece of wax and told to give the boards a nice covering. Then he instructs the first person to lie on their belly, face forward, and gives her a push over the dune!

We’re going face first on our bellies?? Haha, Oh boy. The first person did it successfully, so we’re all a bit more confident now. Oh. My. God. Was it exhilarating! Hehehe. I’m guessing my first board was one of the best, and I had made sure to put a ton of wax on it, and I was FLYING! Haha. It was amazing! On my first run, I went farther than anybody else. Hehe. We got to do this several more times on different dunes of varying heights. The last one was the tallest, and you couldn’t even see the whole dune. It was so steep, the second half of it disappeared, like it was turning in on itself, lol. We saved the best for last, that was for sure, hehe.

I head down this one, and it’s again, magical! It’s amazing how fast you get going, lol. And towards the end, it got bumpy, and it was probably a good thing, as it acted like a breaking system, haha. It did make it difficult to stay on course and not fall off the board….hehe. Soon we’re all finished with the long run, and it’s time to pile back in the dune buggy and ride to a sunset spot.

The sunset was gorgeous, setting over the golden sand desert. We had a perfect view, as our driver took us closer than the others, so there were no obstructions and no people in our pictures. Thank you! Hehe.

Back at the hostel, it was a time for a much needed shower to cleanse ourselves of the loads of sand that covered our bodies. It was comical watching some people empty out their shoes, a pure stream of sand falling down like a waterfall. Haha. After my long and wonderful shower, it was time for some dinner. Julia and I made quick friends with two Canadian guys, and we shared dinner with them.

After dinner, the hostel hosted a bachata/salsa dancing class, so we all joined! It was pretty fun, and we learned more than just the basic steps, and I was excited to continue practicing my new skills after the class, but, rather than continue to play salsa music, they reverted back to the more party-like reggaeton. Oh, well. Haha. At that point, nobody was dancing anymore, and I decided to head to bed shortly there after.

…

Huacahina and Pisco Tour:

I woke up REALLY early today, as I wanted to hike the big sand dune again for sunrise. As I was trying to leave the hostel, I noticed the giant entry doors were closed…. okay….. maybe I can’t leave? Haha. Then, a guy wakes up in the lobby area, where he must’ve been sleeping, and he asks if I want to leave. I say yes, for the sunrise, and I ask him what time the doors are opened. He said around 7. Yikes, that’s 2 hours from now, haha. But, I’m giving myself an hour to make it up for the sunrise around 6, and I’m expecting to spend some time up there enjoying the peacefulness, so I guess that’s not too bad.

So out I go! Officially locked out until 7. Hehe. I start walking towards the dune, and it’s cold outside. I’m glad I brought my sweater! However, it didn’t take long climbing the dune before the sweater was off, and I was covered in sweat, and now sand. Every time the wind blew, a fresh layer of sand was plastered onto my sweaty skin, lol.

This second hike up was far more difficult and strenuous than the previous morning. After a night of being untouched, the dunes were glazed over by the wind, and there were barely any footprints or tracks leading to the top. I was walking on fresh sand, sinking in deeper, and sliding farther to either side. It took me probably 50 minutes to get up. There were many moments I thought I’d just quit and wait where I was for the sunrise. But then I thought, “I’m so close! I can do this!” And I continued on.

Once on the top, I sit down down and attempt to cool off, hehe. The wind is cold, but I’m sweating profusely. Within 10 minutes or so, it’s time to put my sweater back on and await the sunrise. I was hoping for something magical, but as luck would have it, it was a cloudy morning. The best views were right as I made it to the top, in the pre-dawn glow of the full moon. While not the sunrise I had hoped for, it was serene sitting at the top. There is something quiet and beautiful about being awake and present before the majority of the world begins to stir. Before the hustle and bustle of the daily grind distracts us from the peacefulness and the beauty of what it means to be alive in this world.

It was quite cold on top of the dune with the wind blowing, and my sweat-dampened skin was a constant reminder. So after taking in my beautiful surroundings and quietly reflecting on how lucky I am to be here, I start my journey back down the dune, stopping often for more photos. When I’m towards the bottom, I sit down for about half an hour, as the hostel doors won’t be open yet, hehe. By now I’m freezing and counting down the minutes until I can go back.

I make it back a tad early, but the doors are open! Score! So I head in and find a seat near the pool. I figure I could nap out here rather than be noisy in the dorm room again. I only sleep about half an hour, as I’m still quite cold, and now the hostel is beginning to stir. The employees are cleaning up the pool area and getting ready for breakfast.

I take advantage and grab a cup of hot coffee….easily the best coffee I had all trip, lol. Much needed to wam my ice-cold hands and to warm me from the inside out. As I’m finishing my first cup of coffee, I look up, and Julia is  walking towards me. We decided to order some breakfast and secure a shaded seat by the pool. You gotta grab these early, or they’re occupied for the whole day, lol.

We enjoy a delicious breakfast, and I run out to gather my laundry. I need to pack everything today and check-out before 10:30. I have an included tour to a Pisco vineyard with Peru Hop, and I’ve decided to check it out.

There were about 7 people on the tour, and our host at the vineyard did the shortest explanation of how the Pisco is produced and hurried us to the tasting area. I think we must’ve tried 10 different types of Pisco or pisco mixes. So many! Hehe. We were all definitely buzzed leaving there, haha.

The host asked for volunteers, and nobody was quick to raise their hands. One guy did, and after another pause, I raised mine as well. We were to do the “pisco challenge.” We had to take a shot of pisco, and not leave a single drop in the cup. If any liquid came out at all when the cup was turned upside down, we were to have another shot as punishment, lol. So, we take the shot, and the host stops us and said we’ve done it wrong. Huh? He says we didn’t cheers, and you can’t do a shot with saying cheers. Lol. So he pours us another one. Grrreat. Hehe. So again, we do the shot, and now he tests our cups. My counterpart did an excellent job, and nothing came from his shot glass. Now my turn. Drip, Drop. Oh no!! Haha. I failed. So I was given another shot to try again. This time, I made sure there couldn’t be anything left, making sure to lick the rim of the cup and tap the bottom, to get everything in one go. The host checks it, and I’m safe! Haha. Phew!

And for the record, these “shots” were quite small, I’d say ⅓ of a full shot, or even less. Still, after 10+, that adds up quite quickly, lol. Let’s just say I was feeling pretty good and relaxed by the time we left. Haha.

Back at the hostel, I arrived in time to catch the end of the competitive volleyball game, all attempting to win the free shots, hehe. Once the official game ended, more people joined in, and a casual game began. I wasn’t going to play again, but I got suckered in and had so much fun! I really enjoyed playing…and had some pretty good plays, if I do say so myself :).

Julia and I would be parting ways today, so we had an early dinner together, and before I knew it, she was walking me to the pick-up point for my next bus. We had been traveling in the same direction now for so many days, it would be strange not to see her anymore. We wished each other safe travels and said goodbye. Hopefully we’ll meet again in the Netherlands…I’m sure I’ll have many trips there this summer, hehe.

Stay tuned for the next adventures in Paracas and Lima 🤗.

April 20th: Arequipa

After spending some quality time in the hammock, I head downstairs to see if I can check in. After a bit of conversation with another staff member, the font desk person says I can take a bed in “x’ room. Okay, great! It’s RIGHT opposite the front door, lol. Gonna be a noisy one, but after the lack of sleep I got on the bus last night, I’m sure I won’t have a problem, lol.

It’s a room with only 3 beds, and there is only one other person in it. Thank goodness too, because I’ve only found 1 wall outlet, haha. The first thing I did when I got in was shower….it felt oh so nice and was much needed after the hot and sticky bus ride. This shower felt better than the post-hike shower, lol. It’s hard to believe, but it really did.

I was told by the front desk that I could also have breakfast this morning, which was excellent, because I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it the next two mornings. I decided to do the full day Colca Canyon Tour, which begins at 3am! Yikes! Haha. Guess I’ll be getting up at 2:30….uuggghhh. It’ll be worth it! Hehe.

I wish I had done some more research for Arequipa, because there are a couple of volcanoes you can hike, and I would’ve LOVED to do that, and add a few more volcanoes to my list. Oh well, I’ll save that for next time, hehe.

After breakfast, I walked towards the center to find my friend, Julia. We had booked a free walking tour, and she was having her own breakfast. The walking tour was quite good, our guide was very funny, and we learned a nice bit about the city. He seemed to take us to several “shopping” places, but his tour was still filled with some good history lessons.

Arequipa was built by the Spanish and earned the nickname, “The White City,” because of the color of the volcanic stones used for the buildings, but also because it was a hub for European immigrants at the time of contact. It’s a beautiful city and very different from Cusco. It became the perfect spot to rest while traveling to and from the ocean and the Andean mountains.

After our tour, Julia and I decided to try a recommendation for lunch: a local dish, “rocoto relleno,” or a stuffed pepper with meat and veggies, smothered in cheese. Ohhhhh yeah, lol. This particular restaurant offered a vegetarian option as well, so both Julia and I tried it. So delicious! I think that was my favorite meal so far. It’s up there with the salmon ceviche I had the first day, and of course, the guinea pig, because that was so fun and different. 😋

When I booked my Colca Canyon Tour with Peru Hop, they told me that because it was within 24 hours, I’d need to let them know in order to confirm my reservation. I sent a message via WhatsApp and didnt’ get a response for a while, but when I finally did, they told me I had to email them. Haha, okay. Not quite as simple as some of the other tours I booked the day before, but alright. I guess I better book the other tours I’d like to do in the next town.

When I go to do that, I realize that the tour ends 15 minutes before the bus pickup to then go on to the next place. Uh-oh. I don’t think that is going to work, hehe. So I half scramble, as I’m still fighting the drowsiness of the overnight bus and decide to add an extra day in Huacahina.

Meanwhile, Julia and I decided to go visit the museum where the infamous ice maiden, Juanita, sleeps eternally. If you don’t already know, Juanita is a young girl who was sacrificed by the Inca and left atop the Ampato volcano, and discovered in 1995. She was the first, but many other adolescents were discovered on that volcano and surrounding mountains. Not technically a mummy, she was killed and left in the freezing temperatures. It’s believed she was sacrificed to ask the gods to ask for favor with the crops as they were facing an El Niño season. It was quite amazing to see her and to see the condition the clothing that was found in other burial sites. It looks as though it could’ve been made yesterday, but that goes to show the power of cold preservation.

After our visit with Juanita, we head to a place our guide took us earlier and got some coffee and tea. We’re both drained, and I have an early wake-up for the tour tomorrow…but, I need to resolve my Huacachina plans before I stress out, haha. So with the energy of the coffee, I finish that and begin looking ahead to the next planned travel and wonder if I’ve missed anything else. But that will have to wait. One thing at a time, hehe.

Before heading back to our hostels, we run to the grocery store for some snacks and food. Apparently I’m not the only one who overspent in Cusco, hehe. I grabbed some peanut butter, which was kept in the dairy cooler, and some jam and bread. Time to make a good ‘ole PB&J! The tour tomorrow is somewhat pricey and doesn’t include the entry fee nor lunch. So, I plan to eat my sandwich apart from the group. We’ll see how that goes, lol.

Back at my hostel, I go up to the breakfast/bar area to catch the sunset. The clouds blocked most of the sun, and it wasn’t quite the picturesque view I had hoped, but the volcanoes were still there, looking mighty and threatening and I loved it!

Time for bed!

Colca Canyon

Today was another long day tour….my earliest yet with a pickup time of 3am!!! Ahahaha. Overall, it was a successful day, and we got to see many condors! It was surreal! We could see them from far away, and they just looked like any other bird, but as we got closer to them, and at times, when they’d fly just overhead, you really got the impressive image of just how big they are. The best we saw was right as we were about to leave the spot, and they were swarming all around us overhead.

I learned that the condor can live up to 70 years and is a monogamous bird. They also glide through the air, utizling the air currents, as opposed to actually flying. Our guide told us how they are scavengers, and when food is scarce, they have been known to scare sheep passing by on a cliff, so much so, the sheep end up falling to their demise, where the condors begin a feast, hehe. So wild!

After the condors, we stopped by a small town, Maca, to try the “Colca Sour,” a slight variation on the traditional Pisco Sour. Rather than being made with lime, the Colca sour is made from cactus fruit! Obviously, I had to try one, haha. It was also my cheapest drink at only 8 soles! Done deal.

Next up, we stopped by some hot springs, literally for a hot minute, haha. Honestly, it was kind of weird this was part of the day tour, and we had to pay the entry fee. But, who’s gonna say no to sitting in a natural hot spring pool? Haha. There was a guy from my group who didn’t realize, and hadn’t brought a bathing suit, and just went in in his shorts! Lol. Gotta make do!

After the hot springs, we had a quick lunch, and began our arduous jounrey back to Arequipa. We did stop a handful of times to get photos of the volcanic chain that surrounds Arequipa, I honestly think the views from the city are better.

Overall, I’d call this tour a bust. I mean, the condors were spectacular, but I would’ve preferred to stay there longer and skip the hot springs. But hey, you win some, you lose some, lol.

On my way back to the hotel, I decided on a whim to enter one of the alpaca sweater shops, and there it was! The sweater I was destined to bring home! It was beautiful! I tried it on and knew this was the one! Hehe. I’m so glad I waited, and thank you, Tony, for buying it for me!

I come back to the hostel and find my dorm room empty, besides me! Wooohoo! Haha, thats so awesome! Someone could still come before I leave tomorrow morning, but maybe I’ll luck out with a single! Haha. Time to get settled and head up to the rooftop bar for a drink and a sunset. This hostel was okay, overall, but their biggest advantage is the killer view they have of the volcanoes, hehe. And that’s exactly the reason I chose them. Off to bed and up early for an all day bus to Huacachina!

Up early again for the day tour to Rainbow Moutnain! Wooohoo! Julia also reserved a spot for today with MPR, but as luck would have it, we were placed into 2 separate groups. Oh, well. It seemed strange we couldn’t switch around, but the guide didn’t seem to want us to. No worries, we’ll catch up with each other on top of the mountain…right? Haha. My group is apparently a Spanish-speaking group, and everyone is from Latin America, and then there is me. Haha. I’m excited to use my Spanish, as I haven’t been using it much the last several days. The guide keeps checking in with me, “Amelia, did you understand,” hehe, and I always say yes, but I think he doubts my abilities. 

We had a 2 hour drive to our breakfast spot, and then another 2 hour drive, this half, quite bumpy and raucous. I tried my best to sleep, but it is so hard on these types of roads, lol.  Our guide explains that we won’t have a ton of time up on the mountain, so he explains some of the history to us on the bus ride. The mountain was first “discovered” in 2014/2015 and had previously been covered by snow. But with the changing climate, the colors began to reveal themselves to those lucky enough to be in the vicinity. Since its discovery, it has quickly become the second most visited place in Peru, after Machu Picchu, of course. 

As we get closer to the entrance, the mountains on either side of us begin to show some color, deep burgundy red….

And soon, we are unpacking from the van and getting ready to climb the approximately 2km walk up to the viewpoint. Now, here I am, post-Salkantay, feeling pretty sturdy in my body and my lung capacity at altitude. But, this IS signicantly taller than where I was, so I wonder how I’ll do. 

I intended to add on a separate trail to the Red Valley to see more impressive colors, but I’d have to be quick to fit both in. I begin before the group and take off with a swift trot. I’m doing fine until I encounter the first good-size incline. Uffffff, this is tough, lol. But even on the walk up, we were greeted by wildly vibrant blue color along the trail, and we could begin to see the infamous colors of THE Rainbow Mountain. 

My pace slowed significantly, and with each passing horse and extraordinarily fit local asking if I’d like a horse, I began to consider it. Haha. But I refused. I came here to hike and challenge myself, and I would be caving in if I were to pay for the horse. So I carry on, dragging my feet, step by step, and after what felt like an eternity, but only 5 steps in reality, I’d need a break. 

I eventually am passed by someone on the tour, and he was struggling a bit as well. We end up encouraging each other to reach the top. 

When we finally make it, we get in line to take a picture at the first viewpoint area. The line is quite long, but I think we both weren’t ready for the final hike up to the highest point, lol. Our guide hurries us along, though, saying that we should go up first, and on the way down, there will be fewer people at the bottom viewpoint. Okkkaayy……here we go, lol.

Much to my surprise, I rocked this ascent. There were steps, and as much as I could say I hate steps, I now realize my body prefers them to a gradual inclined path. My quads must be built for this, whereas my poor calves can barely withstand the inclines, lol. I cruise up, barely affected by the altitude, or maybe it was my adrenaline pushing me forward, as I could see a giant wall of clouds moving in. 

Once we reach the top and look back at what should’ve been the beautiful Rainbow Mountain, we see it’s absolutely covered in clouds. Dang it! Haha. We were fortunate enough to see it at the bottom and to take photos, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed if we didn’t get to see it again. 

We get in line to take a picture with the summit sign, and I can see some alpaca all dressed up and with sunglasses on, hehe. My friend Julia, who I haven’t been able to find, has been talking about getting a picture with the sun glass wearing alpaca, so I think to myself, “If I can’t get a photo of Rainbow Mountain, then I’ll do the cheesy photo with the alpaca.” My turn comes to take my summit photo, and we’re still signicantly socked in, lol. So, I head immediately to the fun alpaca. So worth it! Haha

Our guide instructs us to wait at the top, as the weather can change at any minute…kind of sounds like New England, haha. So we wait. Freezing cold, with a fierce wind blowing. Maybe this wind will blow the clouds away! 

After about half an hour or so, the excited cheers and yelps of people surrounding us alert us to the slowly revealing moutnain! Its happening! We’re going to get a great view! Hehe. We all watch in anticipation and start snapping a ridiculous number of photos, just in case the clouds decide to cover this beauty again. But it keeps getting clearer and clearer! Omg YES! Haha. 

Our guide turns into a photographer and helps us all get great shots with the Rainbow Mountain. I am so happy and grateful she revealed herself to us. Because I waited, however, I no longer had time to do the Red Valley part. I was disappointed, but I think I would’ve been more so if I had attempted Red Valley and missed Rainbow Mountain. I also heard from Julia afterwards that some guys on her tour did it and said it was really difficult. Hehe. Britt and Kim: I don’t know how you did it all! You are hiking beasts! Hehe. 

On the way back down, we were granted many more photo ops as the sun shining on the colors made them even more spectacular. I think by the time we were back at the van, I had taken roughly 300 photos, lol. 

On the way back, we stop at the same spot for lunch, and continue the second half of our drive to Cusco. It stated raining pretty heavily, and again, I tried to get comfy and sleepy, but I am no good at sleeping in vans, lol. So I began going through my photos and deleting the unnecessary ones. I still have some work to do, but I managed to get though a lot. 

As soon as they drop us off, I head straight to my hostel…I’m so cold! Hehe. But all my warm layers are buried in my daypack, so I just try to get back fast. I rest for a bit on the bed…bad choice….haha, and wait for Julia to return so we can grab dinner. 

I was so comfy and tired, I almost opted out of dinner, but I was hungry, and when Julia texted me, we decided on an Indian place not far from where we were staying. Okay, I can rally for that. The food was AMAZING! Maybe because we’ve been eating a lot of typical Peruvian food, especially on the hike, now, having something different was such a nice change of pace. 

We shared stories from our day trip that we meant to do together, but never found each other, lol. It was fun to hear a different perspective from the same exact tour. Overall, we both felt like it was a rather rushed day, not enough information as to the history of the mountain and surrounding area, but for $22, not a bad time. 

Back to the hostel I go, and watch a tiny bit of Netflix before passing out. Hehe

April 17th: Day after Salkantay

Today is all about relaxing, haha. I woke up and had breakfast at my hostel, which was way more than I had imagined. There was a small buffet table with fruits, bread, some cheese and deli meat, along with coffee and tea. I thought that was plenty, but THEN, a woman comes and asks if I’d like orange juice and how I’d like my eggs. EGGS? Hehe. After being on the trail, eggs became a delicacy mostly reserved for those with allergies. The rest of us were fed a sweet breakfast, usually with fruit and some sort of sweet pancake. I think one day we all got eggs, and we were tickled to our core, haha. It’s amazing what tiny little things we take for granted, but I love having the reminder. 

After breakfast, I walk over to the Machu Picchu Reservations (MPR) office to collect my duffel bag and pick up my survivor shirt! Hehe I’m so excited! I didn’t think we’d get a shirt, either, since this was the cheapest trip option out there. I can not speak for the other companies, but if you have doubts about the price, don’t! This trek was amazing, and I’d do it again with MPR. While I was in the office, I also resevered a spot on the Rainbow Mountain Tour for the next day. I had a really hard time deciding to do Rainbow Mountain or Palcoyo. Palcoyo is lesser known and hosts far fewer tourists than the infamous Rainbow Mountain. That was a huge plus for me, in addition to seeing 3 colorful mountains and a stone forest along the way. All in all, it seems that Palcoyo offers more, even a better view of the largest monuntain in Cusco, Ausangante, a glacial mountain. 

So why did I choose Rainbow Mountain? I think a big reason was the elevation. I enjoy challenging my body, and I thought the Salkantay Pass would be the tallest I’d ever been, but, as it turns out, Rainbow Mountain is taller by about 2,000 feet! Haha. That really had me going, lol. And I was considering doing both, but it would be back to back, and I’m not sure I’d arrive in time for my overnight bus on the second day. I’ll just have to save Palcoyo for my next trip to Peru, hehe. 

I drop my laundry off at the hotel and apologize for how bad it smells, lol. 5 days walking will do that, plus a wet swimsuit, haha. Gross! Then I head out to do a bit of shopping, some water, lotion, shampoo, etc. Once I’m all settled, I pack a bag and head out for the day. 

My first stop is the Inca Musuem. I heard great things about it, but it wasn’t included in my tourist ticket of Cusco. I was disappointed to learn that, but the entry was only 20 soles, so I decided to enter. It was also a good chance to shield myself from the midday sun for a bit. It was cute, but not as informative as I would’ve liked. My favorite realization was how many smaller communities/ethnic groups the Inca took over and incorporated into their empire. Most of the guides I’ve had seem to almost praise the Inca, especially when in relation to the Spanish invaders. However, the Inca were not so different when absorbing other peoples into their culture and cities, no? 

After the museum, I head to a recommended coffee spot, thanks Dana and Hayden! I didn’t get a balcony seat, but as luck would have it, shortly after I ordered a cappuccino, the people at one of the window seats left! I quickly and swiftly took over, hehe. 

I say there by the balcony, admiring the views of the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, blogging about the Salkantay. Could life get any better? Hehe. After nearly 2 hours, I decided to say goodbye to my little creative and inspiring corner, and attempt to shop for a sweater. 

I’ve been wanting an alpaca sweater. Sorry, Dana, lol. As cheesy and touristy as it is, they’re so cute! I’m fine with a fake one, with just the design on it, but I’m also interested in finding one made of real alpaca. Lord, help me if I get one when it comes time to take care of it, haha. 

I must’ve entered every single store, with fake sweaters and supposedly real ones, and not a single one calls to me. I don’t want to buy one unless it’s “the one.” Haha. So, my search continues. 

I met up with my friend, Julia, from the trek, and we sat in the Plaza de Armas for a bit, and it’s so nice to just relax and people watch. It was too early for dinner, so we head over to a coffee shop to have a drink and a snack. On our way, we ran into some of our trail friends, and we have an impromptu gathering! We then send out the call to whoever is around come by and share one last moment together as the Sexy Donkeys! Hehe. It was just as magical as it sounds 🤗.

After everyone parted ways, Julia and I decided to go to her favorite vegetarian restaurant she had come across in Cusco. El Encuentro. The portions were astronomical in size, lol. I felt so bad not to finish, and having no fridge at my hostel, I didn’t feel I could take it to go. But, the food was delicious! After dinner, we said goodnight and went our separate ways. 

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April 19th: Cusco

(Post-Rainbow Mountain; blog to come soon)

I attempt to sleep in, but wake up around 7, lol. Now that I think about it though, I guess that IS sleeping in when my wake up has been around 4am every day so far, lol.

I take a lovely waterfall shower and start to get ready, packing as I go. I head down to breakfast with my iPad, and plan to sit here and finish catching up on my blogging drafts. I get pretty far, and after too many cups of coffee, I pack it up and head upstairs to organize my backpacks for the hotel check out. 

I check out of the hotel, leave my larger bag, and head into town for one last day in Cusco. So sad! There are so many other things I would’ve liked to do in addition to what I already did, but I suppose there is never enough time, is there? Hehe. 

The first place I went was Qoriqancha, a museum and an Incan temple that was converted into a church. I thought this was included on my tourist ticket, but it turns out, only the garden areas and a separate museum were. Slightly dissapointed, but I paid the entry fee and walked around the impressive building. Along the outskirts of the inner colonial courtyard were the remains of the former Inca temple. It was very neat to see them still intact, almost protesting for their place in modern society. 

This Inca temple was said to be one of the most important, and it was chornicaled by Spanish invaders. Famous for its golden adornments, all of which were stolen. While walking the grounds, I spotted a glorious hummingbird, eagerly feeding off the beautiful flowers in the garden, I’m surprised and delighted as to how many hummingbirds I’ve seen this trip. 

After touring the paid entry area, I walked over to the one that is actually included in my ticket. The museum was at least as good as the Inka Museum, albeit smaller, and I’d suggest doing the free one associated with the tourist ticket rather than going to the former. After the museum, you pop up in the open garden area, and there is nothing more to see here than what can be seen from the street…just an unobstructed photo opportunity, perhaps. 

I decided I’d look around for a massage…I’d been wanting one, but hadn’t fully committed. There are so many people on the streets offering them from as little as 20 soles, or around $5, but I was skeptical. Eventually my instincts told me to stop when this one woman was waving around her laminated sheet with the various options on it. I picked a full body massage, and paid about $30 for it. It was glorious. Much needed after the big hike, and after hauling around the daypack for so many days, hehe. 

I thought now it would be a good time for a little coffee break. I knew of a few places in the main square now, but I remembered a cute cafe I came across while aimlessly strolling before the trek. I thought I knew where I was going, but it became clear pretty quickly how wrong I was, when I hiked up a giant hill, and much to my surprise, this one didn’t have any cute alleys to take as a shortcut, lol. Oh well. At that point, I decided I would head down back to the main square. I find myself in the same cafe we had our Sexy Donkey reunion, and find a table by the window overlooking the square, and have a small snack of tamales and a beer! This place had some craft beer, and I decided that rather than a coffee, I’d try something a new brew. Delicious! And I sat here for quite some time, continuing to blog. 

It was getting close to the time I needed to head back to the hotel and grab my big bag and head to the Peru Hop bus station for the overnight journey to Arequipa. But, before I could leave Cusco, there was one more thing to check off my to-do list: eat “cuy,” or Guinea pig. I remembered the restaurant where they dress it all up, and I knew I had to go there. 

I walk in and I’m the only person there! The have basically closed after their lunch service, and I’m trying to eat at 3:15, lol. The gentleman that owns the place explained that, but said they’d take care of me. I mean, the door was open! Hehe. So I confidently order the guinea pig. It was so good! I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was seasoned nicely, and I almost hate to say it, but it was reminiscent of chicken, with white and dark meat. I thought it wouldn’t be a lot of food, but I underestimated that. I did pretty good, but there was plenty left once I’d had my fill. It was a tad expensive for a typical meal in Cusco, but it was worth it for my picture! Hehe. And to try something new….it didn’t seem right to leave without trying it. 

Just in time, I head back and grab my bag, and make my way towards the bus station. Not really sure what to expect, we end up on a single decker bus, with “semi-cama” seats, meaning they recline a good ways, but not fully. We were given blankets, which I didn’t expect, and I thought this may not be so bad afterall. Well, I was wrong, haha. There was a woman talking on her cell phone…I could tell she was trying to be quiet, but nobody else was making a peep, so it was quite obvious. And, I’m pretty sure she was painting her nails. Why? Why do people thing it’s okay to do that on public transit? I’ve seen it at least a handful of times on the plane. Let’s all agree not to do that, okay? Thanks. Haha. 

Then…..at some point overnight the heat got turned up to inferno mode. I was dying! Lol. My seat was by the window, and I guess right below is where the hot air was coming from. I tried to stuff the area with the extra layers I brought as pillows, but was too afraid to put my polyester puffer jacket in there, as I was sure it would burn, haha. I was miserable. Sweaty, sticking to my seat, and after looking around, it seemed everyone was knocked out, including the guide who accompanied us on the bus. I figured I could lean my arm agaisnt the cold window and make it through. 

Not sure how much sleep I got, I’m sure I got some, but dang, between the inferno and the bumpy ride, it definitely wasn’t enough, hehe. I’d find out later that my friend’s bus also had the heat cranked, and again, overhearing some people talking at the breakfast at the hostel, their bus was also hot. Why?? Whyyyyy??? Haha

We arrive to Arequipa around 5am and start dropping people off at their hostels. My hostel is located on a narrow street, so I need to get off the big bus and take a smaller “sprinter” bus the rest of the way. I get to the hostel, and there isn’t a room available yet, which was to be expected at 6 in the morning, lol. So I head up to the second floor and grab a hammock outside and realize just how beautiful this place is. I’m greeted by snow capped volcanoes straight ahead of me. Amazing! 

Stick around and find out what I did in Arequipa! 🙂

The next morning, we woke up before dawn to have breakfast at 4:30AM. It was a surprisingly solid meal including some eggs! … Which had become a rare delicacy the last few days; so many of our breakfasts were sugary and carb heavy, and not surprising since we needed the fuel to hike, but having eggs felt like such a treat! Hehe. It’s the small things in life 🤗.

As soon as we finish our breakfast, Julia and I decide to head out and begin our trek to Machu Picchu. It starts off easy, following the same road we walked up yesterday, but now we depend on our headlamps as it’s still pitch black outside. We make it to the first checkpoint, show our ticket and passport, and are ushered across a foot bridge towards the start of the trailhead. Here we go!

We climb for at least an hour and up a whopping 1,600 stairs! Haha. As if we hadn’t done enough walking and hiking already 😅🤣. But, that is the reason we are here, so why not finish strong? And tired. And sweaty. Lol.

It was no walk in the park. We went at our own pace, taking plenty of breaks and resting as needed; we’re so glad we decided to leave early. We weren’t pressed for time and could enjoy the arduous journey as best as possible. We were alone for a good chunk of the morning; I doubt too many others wanted to wake up even earlier than required, haha. But we did run into another couple of ladies huffing and puffing their way up. All of a sudden, we didn’t feel so out of shape or embarrassed by our snail pace, hehe.

Slowly, but steadily, we gradually ascended, step after step, until we could hear some flute music being played. We’re nearly there! Hehe. A man selling water and playing the flute began clapping for us as we rounded the final turn. We did it!!!!! OMG! Hehe. Sweatier than sweaty, but we arrived, huffing and puffing for breath, but we did it! 😁

We were early, so we made use of the restrooms, as there are none inside Machu Picchu. We were all set and ready to begin at 6:30, but apparently, some of our group was running late and caused a delay for all of us. We were a bit annoyed since we were so excited to get in, but when we did, none of that mattered, hehe. It’s Peru! Haha.

I had “circuit 1 or 2,” which includes the classic view of Machu Picchu, and I was with Julia and a few others from our group. We had a different guide, and he offered us serval generic descriptions of Machu Picchu, and I wish he offered more details, but it was great information overall. And to be fair, I’m not sure I could’ve retained any more facts and stories, hehe.

As we enter the archaeological site, we’re greeted by this classic view of an adorable alpaca and Machu Picchu in the background, hehe. We were trying to get ahead of the crowds, so it was a drive by picture opportunity, but well worth it!

Our first stop was a lookout point to see where the Inca Trail enters Machu Picchu. As we were talking about the immense network of trails, we saw a few weary hikers headed our way! I offered a, “Congrats! You made it,” but all I got in return were exhausted mumbles and furrowed brows, haha. I get it. I had been hiking for several days myself, but I guess we DID get to sleep in a bed and have a hot shower last night 😁🤣.

All of us, anxious to get to a viewpoint of Machu Picchu, hurriedly walk along the path, inching closer to the marvelous sight we know awaits us, just a bit further. The gasps of the group were audible and everyone immediately starts snapping pictures, although, our guide says there is a better view up ahead. We don’t care, hehe. We are setting our eyes on this magnificent site for the very first time.

We press onwards and find a space large enough for our group to gather, and our guide gave us some insights to Machu Picchu. We learned that the Spaniards never found it or even knew about it, and thats one reason they believe it’s in such good shape. Many of the “treasures,” are no longer there, as many artifacts went back to Yale with Hirham Bingham, who “discovered” it in 1911. I wish more artifacts would be repatriated back to where they came from…but that’s an entirely different rant, hehe.

There were so many opportunities to take photos, and we did not take those for granted! Hehe. Our guide was trying to move us along, but when you’ve made it this far, especially after hiking here, you take the extra moment to enjoy and let it all sink in.

It was simply magical being at Machu Picchu….the city has 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, which the Inca considered sacred. I mean, after being up there, I don’t think you could visit and not feel a sacred, spiritual energy in that place. Absolutely stunning and awe-inspiring.

Apparently, Machu Picchu was abandoned in 1540, and nobody knows the exact reason why. Perhaps they knew the Spanish were here, and wanted to protect the city, so they left it, or perhaps they were concerned the Spaniards would come and the inhabitants chose to flee to the forest for safety.

Once we’d had our fill, we began the arduous downhill journey…. Our poor knees! Haha. I’d choose climbing up 1,600 stairs over going down 1,600 stairs any day! Haha. And by now, it was HOT outside. When I say we were drenched in our own sweat….it was literally falling off our bodies as we walked, haha. 🤣

We were totally beat after reaching the road, and we still had a bit of a walk ahead of us. We tried our best to shelter in the shade, but there wasn’t much to be found. We found a nice little lunch spot, Inka Tambo, and we decided we’d take a rest here. And what do we do? Climb more steps, as if we haven’t done enough already, haha, and sit on the second floor with a lovely little balcony view. We all chose the “menu del día,” which is essentially a 3 course meal, and there are options for each course. All for a whopping 25 soles, or $7, hehe.

More of our Sexy Donkey group joined us, and we spent one last meal together, reminiscing about the previous 5 days of struggles, joys, and utterly inspirstional views. We were so lucky with the weather and to have such a great group of people to share the moments with.

After lunch, we returned to the hostel to pick up the rest of our belongings and made our way to the train station. I was so excited to take the train! Hehe. I think everyone opted for this, as opposed to walking 3 hours back to Hidroélectrica to take a 6 hour bus to Cusco, haha. We’d done enough walking at this point, lol.

The train was beautiful! And it had cut-outs in the ceiling, so we all wondered what the upgraded “Vistadome” train had that we didn’t, hehe. Good call on choosing the cheap option, because our views were stunning! It began to rain, and we all were close to being lulled to sleep by the steady but sometimes rather jerky movements of the train.

Once in Ollyantaytambo, we found our van driver and piled in for a fast and furious ride back to Cusco. I think our driver had a date because he was overtaking just about everyone he could and nearly hitting animals along the way. Haha. I was in the back and missed most of the action, but I sure felt it, being thrown here and there, and everywhere, haha.

The walk to my new hostel was quite difficult, as it’s hidden down a little alleyway, and only has a tiny little sign, hehe. But man, oh man, is it a gem! They had put a hot water bottle between my sheets to warm up the bed! Hehe. Amazing!!! I mean, what sweet luxury is this after 5 days in the wilderness, haha. AND a waterfall style HOT shower! Omg. Haha. I have no regrets booking a private room after the hike. None, lol.

I skip dinner and just lay in bed relaxing, attempting to write, but realize there is no energy left, mental or physical. So, I begin a Netflix show and quickly fall asleep. Tomorrow will be a relaxing catch-up day, jusy hanging around Cusco.

Day 3 starts with more coca tea at our little huts… a girl could get used to this type of service! Lol. Fortunately, this campsite was very small, and our dining area was not up a large hill, hehe. After another wonderful breakfast, we began hiking.

The tricky part of today would be crossing landslides. Yes, you read that right; there were many landslides in the area, and the trail was actually off-limits, so we had to walk the road. Well, the road also had large landslides, which blocked our only way onwards. The scariest one was the second one we came upon. Our guide was our lookout, and he stared up to watch for any movement at all. The first person crossed without difficulty, but just a moment after the second person crossed, a rather large rock/small boulder came hurdling down. If he had been there seconds before, he many have been hit by it! After this, our guide changed his strategy, and rather than have us pass one at a time, he started yelling for us to go go go! Omg. Lol. So we RAN. When I say we booked it, we booked it, lol. Apparently, there was a man at the top who signaled to our guide that he was concerned more rocks were gonna slide down. Yikes! We passed close to each other’s heels, and the end of the “path” was extremely muddy, so we smashed into the puddles and it was tricky to move through without getting stuck. Now is NOT the time, haha. Fortunately, we all made it across with no other rock movement, but it certainly got our adrenaline going. Goooooooodmorning! 😅🤣 Hahah.

The rest of the journey to our campsite was pretty smooth, although we had to cross a few more landslides, some more recent than others. And only one other that was a little suspect. There was a small waterfall flowing down it, carrying with it small stones and sand. The guides did an excellent job at watching out for us and keeping us safe. Thank you, Machu Picchu Reservations!

Our campsite tonight would be in actual tents as opposed to the Andean Huts. We had some free time in the early afternoon, and we all decided to get comfy and enjoy the beautiful scenery of this place. There was a soccer field as well, and a rather competitive game broke out between the “Peruvians” and the “Gringos.” Hehe. It was quite fun to watch.

I made use of the free time to grab a beer and toilet paper from the little store, and as I’m walking towards the cheering section for the soccer game, I think to myself, “a beer in one hand, and a roll of toilet paper in the other… what more could I want?” Hahah. We also overhead someone shout, “toilet paper!” To which we all chuckled and instantly understood, lol. Hiking in the wilderness is a great reminder of the small pleasures in life, like toilet paper. Hehe.

Later on, we all chose to do the excursion to the Santa Teresa Hot Springs. Ohhhhh yeahhhh, haha. After 3 days of hiking, it was time to soak in a warm pool, hehe. On the way, we had a blast listening to some “old”music from around 2010, played by a young, quiet Dutch man, which was a surprise for all of us, hehe. We van-karaoked, and laughed hard as we were careening down the bumpy, windy road, being tossed to and fro.

The hot springs were lovely, and we soothed our sore muscles and enjoyed each other’s company, getting even closer as a group. After our time in the pools, we had a chance to grab a drink outside. I tried a passion fruit Pisco Sour, which is the popular cocktail to have in Peru. It was quite tasty, even if our table was crowded and the atmosphere chaotic, hehe. We were jammed into a small area, and it was difficult to move around at all, and to try and order a drink was even harder, lol.

Eventually, a big tray of “Inka Tequila” gets passed around, and one of the guides leads us in a big cheers in honor of what we’ve accomplished so far. Here we go! Haha. And with that shot, I could instantly feel my cheeks getting red and my body temperature rising, lol. And that’ll do, haha. We have our longest day ahead of us tomorrow, and we need to be ready, hehe.

Before bed, I try to charge my phone with my portable charger, and I get an error message I’ve never seen before: my phone was telling me the charging port was wet! Noooooooo! It wasn’t ever near the water at the hot springs, and I didn’t drop it or do anything that would accout for this issue. Dannnnng it! Well, I left it overnight, hoping by the morning, I’d be able to charge it. Nope! Uggggghhhh. I’m feeling so dejected and worried….I can’t believe my phone is gonna die before getting to Machu Picchu! It CAN’T happen! So I ask the kitchen staff for some dry rice, and they look at me like I have 3 heads, haha. I explain why I need it… but that morning was our last breakfast with the cooks, so maybe they really didn’t have any, but I found that hard to believe. Oh well. I try going to the little store, owned by the people who live here, and they have rice! OMG! Yesss! I got my half kilo of rice and immediately submerged my phone, lol. I just won’t take many pictures today, in case it can’t charge, that way I’ll have some juice left for the biggest day.

We begin hiking, and we have a total of 3 hours uphill, which sounds awful, but I tried to frame it in a positive light….we wouldn’t be at altitude, so it should be “easy.” Haha. Rigghhht. It’s so steep! And by the end of the day, we’ll have walked around 15 miles. Sigh. We’ll get thorugh, somehow, though! Haha.

Part of our ascent was along the ancient Inca Trail, complete with plenty of large steps. How did they do it? They were shorter in stature, and my 5’7’’ self had trouble propelling myself up some of the steps, lol. Despite having plenty of oxygen to breathe, it was extremely exhausting.

We make it to a place called Llaqtapata, an Incan building, with, get this, a view of Machu Picchu from across the valley! WHAT?! Hehehe. Again, upon seeing the cradle where the Incan city lies, the muscle soresness was instantly gone. Haha. It was impossible to make out much more than the mountain peaks and the terraces, but there it was! Hehe. I turned my phone on for some photos, and tried to charge it, and it worked! YAY!

My relief and joy was short-lived, though; the phone only charged for a moment before quitting on me again. Dammit! Back in the bag of rice, it goes, lol. My phone’s own purgatory. Haha.

We continue our descent, which will also be about a total of 3 hours. We quickly come to another excellent viewpoint of Machu Picchu, and we have a bit of a photo shoot, our spirits are raised, and we find ourselves ready to keep struggling with the downhill.

This downhill was, without doubt, the absolute worst, lol. It was extremely steep, very muddy, and it had those loose rocks, which made slipping an imminent danger, lol. Thank God for walking sticks! Some hikers refused them, but I have no shame and will never turn down a pair of hiking poles, lol. I like to think they make me look like a professional hiker, haha. Oh, and they’re VERY useful, hehe. 😅🤣.

Just when we thought we coudn’t go on anymore, we saw the bridge we needed to cross at the bottom of the mountain! Wooohooo! We made it! Another hiker, Brit, and I decided to run down in excitement, lol. It was adrenaline fueled and was exactly what we needed. We make it to the meeting point and wait for the rest of our “Sexy Donkeys” to arrive. It was a much needed and deserved break….our poor knees! Haha.

The next bit of hiking was mostly flat as we trudged on towards Hidroélectrica for lunch. We passed an absolutely stunning waterfall that immediately reminded me of the Steall Falls in Scotland. Very Harry Potter looking, hehe. And then, as we were walking, there were loads of butterflies everywhere! It almost felt like a butterfly tornado, hehe. One even landed on my backpack! What an amazing experience! Something to distract us from the now scorching direct sunlight, beaming down on us, lol.

We make it to the main road, and the moutains that surround Machu Picchu loom over us, and it’s intimidating to see just how tall and remote they are. Our guide pointed out what was left of the original Inca Trail, right across a giant rock face. How in the world?! It’s now impassable due to a landslide, but I just can’t imagine constructing the trail there.

We have a much needed, perhaps overdue lunch….it’s clear everyone is wiped out. Pink faces, sweat dripping down from everywhere, less conversations, and blister first aid treatments, lol. We were spent. We ate our food and at this point, we were given back our duffel bags, and were instructed to take out whatever we’d need for the rest of the trek, as our bags would be sent back by car the next day to Cusco. Normally, they’d be back the same day as us, but due to the many landslides, the journey back is a bit difficult, and so we had to adapt.

My daypack is now STUFFED. Lol. Luckily, it’s a flat walk after lunch, but another 3 hours worth of walking along the train tracks. It’s a fun walk, way more shade that I expected, and I’m grateful because I was getting quite burnt at this point. Along the way, we spotted some Inca terraces that were part of Machu Picchu, but this was at the bottom of the mountain and inaccessible to visitors. Cool!

The train tracks were sketchy in some places, crossing on the wooden ties, with gaps over a rushing stream of water. Better not misstep! Haha. And we passed by a construction site where they are rebuilding the tracks after what looked like a devastating flood destroyed an entire section. We were rerouted and crossed a bridge that had sandbags to step on. This sure feels safe, lol. Not to memtion their construction tape, bright red with a skull and cross bones, which absolutely inspired confidence in the structural integrity of the bridge, haha.

We make it off the train tracks, and now we’re on the main road in Aguas Calientes. Hooray! Only 30 more minutes to our hostel for the evening. But guess what. It’s uphill. Uggghh, haha. By now, we’re all more than ready to get there, so we hustle our way up the steep road.

Once in the hostel, we are grouped into our rooms for the night. I’d be rooming with Julia, Brit, and Kim, all of whom I’d spent the most time with during the past several days. Perfect roommates! We hurriedly get to our room and are so excited to sleep in a real bed! And have a hot shower! Hehe. We take turns showering but soon realize our room has zero ventilzation, no outside windows, no fan, no A/C. Lol. So it was quite humid in there. Gross. But, coming from 4 days of hiking, this was a 5 star hotel! Haha.

We head down for our last dinner as a group, and we have to turn in our hiking poles, as they’re not allowed inside Machu Picchu. Dang it! The hike up there will be….fun without out them, haha. Almost our entire table orders a Pisco Sour, haha. We’ve become so close in such a short amount of time, and we laugh about this and reminisce about the last few days together.

After dinner, our guide gives us a briefing for the following day. It’s quite chaotic, as the individuals in the group have different circuits, different entry times, and different train departures. There is so much information given that I can’t possibly retain it all, and my only hope is that it all works out, haha. Which it usually does.

My entry ticket to Machu Picchu was for 6am, but our guide told us we should meet up there by 6:30, and the plan on entering at 7am. On the ticket itself, in the small print, it says you only have a half-hour window to enter. Ummmm… I ask our guide for clarification, and his response is, “It’s Peru, it’ll be fine,” hahaha. My favorite quote of the entire trip. Hehe. He does this all the time, and I trust him. It’s supposedly a 1.5 hour hike up to the entry point. I plan to go with Julia, and as we had routinely brought up the rear of the group, so we planned to leave earlier.

Time to rest up for the big day tomorrow! Machu Picchu, here we come!!! 🤗🥰😁.

Day 4: Salkantay Begins!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! It’s finally here, the biggest highlight of my trip to Peru—The Salkantay Trek! 5 days of hiking, reaching an elevation of about 15,190 feet/4,630 meters, and ending with a journey to Machu Picchu! I am so thrilled to be doing this, although there is a certain level of self-doubt as to how well I’ll do, walking approximately 47 miles……hehe.

I arrive at the pick-up spot and quickly make friends with Julia from the Netherlands. We were one of the first people to arrive, but we ended up in the last row of the van on a bench seat. At first we thought, great! We’ll have extra room, but two more guides joined us, and it was quite “cozy” in the back, hehe. We managed just fine, although at one point, I thought I’d bite my tongue off, it was so bumpy back there, lol. 

We have a nice breakfast along the way, the excitement of the group beginning to materialize. With only one more stop before the trailhead, it was almost time to take our first steps of hundreds of thousands coming the next several days. Our next stop was our last chance to buy water, snacks, and plastic bags to keep our belongings dry, should the weather take a turn for the worse. One more hour to go!

As we continue our drive, the scenery is already fantastic; cotton ball clouds floating effortlessly between the mountain peaks, playing a coy game of hide and seek with the peaks, teasing us with the views they are shielding. The mountains we can see are stark and a lush green that reminds me of Jurassic Park. The road follows a huge, rushing muddy river below in the valley, and the remoteness of where we are sets in. 

The van rolls to a slow stop, and we can see many large white vans and even more horses and donkeys up ahead. This is it! We’re here! Ahhhh! We get out of the van, double-check we have everything we need for the day’s hike, and pack the rest into our duffel bags, which we’ll get once more at our camp site. We help each other apply copious amounts of sunscreen because the sun is HOT. Haha. It’s already burning our skin, and none of us want to carry a daypack on burnt shoulders. The elevation here is 12,834 feet/3,912 meters. Before we begin hiking, we get together as a group and are given a short briefing of what lay ahead of us today. We chose a group name after some suggestions were thrown around by our guide, and we landed on the quirky, “Sexy Donkeys”,” haha. It became our motto and our motivation in our most difficult moments. 

Our first hurdle is pretty much hiking straight up hill until we reach the Humantay Lagoon, an other-worldly turquoise lagoon at the base of a snow capped mountain. The hike was brutal, and the altitude was already prohibiting us from breathing well. This is gonna be a long day, let alone a long 5 days, haha. We encourage each other and finally make it to the lagoon, where it starts to sprinkle rain, and I worry we’re headed for some wet hiking and obstructed views. 

I hiked up to a viewpoint at the lagoon and was not disappointed…it was worth the extra steps and tough breathing. The lagoon looked like a watercolor painting, and not something I was seeing with my own eyes. It was magical! I suddenly forgot how difficult the hike up was, and simmered in the beauty of my surroundings, tickled by the fact that I was actually there. I have never seen a glacier until now, and it’s unreal! Its as if the glacier itself is a sculptor and is slowly carving out the lines and angles of the mountain it calls home. 

I know we have so much more to see, but I’d be happy to spend all day here, hehe. But soon enough, our fearless guide, Ronaldo, gathers us together to continue our journey to camp. The next section is all downhill, which we all wrongly think is a god-send. The trail was rocky, and the small boulders were difficult to get around and quite slippery. We enjoyed some great conversations on the way down, and before we knew it, we came to a resting place. With only a few short minutes to eat a snack and apply more sunscreen, we were on our way once more, the final stretch to our campsite. Which, of course, was uphill, lol. Here we go again! 

Although difficult, we now had a spectacular view of the Salkantay Mountain….OH. MY. GOD. It was amazing, and it was just the right motivation to get us the rest of the way. Our campsite sat at 13,122 feet/4,000 meters, and we could definitely feel the elevation here. The “best” part of this campsite was that our communal dining area was even further uphill than our Andean Huts….meaning we’d have to hike up and down for dinner and breakfast the following morning, which would be in the dark, AND with our daypack and duffel bags….Grrrrrrreeat. Lol. 

I suppose it was all expertly designed to acclimate us to the higher elevation, for which I am grateful now, but it was hell in the moment, haha. I did have a slight headache at camp, similar to what I experienced on my first day in Cusco, but nothing worse, which I was extremely grateful for. 

My new friend, Julia and I shared an Andean Hut together, and we’d continue to room together along the hike, and get to know each other quite well. She told me of a really interesting concept hostel that arose in the Netherlands, and their theme is “Seek Discomfort,” following the age old adage of going outside of your comfort zone brings you the most growth. The hostel invited solo travelers from around the world to get together and be social. I absolutely loved this concept, and even more, the motto. I will make an effort to incorporate that into my daily life… Thanks, Julia! 

In the morning, the cooks woke us up at our huts with a hot cup of coca tea, which gives energy and is extremely helpful when dealing with altitude. What a way to wake up! Hehe. We gathered our things, and trekked up the steep hill for breakfast. Today we’d be tackling the highest point on the entire trek; the Salkantay Pass. I was pretty nervous for hiking up there, and our guide offered horses for some of the group to take. I struggled a bit yesterday, but I came here to hike, and deep down, I knew I could do it. About half our group opted for horses, and the other half decided to hike. 

The hike itself wasn’t awful, it started off with some “Inca Flat,” or rolling hills, lol. This encouraged me greatly, as it wouldn’t be all uphill the entire time. We also crossed an even flatter area before the gnarly section began. There were two options, the classic switchback trail, nicknamed the “gringo killer,” lol, and the shortcut. Our guide told us to take the shortcut….and perhaps it was shorter, but it wasn’t any less steep, hahaha. 

I struggled quite a bit here, as well, and the more I progressed, the harder it was to breathe. But I found my pace and kept my motivation high, and continued on, even at a snails pace. By now, the rest of the hiking group was well ahead of me, but I persevered on my own and found peace in the solitude.

Before I knew it, I reached the summit and found my group, and when they saw me, they cheered for me and gave me high fives, hehe. The BEST! And, although it was pretty cloudy, we had an excellent view of the Salkantay peak…absolutely unreal! Hehe. I’ve never hiked so high, and it was exhilarating, to say the least. 

We enjoyed the views up top for a while, trying our best to shield ourselves from the cold wind. At this point, I had all my warm layers on and was still quite cold. I’m sure being wet from sweating so much was no help, but it was manageable. 

Soon again, we were on our way down; another 2 hours or so of downhill….brutal! Haha. The loose rocks were slippery, and our knees and ankles were in danger of being twisted or tweaked, so we walked mainly with our heads down, lol. The second we’d look up to enjoy the view, a “whoop” would escape, as your boot rolled sideways on a loose rock. Lol. But the views were amazing, as we descended the high alpine towards the cloud forest. There were colors of green and yellow, and meadows began appearing with horses grazing leisurely in the fields. 

We had a wonderful lunch, always so much food! I suppose we need it all for this amazing feat we’re undertaking, lol. Once everyone had their fill, we once again began hiking, more downhill. Haha. This part of the trail took us through the cloud forest, and we began to see more bugs, and it got steadily warmer and more humid. I spent some time talking with another guide, William, and he explained to me how hard it is to maintain a relationship with this job. He goes out once a week for 5 days, and his ex-wife couldn’t handle that much absence, so they split up. I am so grateful for the guides who make these treks possible, and learning about some of the difficulties made me appreciate them even more. I can’t imagine doing that once a week… I figured they did this every other week or so. 

FInally at our next campsite, we have hot showers and WiFi! Wooohoo! Hehe. I was honestly looking forward to a cold shower, since it was quite warm towards the end of our hike, but, the lines were so long, and by the time I had a chance to shower I was cooled off and opted for the hot shower, costing 10 soles, or around $2-$3. Worth it! 

Our Sexy Donkey group played a fun couple rounds of Uno, paired up, because we were so many. What a classic game to bring traveling, hehe. Thanks, Julia! We had a ton of laughs, and it felt like we were really starting to bond at this point. We knew each other’s quirks and personalities, and were making jokes with one another. 

After dinner, we all crashed hard in our Andean Huts, to complete day 2 of hiking. Tomorrow would be quite chill, and we have a fun activity planned!