Machu Picchu, Perú

The big day had finally arrived! And before I get carried away, let me preface this by saying I want to tell you all every little detail. Every food, every story our guide shared, every joke we made with our new friends, every time I silently cursed under my breath because I couldn’t breathe, every unique view or color in the sky, but I cannot. For both of our sakes, I cannot make an entry that long and you cannot know it all. You need to experience it for yourself to truly understand.

And on that note, uhhh, we were the last pickup for the bus, which was awesome. We rode in a bus for a while and we all slept, or did our best to try, before we stopped and had breakfast at the Porter’s house. Who are the Porters? The most physically and mentally tough people out there. They carry all of our duffles, tents, toilet, literally anything and everything needed for the campsite, on their backs. About thirty kilos I think is the legal limit for their packs. It used to be 45-50 but the government stepped in with some safely regulations recently. We couldn’t have done this without them!

Breakfast each day consisted of coca, muña, or a tea of your choosing. Although, on the actual camp and rise days the coca tea was consumed before you even left your tent. Besides tea, they had coffee and hot cocoa if you so dared. The food was good, and the chef? A legend. I think he was 22 or so years old and has been doing this for a couple years now. We had fruits, eggs, breads/toasts/pastries, meats, crepes, you name it. Different combos each day. On the fourth day we did have a silly breakfast. We got it to go, since we had to be up at 03:15. It was a chicken and French fry sandwich accompanied by an apple and an orange.

The days were all the same, yet all different. Day one was HOT while day two was freezing. Days three and four were a bit of a mix. Honestly though, if I was hiking I didn’t have a jacket regardless. I got too sweaty if I did. Day one we went 14 kilometers and made it to 3300 meters elevation. Day two we had a tough climb of 900 m and 16 km. This was our highest point of the entire trek: 4200 m, or 13779 ft, elevation. They call it dead woman’s pass. I don’t think they needed to call it that, but I’m not in charge. Apparently it’s because the mountain looks that way from a certain angle? Either way I tried my hardest this day and what a rush it was to complete it. I was exhausted as all get out the entire time I hiked, but the moment we stopped to rest I felt I could run a mile. I don’t know, it was a weird sensation. After dead womans pass the trek was so much easier. We ended Day two around 3600 m elevation.

Each day we stopped for lunch about halfway (time not distance necessarily). For lunch we had combos of chips and guac, soups, salads, trouts, rice, causa, chicken, beef, mashed potatoes, lasagna, lomo saltado, mango ceviche, etc. We also got snacks for each day. We did not go hungry on this trek. Basically wake up anywhere from three to five am each day, eat, hike, eat, hike, eat, sleep, repeat. It was the best.

The group was great too. I made so many friends. Shot the shit with the brits, and giggled with everyone, honestly. Our hiking group was us five, Ned, Kieran, and Simon. Sometimes Melanie and Roman were with us as well. It’s hard to explain but we all got along so well. The whole group plus our guides and porters. We were like a little family. Kelsey said it best when she commented on how generous the group was. We all shared bug spray, medicine, water, anything someone needed we’d offer up our own without hesitation. We made it to Machu Picchu together. So fun!

Before I forget, I’ll tell you what we had for our dinners, I know you are dying to find out ;). We had spaghetti, stuffed chicken, pizza, cakes, soups, sweet and sour chicken nuggets, cheesy breads, tofu, fried yucca, other varieties of chickens, and much more. we also had tea time every afternoon abut 16:30 or 17:00 with tea, popcorn, and a sweet treat. Enough about the food!

We also learned, as I mentioned, about Quechua / Andean people, Peruvian / Incan history, and our guides / porter’s lives. So inspiring and provoking. I learned the Inka farming terraces face East, so if they aren’t it’s not for farming. Quilla means moon in Quechuan and stars are chiaska. You click your mouth on the “ch” part of the word. I learned about the constellations and asterisms they have in the southern hemisphere. The Southern Cross, and what that symbol means for their culture.

I learned that twenty percent of Machu Picchu is underground. We passed by so many Inka sites and Inka ruins along the way that I learned the difference between the two. Sites mean the Spanish or other lame-os didn’t get their grimy hands on it and ruin it. I learned so much more, but I digress. This experience was so magical

The final day was such a whirlwind. Three am start, a RACE to the sun-gate, Kate sprained her ankle, we did a promo video in one take without a script, and had a prime viewing spot for Machu Picchu from above. Due to trekking and not coming day of to visit, we got a spot below all the other tourists so no one was in front of us for photos. We then toured the whole massive place. It’s wild to think people lived there. A certain solstice room had me thinking about my fav fictional characters.

We saw lots of different animals along the way. I remember seeing a bird I’ve never heard of and trying wild plants and fruits our guides found for us along the trial.

As if out of nowhere, we were saying goodbye to Machu Picchu and making our way to the celebratory lunch. Our guides stamped our passports and we all got giant beers to cheers a job well done. This experience was truly once in a lifetime. It was sad having to say goodbye to everyone and I’ll cherish my memories forever.

That’s all I have for you, and I hope you all still enjoy hearing about what I’ve been up to.

❤