We are currently on board a bus heading to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon. We spent the last five days trekking past the Salkantay mountain on our way to one of the most beautiful places in the world, Machu Picchu. There are no words to describe how incredible this experience was, but we will do our best to take you on the journey with us.
We got picked up from our hotel at 4:30 AM and took a three hour bus to where we would begin our adventure. Our group consisted of fourteen eager hikers, two guides, a cook, and a horseman. The ages ranged from 19 to 69 with varying degrees of physical ability. We had three guys from Chile, two Brazilians, four students from Denmark, two British citizens, a gentleman from Sweden and us (a Gringo and a Polack). Please enjoy some of the many beautiful moments we had during our five day walk to one of the new seven wonders of the world
Day 1- We walked 18 kilometers this day until we arrived at our base camp near Salkantay. We could leave ten kilograms of weight with the horses, but we had to carry the excess on our backs
A view of Umantay mountain
A dog that followed us for a long time. On the way, he tried to mark his territory on every tree. He even found a mud puddle to roll around in while waiting for us
Salkantay with our base camp in the distance
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Near our campsite
Day 2- After a cold nights sleep and a pancake breakfast, we had a group briefing introducing all members of the crew and discussing what to expect on this day. We were to hike 800 meters up to the Salkantay pass at 4600 meters. Out of our group of fourteen, only four of us decided to climb. The others took horses up the steep narrow mountain
The briefing
And we began our hike
We stopped at this point to let the horses pass
The walking group
A quick stop for cookies before our final push to the highest point
After working for every breath, we made it to the top. At this elevation, it is very hard to breathe properly
Back in the day of the Incas, they used to put coca leaves under rocks to give thanks and to offer gifts to the mountains. We did the same
And then we went back down where there was more oxygen to be had
Our second campsite where we were able to have an ice cold shower, but it was worth it after nine hours of hiking
Day 3- It's all down hill from here. The scene changed from snow capped mountains to Amazonian jungles.
This is where the insects liked to hang out
A spider with baby spiders all over it, pretty gnarly
On a different day, we even saw a baby cobra
After a long day of traveling, we made it to Santa Teresa. There, they have these amazing natural thermal pools where we relaxed for a couple hours
Our campsite in Santa Teresa had all sorts of plants growing: coca, cocoa, bananas, avocados, and chili peppers (super hot)
Day 4- Our first Machu Picchu siting. We walked along the train tracks from Hidroelectrica to the small town of Agua Caliente. In this picture, you can see Machu Picchu in the hills
Right before reaching the town
A Peruvian hairless dog with a coat. It gets gold when you have no hair
Agua Caliente- the statue is of the Inca leader Pachacutec believed to have been responsible for Machu Picchu
Final day 5- The hike to Machu Picchu. We walked up nearly 3000 stairs to reach the base of the Inca's masterpiece. It was worth every step and many more
The anticipation building
The clouds added so much to the feeling of being in another time
True beauty
The Incans were unbelievable carpenters
They built Machu Picchu from rocks that already existed in the area
This rock is believed to contain strong positive energy. We thought it couldn't hurt to take some in
They even placed one rock strategically to match the mountain in the background. If time travel tourism is created in our lifetime, we know where we are going
And then we made it to the spot all of you have seen in postcards, photos, etc and it was more spectacular than any picture could ever prove. Most scholars believe the Incas chose this location with much thought. The mountain range closely resembles the profile of a human face
As a bonus, we got 2 out of 400 tickets to hike up another 700 meters to the peak of Machu Picchu mountain
Along the way, we found some friendly llamas
On our way up
At the top
Mila at the peak
Part of the 360 degree view. Hidroelectrica in the distance. We were down there earlier the previous day
We stayed for a while but eventually had to come down. After all, there is a lot to see around Machu Picchu. When we got to the bottom, we had to walk back up the hill to see the sun gate, the entrance to Machu Picchu from the classic Inca trail
A view from the sun gate
And then we walked to the Inca bridge and found a fun spot to snap some photos
Some final moments before saying goodbye
A squirrabbit- Must be an old Inca animal. We watched him jump like ten feet in the air
The peak we climbed way in the distance
We are so thankful for another incredible moment in our lives. We can't explain how lucky we feel to experience places like this
See everyone next time from Arequipa and the Colca Canyon
-Mila and Scott
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Location:cruz verde,Arequipa,Peru
spiders, snakes, cobras, ruins...it's like the adventures of indiana jones
ReplyDeleteThere are no words guys. We ran "the loop" this morning and stopped at the top for some silence and to take in the morning air. I imagined being surrounded by the photos above and it was overwhelming in the best way. We love a lot of your past photos, but these made us want to visit that place the most. Can't wait to hear about it all in person...
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