Wandering Chilludo: Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Hola from Peru

Before arriving in Peru, I began reading "Conquest of the Incas". I wondered, "How would I feel if someone of a different color, on strange animals showed up in America and murdered our leaders, then forced me to worship a new god?". As someone who doesn't associate with a religion and considers the wilderness his church, it was a bit frustrating to see all the churchs the Spaniards had built, but they're not the first to do this (see: Missions in California). When we began taking tours around/outside Cusco, you begin to realize what an impressive civilization the Incas were. As time went on and we began the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu, I began to accept that Conquests are just part of civilization.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is a 4 day, 26 mile backpack with the option to have porters carry all your stuff. Tour companies (we joined the Llama Path based on friends recommendations) provide tents, food and guides, who fill you with the history of the trail. Having hiked Patagonia a few months ago, I was confident we wouldn't have a problem. Now that we completed both I'll say Inca Trail is much more difficult than the hike we did in El Chalten, Argentina. Like most challenging hikes, the payoff was big. Amazing views with differing climates/flora and 500+ year old ruins. Hard to beat and there's no wonder Machu Picchu was voted New 7 Wonders of the World.

Having done a few tours over the last few months, I'll say this is one of the best groups we got stuck with. There were 9 of us, 2 tour guides and 14 porters. Out of the 9 tourists, 2 were from New England, 1 from New York, 1 from Spain, 1 from Italy and 1 from England. A great mix and all within the same age range. Spending 4 days in close quarters isn't easy for anyone and I was impressed with how the group got along. The porters are/were work horses and carried supplies, including the impressive meals we ate for breakfast/lunch/dinner.

You don't have to be female to die at Dead Woman's Pass

The hike follows a path designed for the Royal Pilgrimage to Machu Picchu where studying was done only by the highest ranking of the regional tribes. On your way you climb up to 14,000 feet at Dead Woman's Pass. From there you sleep next to an impressive Inca Ruin that was enough for me to go home satisfied.

After two days of perfect weather it finally started to rain. Luckily we were done hiking around 1 and our guide instructed us to take a nap and hopefully the rain would pass. Around 5 he came over to our tent asking if we'd like to do a short walk to another ruin. At first we declined, but upon hearing the rest of our group get up we did the same.

The 9 of us plus our guide trudged through the rain and mud about a 1/4 mile to another impressive ruin. He gave us some information on the site and left us to explore on our own. After some discussions with three llamas we were able to explore the ruin. While doing so(about 15 minutes in) we heard two girls in our group
yelling, who were still high up on the terrace. When we ran over we found an Andean Bear slowing making their way across one of the terraces towards the 3 perched up Llamas.

Once we returned to our camp all glowing from what we had just seen, we realized how rare it is to see a bear by our guides reaction. Before we saw the bear, I would've said this was the highlight of the trip because we had this perfectly intact ruin all to ourselves(thanks Rain Gods). The bear was just the icing on the cake.

The following morning we woke up at 2:50AM(not a misprint) and got to the front of the line for the last push. At this point, everyone on the trail meets at the final check point and hikes about an hour to Machu
Picchu. We waited restlessly til 5:30 and raced to Sun Gate to get the first glimpse of Machu Picchu. This last stretch is the longest finish line I've ever experienced. Finally you can stop thinking about how many more miles/gross bathrooms/stairs/stubbed toes/knee issues you have to go and can appreciate what you've come to see.

There are some of us who have done more difficult and longer treks, but nothing as rewarding as the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Some people we met just took the train straight to Machu Picchu, but if you want to fully appreciate the history of the Incas, I'd highly recommend sacrificing your knees for 4 days and hiking the Inca Trail.

On our final night in Cusco we had the pleasure of grabbing drinks with one of our Spanish teachers who is originally from Cusco and picking his brain about the current state of Peru. During our stay in Cusco we experienced transportation protests stemming from a gas line and international airport. Without going into great detail, while Peru provides natural gas (through a pipe) to Chile and Mexico at a discounted price, Cusco relies on gas tanks that you find under your BBQ grill at a Premium. As for the airport, the majority of Peru's international tourism heads to Cusco. However, you need to fly into Lima in order to get to Cusco. Add an International Airport to Cusco and that takes Lima out of the equation.

Peru has issues like any country, but you can see a lot of potential as this great country continues to grow in popularity. The smog in Cusco is the worst I've ever experienced in some areas, but this problem can be fixed by eliminating buses in some of the tighter streets. Inca Trail has only been accessible by tourists the last 30 years and will only continue to experience growth. Hopefully Peru will recognize how important it is to limit the number of people on the trail, rather than trying to squeeze every penny they can out of the trail. I would suggest increasing fees to enter the trail and limiting number of hikers/porters on the trail daily.

After a quick stop in Lima we headed North to Mancora, a nice 22 hour bus ride. This is a chill beach town we've heard great things about. After being over 11,000 feet elevation the past few weeks, it's nice to be back at sea level again and on a beach. From here we'll head to Galapagos Island for a week starting on March 13th. From there we'll fly to Quito, Ecuador and make our way up to Cartagena in Colombia.

We're still open to suggestions North of here, so if anyone has any info to share, please do. Also, here's a link to some more photos on Photo Stream: PERU

As always, thanks for all the encouragement and support!