Living in the time of the Incas

My week and a half in Cuzco/Machu Picchu really was like a time warp. Everything we saw was from a different era and really transported you to that time period. From the Colonial Spanish cathedrals of Cuzco's Plaza de Armas, to the intricately placed stone walls of Machu Picchu, it was like going back in time. A week is the longest I have stayed in one place on this trip, and still I find myself wanting to go back to Cuzco. 


I first arrived in Cuzco on January 22nd, I can't believe it was that long ago, but it was. We had taked an overnight bus from Copacabana, Cuzco that took about 12 hours. 12 hours on a bus is a long time, so we splurged a little and got the cama seats (beds) instead of the semi-cama. It was definitely a worthwhile investment. We got in at like 6 am, but most hostels won't let you check in until at least 10am, so we ditched our stuff and headed out to explore Cuzco. I find it completely fascinating that the currently city was built on top of/integrated with the old city that the Incans actually used. There are areas of the city that have the old wall and streets! So cool!. We spent the whole day exploring and planning our Machu Picchu adventures for the upcoming week. Naturally we ended up in a starbucks. In an entire continent that seems to serve nothing but nescafe, Starbucks seems like the greatest coffee in the world. That night I made sure to find a pub that was broadcasting the Niners-Giants game. It was a tragic loss, but an incredible good game. In the end I'm just glad to see that they made it so far, it was an incredible season.


Day 2 in Cuzco was more running around trying to arrange the trip to Machu Picchu. We decided to take the train instead of bussing or doing the famous Inca Trail. I don't know why but I really like riding trains, I feel like I am in a different era, even though the train is super modern and serves you delicious snacks. We then had to go across town to buy our entrance tickets for the park. If you ever go to Peru, you NEED to get an ISIC (International Student Identification Card). That thing has seriously saved me hundreds of dollars. We planned to see Machu Picchu one day and then climb Wayna Picchu (the giant mountain that overlooks MP) on the next day, we didn't want to be rushed. But when we went to get out tickets, there were no more spots available to climb Wayna Picchu on either day that we were going to be there :( Only 400 people a day are allowed up. We already had bought our train tickets so we begged the lady to somehow make an exception, and she magically found an extra 2 spots so all four of us could climb the mountain. I love when people are super nice and actually want to help you out. The rest of the day we hit up all kinds of museums. You can buy a tourist ticket for all of Cuzco and the surrounding Sacred Valley of the Incas which grants you access to 16 different sites and if you are in the area for long enough it is totally worth it. We got to see all kinds of artifacts,  paintings, mummies, dances, colorful clothing, etc., etc. 


The next day we were headed off to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. We stayed there 2 nights to make the journey up the mountain easier. To get to Aguas Calientes we took a cab first to Ollantaytambo, then the train from there to Aguas Calientes because that was the most economical option. The drive to Ollantaytambo was absolutely incredible. The valley was super breathtaking and literally every turn was the most incredible photo op. AC is really an adorable little town, nestled in the crevice of two mountains with a giant river/waterfall running though the middle of it. The main street is lines with tourist shops and restaurants that offer "happy hour."  It's all day and they say drinks are 4x1, but no one would ever pay $10 for one drink... Either way, we totally took advantage. It's so neat because they put games on all the tables too! Some came with chess, boring!, and some came with Jenga. We were all about the Jenga. 



Wandering corn fields along the side of the
road in search of a bathroom

I am just going to start by saying that Machu Picchu absolutely blew my mind and was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Instead of taking the bus up to the top, we hiked up the mountain. That hike consisted of about 1,460 steep steps that basically go straight up,  add in some heavy rain and about 2000 meters of elevation and you've got yourself a pretty demanding walk. I was really glad we did it that way though, because when I got to the top I felt so accomplished and it made the first views of the old Incan City just that much more incredible. I knew it was going to be rainy season when I was in Peru, but I didn't know exaclty what rainy season was like. It pours every single day in the morning and afternoon, not a light sprinkle, but torrential downpour. I had a waterproof jacket, but that just wasn't enough, a cheap plastic pancho was definitely necessary. The entire hike up it was raining, but when we got to the top, the clouds broke for long enough to get fantastic views of the whole city. 


I just cannot get over the contrusction abilities of the Incas. Yes, many parts of Machu Picchu have been reconstructed, but it still blows my mind how they were able to create such massive complexes without today's technology. It took us the entire day to see all of it, which made me glad that we were climbing wayna picchu the next day. It felt surreal to actually be there. For me, it's one of those things that I knew about and really wanted to go to, but never thought I would actually get the chance to see, it's one of the seven wonders of the world! 


Climbing Wayna Picchu  was freaking incredible. The ascent only took about an hour and a half, but you are climbing pretty much vertically. For most of the climb it was super cloudy and misty making everything off the mountain just look like a white abyss. I wouldn't say that I am scared of heights, but climbing those stone steps definitely freaked me out. There were parts where you had to use ropes or crevices in the rock to help pull yourself up, it was so exhilarating! When we got to the peak of the mountain, there was nothing but white mist below and you couldn't see Machu Picchu at all. The wind would come and blow some of it away and you would get a little taste, but the weather didn't cooperate long enough to get a great view. It really didn't matter to me though because the climb was incredible and we got to see really cool things along the way.i already had seen great views of Machu Picchu, so I didn't feel like I really missed out. god, just writing this make me want to go back and sit on top of that mountain!

My Machu Pichu Attire

I climbed that giant mountain overlooking Machu Picchu!

How did little 4 foot men work so precisely with GIANT stones?????



Machu Picchu peaking out from the fog, looking
down from Wayna Picchu (that giant mountain)

My last days in Cuzco were filled with more museums and touring the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Surrounding Cuzco there are like 8 other ruins that were of some significance for the Incas. Each had it's own significance and special purpose. It was interesting because each site had a totally different feel From the buildings themselves to the general layout, each one was unique.

Two smaller details that remain engrained in my mind about Cuzco are the rain and the food. Holy moly the food was so delicious, and CHEAP! Everyday we searched for a place that had a set menu for lunch. The going rate was 10 soles (about 3 bucks) for a three course meal with a drink! I mean if you are trying to stay on budget, the set menus are definitely the way to go. I like having lunch as the biggest meal of the day too. It just makes so much more sense when you are walking around all day. It helps to walk off the huge meal too after you have completely stuffed your face. 

Unfortunately, I eventually had to move on from Cuzco. I had to splurge on a flight to Lima because I was pressed for time and I really just need to get north, not to mention the fact that the overnight bus from Cuzco to Lima is supposed to be a little sketchy. On to Lima and the north of Peru!


Plaza de Armas, Cuzco



Lewis, Karen, me, and Briana overlooking cuzco



Traditional Dance Costume

BOLIVIA! Mind the altitude

Ok so basically, Iguazu is getting shafted because I am so far behind on blogging. Maybe one day I'll come back to talk about it, but for now it's on to Bolivia! 

All about balance ;)

On Jan 15th the trip started in La Paz, the world's highest(in terms of altitude) capital. As soon as we got off the plane there was a noticeable difference, literally one flight of stairs makes you lightheaded and out of breath. Since it was Lewis' birthday on the 16th, we decided to splurge a little and stay in a 5 star hotel :) Not really true backpackers style, but whatever I'll take it. We already had to deal with adjusting to the altitude, so we really deserved those incredibly nice accommodations ;) We were in La Paz for two nights exploring the city before we headed to Uyuni and the Salt Flats.

To get to Uyuni, you have to take a 10 hour night bus. We had no idea how long we were going to be on that bus for, we heard 8-10 hours but also 12-14 during the rainy season. luckily we didn't hit too many problems and we made it in 11 hours. BUT that was the sketchiest bus I have ever been on. Panamericana, not the best company out there in Bolivia. It was kind of cool to be sitting next to locals, not cool to be crammed into seats with all their s*#& everywhere. These native bolivian women carry EVERYTHING in these pieces of cloth that they tie to their backs. It is actually pretty incredible to see the amount of stuff they can carry.

On to Uyuni, and we were all feeling the altitude. Lewis and Karen got legit sick, but I just felt a little under par the entire time. Headaches definitely made multiple appearances. The day we arrived, we literally passed out as soon as we got to the hostel. I got up and walked around a little after a 2 hour nap. the town of Uyuni is nothing special, but it's worth the trip just to go to the salt flats. We booked a one day tour because that is basically all we had time for. The next day, the 3 of us loaded into a Jeep with 4 other people to set off exploring. First stop, the train cemetery. Surprisingly cool. It was like a giant playground for adults. All these old trains that used to run to Uyuni were just left there abandoned and were completely rusted, ya know just sitting in the middle of the desert. The salt flat was the main attraction though. OMG! Literally just in awe of the absolutely massive salt plains, the biggest in the world mind you. Since it was rainy season, parts were flooded so the water created cool reflections of the surroundings, the majority however wasn't flooded and we were able to take copious amounts of pictures. I still can't get over how WHITE everything was. I took my sunglasses off for one second and was almost blinded by the brightness. Oh another cool things was that we got served ALPACA for lunch. This adorable little bolivian woman cooked it for us. Eating alpaca is definitely a mind game for me, you just can't think about the fact that you are eating one of those incredibly cute animals that have the softest fur in the world.

Salt Flats!

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca

Copacabana and Lake Titicaca were the next destinations after Uyuni. That was quite a trip. We took the 10 hour overnight bus back to La Paz (with a much nicer company) then hopped right on another 4 hour bus to Copacabana. Nestled right on the shores of the lake, Copacabana is the cutest little town that totally reminded me of Catalina Island. This was the first place that we actually had a chance to relax a bit. We went down the shore and had some beers after doing some artisan shopping and town roaming. First of all, I knew  that Lake Titicaca is the world's highest navigable lake, I just wasn't expecting it to be SO big. Like, what? It was MASSIVE! We were driving around the edges of it for so long and I could never see the other side or had any clue where it ended. The waters were so incredibly blue as well. So pretty!

The main attraction in Copacabana is a trip to Isla del Sol, the Incan Creation myth Island, where the first Incans were essentially born out of the water. You have the option to stay the night on the island, but we didn't. I think that is my one regret of the trip so far. I totally fell in love with Isla del Sol. The day started by taking a 2 hour boat  journey. We were sitting on top in the open air, which was great until we went through a storm and got completely soaked. On the plus side, Isla del Sol was true to it's name and it was sunny when we arrived. the whole day was spent hiking the north and south sides of the island, stopping to catch our breath, and snapping photos every 2 seconds. So much natural beauty! The sun completely annihilated my skin, and everyone else's, but it was one of my favorite days of the trip. I'm definitely going back, definitely.

Relaxing with Karen and Lewis

After a 1 week mad rush through Bolivia, it was time for Peru! I'm currently sitting in my hostal in Lima writing about what happened 2, almost 3, weeks ago, but for now that's all I can do. My Peru travels will come at some point, it's surprisingly difficult to find time to blog.