Since childhood I’ve had an interest in the Inca culture and have been drawn to the beauty of the Andes Mountains. In February 2010, I was in Peru with plans of trekking the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu but, sadly, the region had devastating mudslides about a week before I arrived which destroyed the infrastructure of the towns and transport systems throughout the Sacred Valley. The entire region was being evacuated so, unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Machu Picchu and left with hopes of returning again.

Brenda & I made plans to return earlier this Spring but our plans were deferred again because of my paragliding accident last December. Although I’m still recovering, we left Colorado Springs on March 25th en route to Peru. We arrived in Cusco two days later where we met our friends Pat & Kathi who were joining us for the adventure. While many visitors to Machu Picchu travel by train to get there, we enjoy the wilderness and wanted to experience the beauty of the Andes and history of the ancient Incas by trekking on one of several original Inca trails so we chose to trek a variation of the Salkantay Trail. While we would’ve enjoyed trekking the entire 34 miles, neither time nor my recently broken foot permitted so we chose to complete just the last 10 mile segment from Lucmabamba to Aguas Callientes over Patallacta Pass.

The Trek

We left our hostel in Santa Theresa around 5am and got a ride from the hostel owner to Lucmabamba. We arrived around 6am and started the trek. Shortly after we began, we passed the beautiful Lucma Lodge and came upon our first “Andean Starbucks” – a coffee plantation where we enjoyed a cup of coffee freshly roasted from the coffee beans growing right above the bistro table. It was, by far, the best coffee I believe I’ve ever had!

We continued hiking upwards towards the summit of Patallacta Pass nearly 2500’ in elevation above our starting point. Shortly after cresting the summit, we came to a clearing and saw the Llactapata Ruins. It was still a bit cloudy but a short break in the clouds gave us a glimpse of Machu Picchu.  We continued to descend to the Llactapata Lodge where we enjoyed a terrific 3 course Andean lunch of avocado salad, trout, and caramelized plantains. By this time, the skies had cleared and we enjoyed a stunning view of Huayana Picchu Mountain and the Citadel off in the distance. From here we continued our decent down the steep and muddy terrain. While I’m accustomed to trekking long distances at a relatively fast pace, the furthest I’d been since I’d broken my foot a few months earlier had been about 4 miles and this 10 mile journey had been quite taxing. By the time we reached the river valley and arrived at Hidro Electrica, my foot was extremely swollen and throbbing – I hate to admit that it brought me to tears – not so much because of my pain but my sadness for the kind of pain my mom experienced her whole life as a result of her arthritic disability and the pain my dad has experienced from his lifetime of injuries. Both of my parents had nerves of steel and the stamina to accomplish great things in spite of their physical pain – truly an example of courage!

While some visitors walk the last 6 miles from Hidro Electrica to Aguas Callientes, we opted to hop the train. We’d been trekking for nearly 9 hours so the comfy bed at the Rupa Wasi Lodge was quite inviting. We had an early dinner and settled in for the night so we could get an early start and make it to Machu Picchu before sunrise the next morning.

Machu Picchu

We arrived at the Citadel at the first sign of light and managed to hike up to the Sun Gate as the sun crested the surrounding peaks and shed its light upon the Citadel. Neither words or pictures give it justice – it was, by far, one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen!  The Citadel was built for the Inca Emperor and was constructed high upon a hill overlooking the Urubamba River which flows into the mighty Amazon and provides hydro electric power to much of Peru. After witnessing the incredible sunrise, we went to the trail that leads to the summit of Machu Picchu Mountain and began the steep climb. We’d hoped to reach the summit but, unfortunately, the terrain became a bit too steep and difficult for my injured and swollen foot so we settled for the view from about half way up as I knew that coming down would be an even greater challenge. Our friends Pat & Kathi went on to the summit.

After taking a few pictures, Brenda & I slowly descended back to the Citadel and took an easy walk to the Inca Bridge. Again, pix won’t describe what we saw. A portion of one of the many Inca trails was created along the shear face of a deep canyon wall. The stones that were placed to retain the earth for the narrow trail had been placed by hand but I have no idea how! It looked as they came from thin air. While public safety is not as much of a concern in Peru as it is in the US, even this section of trail was blocked off – it appeared to be less than 18” wide and there must have been at least 500’ of shear cliff face below it. In addition to amazing construction skills, the ancient Incas must have had nerves of steel!

Pat & Kathi made it down from the summit of the mountain about an hour later so we all spent the afternoon walking through the ruins of the Citadel admiring the craftsmanship and skill of the Incas. The construction of the temple and the rest of the citadel was remarkable – stones had been carved in unique geometric shapes and carefully placed without the use of any mortar to create solid foundations that have remained in place for more than 500 years and withstood the forces of torrential rains and earthquakes – an incredible feat of engineering with no degree required – just common sense! Makes me wonder why we have to get engineering reviews to construct a simple house today???

Sadly, our day at Machu Picchu came to an end. We returned to Aguas Callientes and boarded the train to Ollantaytambo where we would stay for the next few days.

Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is a quaint town along the Urubamba river in the heart of Sacred Valley between Cusco & Machu Picchu. Our hostel was located a few blocks from the plaza away from the light and noise. It was dark when we arrived and the stars in the sky were as brilliant as they are on a clear night in Colorado but the perspective was a bit different in the Southern Hemisphere and the planet Mars glowed of orange & red. The building was old & rustic, constructed of adobe mud blocks with a clay tile roof and a small central courtyard. We shared a room with friends Pat & Kathi and a few fuzzy 8 legged creatures – one that crawled out of our bed to make room for us to get in!

After 2 long days of trekking, climbing, and exploring Machu Picchu, we were all ready for a day of relaxation so we opted for an easy stroll through the market and along the narrow cobblestone streets until we came upon a great little place for lunch. Brenda & I shared the typical Peruvian lunch of sopa y arroz con pollo (soup & rice w/chicken) which cost about $5 soles (US $1.50) and the quantity was plenty for us to share. In the afternoon, we relaxed in the hammocks at our hostel admiring the clear sky and steep peaks around us then found our way to the Sacred Valley Brewing Company for happy hour later in afternoon. Turns out that someone from Portland, Oregon has relocated to the Sacred Valley and teamed up with locals to introduce good beer to the Incas but, sadly, I don’t think the Incas like it or can afford it as most of the clientele appeared to be tourists.

After a day of rest & relaxation, we were all ready for some more activity so we ventured a short distance to the ruins on the hillside overlooking the town and again, were amazed by the incredible skill and obvious stamina of the Incas in constructing their villages.

Back in Cusco

Cusco is an amazing city with a population of nearly 1/2 million people that sits at an elevation of 11,200’ above sea level. The city lies near the Urubamba River Valley and was the historic capital of the ancient Inca Empire from the 13th to the 16th centuries and most of the buildings in the city are built upon foundations remaining from the ancient Inca ruins. Life in the city evolves around Plaza de Armas and spreads into the hillsides above. It’s a lively town filled with street markets and festivals. Cusco is the gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu so the city is bustling with more than 2 million tourists each year from around the world as most all visitors spend some time in the city before or after their journey to Machu Picchu.

When I first visited in Cusco in 2010, I stayed with a Couchsurfing host named Ronnie. He and his brother offered my friend Ian & I a room in their small apartment but, more importantly, their hospitality and friendship. Ronnie had just finished attending University and was working as a tour guide at the time but shared his personal dreams of international travel outside of Peru and his goal of opening his own hostel – both of which he has accomplished since then. The name of his hostel is “Ukukus” which is a word used to describe the blending of the spiritual practices from his Quechua heritage with the traditional Catholicism that came to South American when Europeans started inhabiting the country. http://ukukushostelperu.com  Ronnie and I have kept in touch since we met in 2010 and I was fortunate to have followed his progress in the creation of the Ukukus Hostel which I made a very small investment in during the building process. We enjoyed our stay at Ukukus but, unfortunately, Ronnie was in Lima visiting family so we would have to connect in Lima a few days later.

While there are many things to do in Cusco, my favorite is the climb to Cristo Blanco, a statue of Christ with outstretched arms which was donated to the city by the Arabic Palestinians who sought refuge in Cusco after World War II. The statue sits high on a hill overlooking the city. While many tourists opt for a bus ride up and pay the entrance fee to get into the national park where it’s located, we opted for the walk up the “Cusco Incline” (my name for a series of 2000+ steps that begin at Plaza de Armas and go up through the hillside residences overlooking the city and allow for free entrance to the back side of the park. The exercise and the view assimilate that of my favorite activity in Colorado Springs, ie. climbing up the Manitou Incline. While not quite as steep, the distance and number of steps is about the same which became another form of extreme PT on my way to recovery from the broken heel.

Lima – A Stark Contrast to the Sacred Valley

It’s hard to avoid a stay in Lima when visiting Peru or other parts of South America since the airport is a major hub for all domestic and international flights. While Lima was not on our bucket list of places to see, we decided to go ahead and spend a couple of days near the Bohemian district of Barranco and the beaches in Miraflores. In prior visits to Lima, we’d opted for a sleepover in the airport or a cheapie hotel nearby but this time we thought we’d try the urban experience. The cab ride from the airport to the city goes through the port area and some pretty rough looking neighborhoods that made us a bit uncomfortable but as we approached Miraflores, it seemed like we were back in the US. We stayed in a hotel just a few blocks from the beach and series of beautiful small parks overlooking the coast. We enjoyed a walk along the malecon, visited the Artsy Barranco District filled with beautiful Colonial architecture, went to the Museum of Electricity, crossed the Bridge of Sighs, and attended a cooking class where we learned to make Cerviche and Pisco Sours. The best part of the visit for me, was connecting with my friend Ronnie from Cusco. We managed to connect twice during our short time in Lima for dinner, drinks, and conversation. Ronnie invited us to join him for the Salkantay Marathon (similar to our Pikes Peak Marathon) and, if I remember correctly after consuming a few beers, Patrick & I agreed to return in the summer of 2017 to participate and bring our friends Tim & Eric with us – hopefully Tim & Eric don’t mind and hopefully my foot will be fully healed by then!