PERU

Román and I recently returned from an amazing vacation in Peru!  Román had been to Peru a few times for work before, but he had never been to the Cusco area, and he had never done anything touristy there.  I had never been at all, and I had always wanted to go! We decided to use his airline miles and to stay for two weeks.  I'm not quite sure why we chose to stay that long, but we had no problem filling our time when we were there.

I always thought that Peru would be beautiful, but it surpassed my expectations.  The landscape, the culture, the history, and the food were all incredible.  I have to note, however, that Peru is also one of the poorest places I have ever been.  But, even with the poverty, most of the people were very kind, and they helped to make our experience in the country a good one.

Although we spent a lot of time visiting various historical sites, the highlights of our trip were our days spent at Machu Picchu, treking to Choquequirao, and visiting Lake Titicaca.

Machu Picchu was...magical.  That is honestly the best way I can explain it.  Román and I woke up at 4:00 am to catch a train and then a bus so that we could climb up Huayna Picchu during our scheduled time slot.  In the typical pictures that you see of Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu is the mountain directly behind the city.  When we arrived and started climbing, it was rainy, cloudy, and we couldn't see much, but we didn't even care.  It took us two hours to climb to the top, enjoy the 'view,' and climb back down to the city.  The hike was rather difficult, and the fact that it was raining made it more dangerous, but it was fabulous.  When we returned to the city, we were exhausted.  After an hour rest and some food, the sun came out, and we decided to take a private tour of Macchu Picchu, which I absolutely recommend.  We spent the day walking, learning, and then relaxing.

Video of our climb up Huayna Picchu

Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu in the back

Our next adventure was a four-day trek to Choquequirao, another ancient city of the Incas.  Because it can only be reached by foot, it is largely undisturbed.  It is much bigger than Machu Picchu and has only partially been uncovered.  Our hike was private, but we chose to use a tour agency, since Román and I don't have any backpacking gear with us in Argentina, and we aren't advanced backpackers.  We were provided with a guide, a cook, and a means of transporting our equipment so all we had to carry were our daypacks.  The hike covered forty miles in three days of walking...mind you, that is forty miles in the mountains...and not just any mountains...the Andes.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  It was physically exhausting and mentally challenging.  By the time we arrived to Choquequirao, we were so tired we couldn't walk around it.  We spent just an hour exploring.  I realize that sometimes it's about the journey, and not the destination, but in this case, we had been hoping to enjoy the destination too.  On the whole, it was an incredibly rewarding hike, but we would recommend that if you decide to do it, you make sure that the trek is five days, so you can have a day to enjoy the site itself.  

On the trail

View from our campsite the second night...from between my legs (bow chicka wow wow)

Rainbow at Choquequirao

Our last big excursion in Peru was to Lake Titicaca (hehehe).  I honestly didn't understand why Román wanted to visit it.  I think at one point I said something like, "It's just a lake right?"  Coming from Michigan, I've seen my fair share of lakes.  Lake Titicaca was amazing though...not because of its size, but because of the culture of the people living in and around the lake.  We visited a floating man-made island built of dried reeds and home to many people.  It was incredible to see people living on such a small island and making everything, from their homes to their beds, out of reeds.

Las islas flotantes of Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world.  It is nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, which makes it the highest place I have ever been.  Actually, throughout our whole time in Peru, we had a little difficulty with the altitude.  We had a difficult time even walking down the street on some days.  After a time though, and by drinking four to five cups of coca tea everyday, we were able to better adjust.  Even with the challenge of the altitude, however, I would definitely recommend that you visit Peru.  If you want information or need suggestions, please feel free to ask me!!!