finding the groove in cusco

Machu Picchu

We arrived in Cusco in the afternoon after a short 1 hour flight from Lima. We checked into a hostel that friend from our trek reccommended. Pariwana Hostel is known for its comfy duvets and rowdy night life.

Narrow Cusco streets

Cusco is a very popular tourist destination for good reason. It´s an easily walkable city with beatuiful colonial architecture, a bohemian vibe, and travelers that dont leave for weeks. We spent 2 days wandering the city by day and and salsa dancing by night. On day 3, we piled into a van with strangers and embarked on our highly anticipated adventure to one of the world´s most perplexing historical sites: Machu Picchu.

Since the famous Inca Trail is both very expensive and requires booking months in advance, we opted for the alternative backdoor jungle trek. On the first day, we covered lots of ground speeding down to Santa Maria on mountain bikes. It was thrilling flying down the narrow windy roads. The climate changed from brisk mountain air to warm jungle humidity in a matter of hours. We spent the night in Santa Maria enjoying local beers and a "football" match with the charming Carlos, a potential future representative of Cusco. He even served the whole crowd chicken and potatoes to try and seal the deal.

We spent the next two days trekking along Inca trails, stopping to bathe in hot springs and play in the river along the way. On the third night we reached Aguas Calientes, a recently booming tourist stop and the base camp for Machu Picchu.

The scary traverse along the Inca Trail

The only way to cross the river...

We began our ascent at 5 am the next morning, starting early to reach Machu Picchu by sunrise. If you love the stairmaster, this is the trek for you. The trek to the top was 45 minutes of non-stop steps to the entrance of the site. Luckily our adrenalien and anticipation of the famous view kept us from thinking about our sore bums. Trekking in Huaraz paid off, as we were within the first 20 to make it to the top.

Machu Picchu trek at Sunrise

Looking down at Machu Picchu

Upon entry, we had a tour of the breathtaking Machu Picchu. Although many things are still unkown about the site, our guide was very insightful. We spent the morning soaking in the impressive architecture surrounded by the ominous mountains, with llamas roaming close by. It was fun to imagine what Machu Picchu would be like as a functioning society. Not quite done with our hiking adventures, at 11 we climbed the neighboring Wanypicchu. Even steeper than our first hike, Wanypicchu required crawling on all fours up very narrow steps. This hike is not recommended for those afraid of heights. We reached the summit red faced and sweaty, but the view from the top made it all worth it.

Sitting at the top of Wanypicchu

Laura takes in the view at the peak

Despite all the we had accomplished that day, our trekking was not over. Due to protests over water shortage, all transportation in southern Peru was halted for several days. This meant our luxurious train ride from Aguas Calientes (which can only be reached by train) was no longer a possibility. Our best bet was to walk along the tracks to the next town 3 hours away and hope that a taxi could reach Cusco. We were in luck and got a cab which eventually brought us back to Cusco around 2 am. Needless to say, it was a very long day.

We woke up the next morning to loud chanting in the streets and the news that it would not be possible to leave Cusco until the next day. We took a much needed rest and enjoyed the day with all our new spectacular friends from the trek who were stuck with us. We enjoyed each others´ company so much in fact that we all hopped on a bus to Puno the next day.

The Mushroom Lounge, Cusco

Hanging out in the artsy San Blas Plaza

On a high in Huaraz

Immediately after getting into Huaraz, still stale and groggy from our overnight bus ride, we booked a 4 day trek scheduled to leave at sunrise the next morning. The Santa Cruz trek has been rated one of the top hikes in South America and it did not disappoint. After a nice lazy day in cafes drinking mate de coca tea, we felt rested and ready for the high altitude journey.

Each day ranged from dry valleys to snow-capped mountains, with rushing rivers and gorgeous teal lakes in between. We lucked out with a great group of fellow hikers. Even though we would all pass out with exhaustion by 9 o´clock, we spent every evening sitting around a table in the ¨dining tent¨. Our quirky guide, Orlando, always had useful information to share, whether it be about the Cordilla Blanca or new card games. We were all sad to leave each other by the end of the trip and celebrated our victorious trip in Huaraz with one too many games of jenga and a pisco sour.

the group


Day 1


The wonderful mules that carried our packs and food


taking in the view from over 5,000 meters


taking a lunch break after the highest and most strenous leg of the journey. (Orlando on left)


smiling faces and smelly clothes on day 3


hiking to the last campsite


tired donkey after a long day´s hike


our last campsite by the river


Katja poses with some locals back in downtown Huaraz

Katja and Laura joyfully in ruins

After a day of traveling and more bus difficulties we finally made it to PERU!! We spent the day in Tumbes waiting for an overnight bus to Trujillo, Peru´s old capital. We were lucky enough to find a taxi driver to show us around and take us to his favorite spots in the city.

Carlo, our only friend in Tumbes


"The Kiss"


Katja takes the reigns

We woke up to Trujillo, a city clogged with taxi cabs as far as the eye can see. After dropping off our backpacks in a hostel and taking a much needed shower, we jumped into a packed combi (public van transportation) towards Huaca de la Sol and Huaca del Luna. Our surroundings changed abruptly from a busy concrete city to a vast open desert where the Moche civilization once thrived. The site was only discovered about 20 years ago and they are still uncovering bones and artifacts today.

Our trusty tour guide at Huaca de la Sol


A view of Huaca del Luna

After a decadent meal of cake and ice cream, we signed up for our second overnight bus in two days; we´d experienced enough city life in Trujillo and we were ready for the mountains of Huaraz.

Crossing new terrain in Cuenca

view from the top in Cajas

In order to warm up for Machu Picchu and stretch our legs after a 6 hour bus ride, we set our sights for Parque Nacional Cajas. Unfortunately our bus adventures were not over and we broke down on the supposedly 45 minute ride to the park. After an hour of playing Spanish word games in attempt to enhance our vocabularies, a second bus arrived to take us to our destination.
Grazing llamas greeted us at the park, which seemed like a good Omen to start our journey. We took the ¨4 hour¨ path through the mountains to the next bus stop passing many beautiful lakes and more llamas. After reaching the end in only 1 hour, we decided to take another trail, this one a bit steeper. The second trail was comparable to climbing a mountain made of squishy moss. Our feet sunk in with every step and it was delightful. The terrain appeared to have once been underwater many years ago; all the plants looked a bit like coral.
We spent the night listening to live music and watching old ladies salsa like pros.

finalmente las fotos!

quick snapshots on the top of the mountain after riding the TeleferiQo.



almost blown away on top of Quito.



Katja on top of the Basillica del Voto Nacional.



Street vendor with her baby in Old Town Quito



¡Hostel Chicago! (Old Town, Quito)



All dressed up in proper rafting attire. Don´t worry, we´re professionals.

The water gets rough in Baños

We arrived in the cute, slightly touristy (for good reason) town of Baños at night. Baños a compact town at the base of many lush moutains... a paradise for anyone in search of outdoor adventure. The town is stocked full of small tourist operations offering everything from paraguilding to repelling down a waterfall. We headed straight for a hostel our Lonely Planet bible recommended. Hostel Plantas Y Blanco was quite literally a white building covered in plants. Since many travelers seem to share our faith in the Lonely Planet guide, the place was bustling with folks in fleeces and hiking boots.

With our desire to conquer the tumultuous rapids in Ecuador only deepened by our first failed attempt, we signed up for a rafting adventure scheduled to leave the next morning. We would go into more detail about our wild ride, but we'll let you see for yourself in custom video coming soon. In addition this unusual tour of the highlands surrounding Baños, we also met some really cool travellers from around the world.

To ease our sore muscles from clinging onto the raft, we decided to visit Baños' natural hot springs (just a quick 5 minute stroll from our hostel). The hot springs, which are located at the base of a waterfall, are changed daily by cool water that gets heated quickly by volcanic rock. Locals told us the proper way to soak- start in the HOT, dip in the COLD, and repeat as necessary. We have never experienced water temperatures at those extremes before, but apparently locals do 3-4 times a week.

The next morning we woke up to rain and decided over stacks of pancakes and fresh Ecuadorian fruit that it was time to move on towards Cuenca.

¡Muy bonito in Quito!

After a solid 3 hours of sleep on our flight to Quito, we groggily tried to navigate the busy streets of our first destination. The bus proved to be a little more complicated than we bargained for, so we opted for a taxi to our adorable hostel located in New Town (La Mariscal). First order of business was getting caffinated. We went to a reccommended local joint that served delicious coffee and "orgasmic" chocolate. We explored the city, weaving in and out of the narrow streets full of cafes, hostels, restaurants, and bars. For dinner we dined at a nice Indian spot, not exactly your typical Ecuadorian cuisine, but delicious and vegetartian none the less.

We woke up very early the next day to meet up with our rafting tour guides, who unfortunately never showed. Not to worry though, we quickly rebounded after demanding for our money back and set off for the teleferiQo, Quito's sky tram. This tiny box connected to a cable brings you up 4100 meters in altitude to a breathtaking view of the city. We walked the short hike at the top feeling like morbidly obese people, fighting to breathe with each step (it literally was breathtaking) because of the little oxygen at the top. Feeling aquainted with NewTown, that afternoon we moved to the more colonial Old Town. Old town is a series of small cobblestone streets and magnificent old churches which people are permitted to dangerously climb to the top of for the best view. Of course we couldn't resist the temptation and got a beautiful view of Old Town from the top of the gothic Basillica del Voto Nacional built in 1926. Unfortunately we cannot upload photos at this time, but we included an online photo for visual effect (above). The view of the giant La Virgen de Quito statue on top of El Panecillo (below) looked quite ominous from our view at the top as a huge ligthening storm rolled in. Afterwards, we spent at least an hour wandering around in a rain storm in search of a highly recommended restaurant. Feeling defeated and soggy, we decided on a warm pizza joint- only to discover the next day that our intended destination was right next door to the pizza place, but closed for the evening.
After our first full night of sleep and showers, we felt refreshed and ready to hit the Old Town once more. The bright side of spending most of the evening wandering around a new city in a rainstorm is you know it very well the next day. On Sundays in Quito most people leave their cars behind and hit the streets on bicycles. It becomes a mass parade of bicycles, street performers, vendors, and live music in plazas around the city. After a glorious sunny day admiring the churches and architecture, we hopped a bus to Banos.

so long suckkaaas!

We are nervously counting down our last minutes on American soil squished in one chair together writing round 2 of the Kaurja McSon saga (clearly not concerned that we will get sick of each other). Bags packed, hostels booked (for Quito at least), and most current Jersey Shore episode watched; we're ready.
What is in store for Kaurja McSon you ask?

• rafting some class V rapids in Quito
• trekking the famous Inca Trail to Matchu Picchu
• spotting a jaguar in the Amazon
• mastering the art of salsa
• swimming with piranhas

admit it, you're jealous, but at least we've given you the chance to live vicariously through us.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy our adventure.