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