Summary

47.8 miles Finally got all the data off of the GPS, total disance walked (just on the trek, not including time in Cusco or Machu Picchu) was 47.8 miles. The map below shows the entire route, Blue tracks are walking, Green is driving, and Red is train. The tracks are clickable to get details about each segment (day) such as distance and elevation gain/loss.

This was an amazing trip, easily the best one we have been on so far. I think all that's left is to finish pulling the pictures off of the camera, and to starting planning the next vacation.

Winding down

Last full day in Cusco. Walked through a local market (very crazy, lots of animal parts everywhere) and explored the streets a bit more.

Had dinner at a wine bar our guide recommended and made Megan hang out in the cold while I took pictures of the main square at night.

Early checkout tomorrow, but a late flight so will probably hit up a museum or something to kill time. Not looking forward to the layover in Lima.

One year!

So I somehow managed to convince my Megan that getting up really early to
try and watch the sun come up was a good idea. Turns out I still can't see
a sunrise in the Andes, there are just too many mountains in the way.

We did get a very quiet walk through the ruins, as there weren't yet a lot
of people around. The skies to the south were clear enough that we could
see all the way back to the Salkantay mountain (where this whole mess
started).

Megan wanted to walk through some parts of the ruins that we had missed
yesterday and so we spent about an hour doing that.

After lunch we caught the train to Ollantaytambo. The engine was in the
middle which meant the front of the train was a huge window. I got a bunch
of video of the ride.

The train included snacks (fine), but also a creepy dancing person in a
lion mask (odd), and the staff put on a "fashion" show (including techno
Peruvian flute music) in the aisle to try and sell alpaca clothing. This
didn't make for a very relaxing ride.

After the train was a bus ride back to Cusco where we said our goodbyes to
the group and our guide Raul.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=-13.163835666666667,-72.545378

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu

And so we are almost done. Yesterday, after the Indiana Jones bridge,  we walked through the Machu Picchu hydroelectric plant (which I thought was really cool, but probably everyone else didn't enjoy) to get to the train station.

The train station was pretty energetic, with women running stalls right next to the tracks (and in some cases on the tracks) selling everything you might need.

The train ride was only a few miles  around Machu Picchu (following the river from west to east), but involved a fee switchbacks (wasn't aware trains could do that), and a lot of stops of attach and detach cars.

After a short walk from the train station to the hotel it was time for a quick shower (very dusty trail) and then to the bar for drinks (yay drinks, finally done with cipro) with our assistant guide Whillder before he left us to go back to Cusco.

The next day was a late(r) start (for everyone else, I was still up before 5). A (very) terrifying bus ride up ~2000 ft and we were at Machu Picchu. The morning was spent on a guided tour, then lunch, then the rest of the afternoon was time to explore on our own. Megan ans I walked to the sun gate (far, and not as cool up close), as well as to the Inca bridge (picture 2 logs over a 15 ft gap 8000 ft above the valley).

Tomorrow is an early start (trying to catch sunrise), and maybe climb huayna picchu (the mountain you see behind the city in most photos).

First view of Machu Picchu

You can't really see it in this picture but Machu Picchu is visible between the mountains.

Today started off early with a 7am kick off to a long climb. I think we went up around 2500ft to an Incan temple. The weather on the tropical side of the mountains is totally different to what we had felt on the dry side. The walk up was very humid (we were basically walking through the cloud layer in places) and I probably lost another 5 lbs in sweat.

We stopped for lunch at a rest stop run by a local family with a view of Machu Picchu. Except everything was covered in clouds. Or we were inside of the clouds. Not sure how you can tell. So some of the group played frisbee with the family's 3 year old son Miguel.

Eventually the clouds started to clear (or rise, or whatever it is clouds do so that you can see things) and we got our first view of the city. Granted, it was far away and a bit hard to see (the surrounding mountains and valleys were more impressive), but it justified dragging that stupid (heavy) telephoto lens all over this country.

After lunch (first food in 2 days!) it was a set of 94 (steep) switchbacks down into the valley to catch the train into Aguas Calientes. The down hill part was Megans least favorite (apparently she has poor balance), while I was loving it and basically ran down the mountain (or a barely controlled fall).

Once at the bottom we had to cross the Ahobamba river (which of course involved an Indiana Jones style wood bridge). Megan really didn't seem to find the humor in bouncing while crossing, which is unfortunate.

(Pictures should be a bit bigger now, in a hotel with internet that doesn't involve satellite dishes and tin cans connected by string)

Last lodge!

Woke up this morning feeling much better. Fever is gone and I had a bit of energy for the first time in days. I'm thinking the only way left for this country to kill me is a puma attack.

Today was a ~10 mile hike down through a tropical valley. Most of it was walking along side a river that eventually feeds the amazon.

We visited a small coffee plantation and saw how they hand roast the beans (the floor was also covered in guinea pigs - seems to be how kitchens in peru work).

It's much warmer (and more humid) on this side of the mountains. Tomorrow is our last day of hiking, thinking my feet and knees will be happy.

This country is trying to kill me!

So this post is a day late. Apparently after altitude sickness comes bacterial stomach problems. This made what should have been an easy 4 hour hike something like a death march. And I threw up on the side of some sacred mountain. So there's that off the bucket list.

Megan is, of course, perfectly fine. Well, she has a stupid sunburn, but I currently don't think that counts.

I basically spent all of the afternoon and night in bed alternating between sweating and chills. I missed the guinea pig roast, and of course Megan didn't try it.

Our guides were very helpful and filled me with all sorts of Peruvian drugs. I woke up without a fever, which was awesome. First time I've had energy in days.