Josh and I got to take a trip of a lifetime this month. Together with my brother Chad and his wife Brittney and my parents we took a trip to Peru to hike the Inca Trail! It was a trip planned by chad and Britt and they took care of all the details of the hike and camp for us. None of us knew what to expect but we went in with open eyes and adventurous spirits! The hike was a four day 3 night trip that would end up at Machu Picchu. We were all really excited about getting there and having this experience. One of the requirements for going on the hike was that we had to be in Peru at a high elevation at least 48 hours in advance to get acclimated to the altitude. Altitude sickness is not something to mess around with so they take a lot of precautions to make sure everyone that hikes is prepared for it. We opted to take the first few days that we were there to explore another part of Peru while we were also acclimating. So Josh, mom, dad and I took a multi-legged flight from Salt Lake to LA to Lima to Juliaca where we finally arrived to begin our tour of Peru. From Juliaca we took a car to the town of Puno that is right on Lake Titicaca, a very famous lake that straddles Peru and Bolivia. It is the highest navigable lake in the world and sits at 11,000 feet above sea level. We were so happy to be there once we finally made it to our house in Puno! It had been a long day and a half of traveling and we were tired.
As we drove into Puno we were greeted by this amazing rainbow that stretched across the whole town! It was gorgeous and we couldn’t resist jumping out to snap a quick picture of the view. In July Peru is right in the middle of its winter which was a change for us to switch from summer clothes to puff jackets and pants. But winter in Peru is also the dry season so we didn’t get as much rain as we could have in other months of the year. We stayed at a small house In Puno that was owned and run by the sweetest lady on the planet named Lucy. She welcomed us with open arms and had coca tea and bread all ready for us when we got there. We found out that the coca tea was to help with altitude sickness and we drank it wherever we went our whole trip! We grew to really love the stuff! We took that first evening and walked around the square and got something to eat (Josh ate guinea pig and I had alpaca lasagna!) but soon headed back home to crawl into bed.
Lucy helped us book a tour of the lake the next day and we were off first thing in the morning to head to the boat dock. We were going to take a tour of a small village of people that lived on floating islands made of reeds from the lake. When we got there we were greeted by these darling wonderful people who welcomed us into their village to show us around. They wore bright colored clothes and sang songs to us and also showed us all the crafts they make and how they keep their island afloat. It was a fascinating place and one that we loved visiting and seeing their culture. The kids joined us on the boats as they showed us around the small lagoon that housed all the floating islands and those kids were so adorable!! What a cool/unique place!
After the village of floating islands we got back on our boat and drove about an hour across the lake to a natural island called Tequile. It was inhabited by a different culture of people that had lived there for hundreds of years. These people were more of the traditional Spanish culture and wore Spanish looking clothes all day every day. There was no form of transportation on the island at all - no cars, bikes, scooters or motorized vehicles at all. It was a smallish island that had lots of farm plots with farm houses. We hiked to the top of the island and the people were there ready for us with a presentation of what their culture is all about. They showed us how the men knit and the women weave rugs, showed us the types of dances they do and talked about a traditional wedding and the rig rituals a new couple goes through to get married. It was really fascinating to see a culture live in the world but actually “live” so far out of the world. Very traditional and kind people on the island of Tequile. They made us a delicious lunch of trout and vegetables and we were sad to have to leave this beautiful place!
We got back to the mainland late in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day walking around the open markets and shopping a little bit but mostly just taking everything in and falling in love with the Peruvians and their way of life. We loved the tiny taxi cabs they had and thought they were so cute!!
The next day Josh and I got up early and caught a cab to church. We were anxious to get back to the “Latin” culture at church that we both love so much remembering how it was on our missions. We walked into the beautiful chapel and felt instantly at home! I played the piano in sacrament meeting and we both enjoyed listening to the talks and testimonies of the humble wonderful people of the ward. It was such a fun morning for us to be at church among the people.
We were leaving Puno that morning to fly to Cusco to meet up with chad and Britt so we had to say goodbye to our host Lucy who we had grown to love so much in our short time there. She was the sweetest lady and took such good care of us while we were in her home.
We jumped on a quick flight from juliaca to Cusco and found Chad and Britt who had gotten there the night before. We stayed in the heart of Cusco in an amazing little secluded house right in the middle of one of the many alleys that make up the city. The door to our house looked like a hobbit door we walked through and then it opened up into this cool courtyard where our house was. It was the perfect secluded spot but also right in the middle of the city! We spent a day and half touring around Cusco and seeing all the cool buildings and sites that are there. Cusco is a city with lots of history and was the center of the Incan empire in 1400-1500. So it was fun to get to know a few facts and see some of the old buildings and ruins. Plus we the really enjoying the Peruvian food and taking as much of that in as we could!!
Tuesday morning was the first day we started our hike. We got up early early and rode a bus for a couple of hours to the Inca trail head where we would begin our 27 mile trek through the Andes Mountains. We picked up our trail guide Barnabe and all our porters on the way. They would be carrying our food and tents for us up the trail and helping get camp set up. They were basically our tour guides and helped make our life easy in the mountains! We came to love them and appreciate their service to us so much! When we got off the bus to start our hike it was pouring rain. We knew that there was a chance of rain every day, but we weren't super excited that we were starting out in the rain. But we got our rain gear on and headed out anyway! Luckily for us it only rained for a short time that day and we had a beautiful day of hiking most of the way. Bernabe was such a great guide and taught us things along the trail and was super knowledgable about the Incan people and their culture. He is a descendent of the Incas and had studied and learned so much about their culture, rituals and religion that he passed along to us throughout the week. We loved having him as our source of knowledge.
I was continually amazed at the views that we saw and the different types of plants/vegetation along the trail. We hiked and climbed quite a distance and the elevation gain was pretty incredible. We felt really lucky to have trekking poles to help us, especially on the down slopes. My favorite part was seeing the Inca sites and ruins along the way and hearing from Bernabe about the cities and how the people used to live. They were a very industrious people and built some incredible cities, not to mention the trail that we hiked on that was also built by them. In all, there are more than 25,000 miles of the Inca trail throughout South America! It was pretty incredible to see.
We hiked long and hard but had lunch stops each day. Remember how I said we grew to love our porters? That's because we realized how important they were to our group along the trail. They would hike ahead of us with their 65 pound backpacks and get to the lunch spot to get food ready for us. And it wasn't just any food - it was full on 4 course meals with meat, salads, fruit, desserts and all. We felt very spoiled and so taken care of and we appreciated so much having good food to look forward to after hiking. How those guys did it day after day I will never know. They were simply amazing!
The second day of the hike is when we climbed the very highest and hiked the longest. It was a stretch for us to get done with it all, but we were slow and steady and we made it! We hiked to the very highest point that we would go that day to a place called Dead Woman's Pass at 13,779 feet. It was raining on and off most of that day and we eventually made it to snowy spots near the top of the pass. As we got to the top point and crossed over to the other side of the peak to head back down, we were hit with wind and rain that lasted the rest of the day. Needless to say by the time we made it to dinner and our camp spot that night, we were hungry, exhausted, cold and soaked. I don't think any of us could have gone another step if we had to. But again, our porters took care of everything for us and we had hot chocolate, coca tea and dinner waiting for us along with camp and all our tents set up when we got there. They were lifesavers and we could not have done it without them. We spent a cold night trying to get some sleep that night, but we were tired enough that we actually did. I bullied my way into Josh's sleeping bag that night because I could not get warm on my own. Somehow we managed to zip ourselves into one mummy bag for a few hours until I got warm. He is the best to let me take over his warm sleeping bag!
The third day we woke up to frost all over the camp, but clear skies and no rain. We were so excited that we could see out and not have clouds or rain covering our view and that we had a day of hiking in the sun ahead of us. This was my favorite day of hiking - partly because we had our hardest day behind us, partly because it was the shortest hike we would have, but mostly because the views from the top of those mountains we were on were breathtaking! I could not get over the fact that we were hiking in the Andes and could see as fast as we wanted and not another soul was in site. It was pretty incredible.
When we got to camp the afternoon of the third day we had a little down time to hang out and relax but we also visited one last Inca site that was not too far from our camp. It was by far our favorite one of the whole trip. It was a place called Winayhuayna and it was absolutely amazing. The terraces that they built and just the size of the whole thing was unbelievable. And as we were there that evening, listening and learning from Bernabe, the sun was setting on the mountains in front of us and it was something I will never forget. Just an incredible day to spend admiring the beauty that surrounded us.
That night we said farewell to our porters and they had made a special dinner and dessert for us. We still don't know how they managed to make us such delicious food in the middle of nowhere, but they did every meal and we loved every bit of it! We loved them so much and Josh was able to tell them (in Spanish) how we felt and how grateful we were for them. It was a really sweet night to be able to thank them and say goodbye.
The next morning, we left before dawn so that we could get to the Sun Gate that looked into Machu Picchu before the sun came up. We hiked with our head lamps and in the dark for the first couple of hours. But we finally did make it to the gate and were able to look down in Machu Picchu which was to be our final destination. By this time, we had loved our adventure so much and, though we were looking forward to showering and being home, we were all sad to be leaving the seclusion and being on our own behind. It had been pretty amazing to be without cellphone service, tv or cable, or anything that would distract us from what we were surrounded by. We could not have asked for a better trip.
We hiked the last couple miles down into Machu Picchu and it is a pretty spectacular place. It is a huge city and pretty cool to see and hear about all the history of that place. But Machu Picchu is also very accessible to lots of people and buses full of people were coming and going all day. After seeing so many awesome Incan ruins along the trail and having them basically to ourselves, we were not quite as impressed to be at Machu Picchu overrun by tourists! We did spend a couple hours there and met up with mom who had stayed back in Cusco while we hiked. It was great seeing her, but we soon were ready to head back home. We jumped on one of the buses and rode the hour or so down the mountain to Aguas Calientes. That was a fun little town to tool around in and do some last minute shopping before we caught the train back to Cusco. I can't believe how much we saw and did in those 4 days on the trail. It was one of the coolest and most unique things we have ever done. I'm so grateful that we got to have that experience. We fell in love with the Peruvian people and the way they live and treat others. The cities were clean and well kept and we loved the food! Everything about it was so great. Early the next morning we left for home. It's always great to be back after a vacation but also great to have so many incredible memories to keep!
