Peru
Peru was one of the wildest rides we've ever been on.
We went into this one a little less prepared than usual but still had a great time, saw some insane sights and, maybe should have thought about the altitude little more. So, we wanted to share some of our insights into the beautiful, the mystical, Peru.
Cusco
First off, bear in mind that we live at sea level in Santa Cruz, elev. 36ft, and we flew to Cusco, elev. 11,152 ft. While in Cusco we saw 300 year old Spanish Chapels resting on a foundation of 500 year old Inca Ruins with the slabs of rock resting so perfectly in place you can't slip a piece of paper between them.
We also got headaches, nausea and general loopy deliriousness. Lucky for us, coca leaves and tea are in ample supply in Cusco. If that didn't work, the pharmacy's carry Soroche pills that really put us back on our feet for a day of venturing forth.
Chinchero
We hiked with alpacas and experienced views of the sacred valley, our first air bnb experience and it blew our expectations out of the water. https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/444096
Reynaldo and his wife gave us a local experience as we herded a team of alpacas through the hills around the small village of Chinchero. They brought us a home-made lunch and taught us how alpaca wool is woven into clothing.
Machu Picchu
Hiking the classic Machu Picchu route was one of the coolest things we've done. Seeing how the Incas incorporated architecture with the mountain side was an incredible glimpse into the past.
Just be aware that it's a one way path through the ruins with no re-entry so don't go down the last path that leads to the exit until you're ready to leave. Even if you aren't officially out of the park yet, they won't let you turn around and go back inside.
We recommend getting off the bus at the museum on the way back to Aguascalientes. It's especially informative considering there are no signs at the ruins themselves. Entry is included in admission ticket to Machu Picchu but the museum was nearly empty when we went. You'll need to walk for about 30 minutes to get back into town.
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow mountain was a huge highlight of the trip. We climbed to 16,622 ft and brought plenty of coca leaves. The hike was beautiful the whole way and we learned that the area had been covered in snow two days earlier. Rainbow Mountain is a result of thousands of years of volcanic activity causing different colored layers of sand. As the crust of the earth cracked upwards, the layers were exposed, then covered with ice for thousands of years.
We'd read in a New York Times article that Rainbow Mountain wasn't completely visible until recent years when the glaciers that covered it melted. Now, instead of this issue being brought up by tour guides in discussion, it's an opportunity for tourism.
Whenever we learn about how tourism affects special places in the world, we get mixed emotions. We feel humbled to experience the wonder but guilty for being another pair of footsteps eroding the trails.
We loved the opportunity to travel to Peru. The jagged peaks of the Andes are a sight we won't forget. Every time we travel, we see more and more serious issues surrounding climate change and it inspires us more and more to make subtle shifts in our lifestyle to cut back on our carbon emissions and reduce our waste. Feeling that connection in the natural world inspires us to improve our own existence in it.
We went into this one a little less prepared than usual but still had a great time, saw some insane sights and, maybe should have thought about the altitude little more. So, we wanted to share some of our insights into the beautiful, the mystical, Peru.
Cusco
First off, bear in mind that we live at sea level in Santa Cruz, elev. 36ft, and we flew to Cusco, elev. 11,152 ft. While in Cusco we saw 300 year old Spanish Chapels resting on a foundation of 500 year old Inca Ruins with the slabs of rock resting so perfectly in place you can't slip a piece of paper between them.
We also got headaches, nausea and general loopy deliriousness. Lucky for us, coca leaves and tea are in ample supply in Cusco. If that didn't work, the pharmacy's carry Soroche pills that really put us back on our feet for a day of venturing forth.
Chinchero
We hiked with alpacas and experienced views of the sacred valley, our first air bnb experience and it blew our expectations out of the water. https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/444096
Reynaldo and his wife gave us a local experience as we herded a team of alpacas through the hills around the small village of Chinchero. They brought us a home-made lunch and taught us how alpaca wool is woven into clothing.
Machu Picchu
Hiking the classic Machu Picchu route was one of the coolest things we've done. Seeing how the Incas incorporated architecture with the mountain side was an incredible glimpse into the past.
Just be aware that it's a one way path through the ruins with no re-entry so don't go down the last path that leads to the exit until you're ready to leave. Even if you aren't officially out of the park yet, they won't let you turn around and go back inside.
We recommend getting off the bus at the museum on the way back to Aguascalientes. It's especially informative considering there are no signs at the ruins themselves. Entry is included in admission ticket to Machu Picchu but the museum was nearly empty when we went. You'll need to walk for about 30 minutes to get back into town.
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow mountain was a huge highlight of the trip. We climbed to 16,622 ft and brought plenty of coca leaves. The hike was beautiful the whole way and we learned that the area had been covered in snow two days earlier. Rainbow Mountain is a result of thousands of years of volcanic activity causing different colored layers of sand. As the crust of the earth cracked upwards, the layers were exposed, then covered with ice for thousands of years.
We'd read in a New York Times article that Rainbow Mountain wasn't completely visible until recent years when the glaciers that covered it melted. Now, instead of this issue being brought up by tour guides in discussion, it's an opportunity for tourism.
Whenever we learn about how tourism affects special places in the world, we get mixed emotions. We feel humbled to experience the wonder but guilty for being another pair of footsteps eroding the trails.
We loved the opportunity to travel to Peru. The jagged peaks of the Andes are a sight we won't forget. Every time we travel, we see more and more serious issues surrounding climate change and it inspires us more and more to make subtle shifts in our lifestyle to cut back on our carbon emissions and reduce our waste. Feeling that connection in the natural world inspires us to improve our own existence in it.
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