Recap Movie

Travel Diary

Thursday November 3

For my first day in Cusco I decided to take a stroll through the city. I saw the central church, the beautiful and sunny squares, the market, and did some small shopping. I also found a beautiful aquaduct that still was a reminder of the Spanish influence. In teh afternoon I went on a guided city tour, where we went a little deeper into the hidden corners of the city. I saw llamas and alpacas which I could pet, and got an excellent explanation about the Inca empire, kings, and palaces. The day ended in a storm which abruptly cut our tour short, after which I went for a nice dinner and evening walk.

Friday November 4

Today I decided to delve a little deeper into the city of Cusco. I started with a visit to the Temple of the Sun. This temple was the most important one in the whole Inca empire. Originally named Intikancha this temple was dedicated to Inti (the Inca Sun god). Most of the original temple was destroyed after the 16th-century war with the Spanish conquistadors, as settlers also took it apart to build their own churches and residences. Much of its stonework was used as the foundation for the seventeenth-century Santo Domingo Convent. Inside the current mix of the churches, a beautiful explanation could be found about the Inca way of looking at constellations. They did not connect stars to each other to form figures (as we currently do), but rather looked at the darker and lighter spots in the Milky way to form patterns and constellations. After this visit I continued my way to visit the statue of Pachacuti. He was the ninth Sapa Inca (before 1438 – 1471) of the Kingdom of Cusco. Singlehandedly he transformed this kingdom into the Inca Empire as we know it, which earned him is Quechua name of Pachacuti, meaning "reformer of the world" Most archaeologists believe that the famous Inca site of Machu Picchu was built as an estate for Pachacuti. After my long day of walking I decided to buy souvenirs for everyone at home and book myself a roundtrip for the next day.

Saturday November 5

Today I booked a tour to Moray and Salineras de Maras. I stepped on the organised bus tour early in the morning where we went on a 1.5h trip towards the salias de Maras. Halfway we stopped to have a look at te traditional art of weaving with Alpaca wool. Once at the Salineras, I got a guided tour that explained the history and importance of these Peruvian salt mines. After this stop, we continued our way towards Moray. This was an old Inca site that was used as a crop laboratory. The Incas made several layers in the earth, where each layer was one meter lower than the others. This made that with each step, the temperature was a bit higher. This allowed the Incas to study which crops needed which temperature and how they should construct their agricultural spaces in the larger cities (such as Machu Picchu). I returned to Cusco around 3 pm after which I went for a nice dinner, got a briefing about the upcoming Salkantay trek, and prepared my bag for the trip.

Sunday November 6

Today each one of us got an early start and was picked up from their respective hotel around 4:00 a.m. We traveled in a minivan with blankets. Most of us wished to sleep a little longer during the trip, but I got to know my roommate Rodrigo a bit better (to the amusement of the rest of the van who listened to every word we said). After two hours, we made a brief stop in Mollepata to enjoy an energizing breakfast. Then, we continued to Challacancha, the starting point of the trek. Before starting our adventure, we met the cooks and muleteers and checked our luggage one last time before heading out on the trail. We began with a moderate three-hour hike to Soraypampa (3,900 m / 12,795 ft), where we spent the first night. The first part of this section was relatively flat with a slight ascent through a deep glacier valley. We noticed that much of the trail followed a restored Inca water canal, which local farmers still use today. This trail was 7 km / 4.35 mi in total. Once in Soraypampa, we settled into our exclusive Sky Camp for the night. We had some time to rest after enjoying our first lunch around the mountains. After recharging our energy, we started hiking up to the beautiful Humantay Lake (4,200 m /13,780 ft) for our second hike of the day.

This round trip took three hours and covered a distance of 3 km / 1.86 miles. It was not far, but we had to take it easy at this altitude. Once we reached the lagoon, we had time to enjoy the fantastic scenery. There are not many places in the Andes as impressive as the turquoise waters glistening against the Humantay glacier. We truly felt like we were in a fairy tale. Upon returning to camp, we enjoyed a delicious and well-deserved dinner in the company of a beautiful sunset. Afterwards, we relaxed in our igloo at Sky Camp. From the glass roof, we enjoyed a night under the stars, constellations, and comets.

Monday November 7

In the morning, we woke up with the first rays of the day and saw the Apu Salkantay right in front of us, while enjoying an energizing coca tea for energy. Afterwards, we had a nutritious breakfast before embarking on the 7 km trek for approximately three hours to the highest point of the route, the Salkantay Pass (4,630 m / 15,190 ft). It was a difficult ascent along the "path of the 7 snakes", so-called because of its winding path. Once at the top, this made us appreciate even more the most magnificent view over the surrounding valleys, as well as the Salkantay mountain next to us (6,271 m/20,574 ft). It is the second-highest mountain in the Cusco region, considered Apus (Inca Gods). We were also be able to observe the mountains: Humantay, Tucarhuay, and Pumasillo. After enjoying the views and rest, we started descending (7 km / 4.35 mi) to our lunch point at Huayracmachay (3,850 m / 12,631 ft), from where we could enjoy fantastic views. This section of the trail was rocky, steep and had wonderful views of the valley. After a revitalizing lunch, we entered the edge of the rainforest, also known as "cloud forest". Along the way, we enjoyed a magical rainforest and witnessed how the environment changed rapidly and drastically from the Andes to the Amazon. A short break was also taken to play some mountain football, where we won from the opposing group with 2-1: Yay! We observed colorful landscapes, unique fauna, native plants and felt the climate become much warmer. After a long day of hiking, we were glad to arrive at Collpapampa for the night (some of us earlier than others due to their strict shower policy ;p). Finally, we had a hearty meal and some pisco sour before resting in our exclusive Mountain Sky View Domes.

Tuesday November 8

Today we started the day around 6:00 a.m. for hot tea and breakfast before leaving the camp. Then, we walked through the Santa Teresa valley until we reached our first destination, La Playa. During the tour, we took a more leisurely walk, with more downhills than uphills, as we immersed ourselves in the lush landscape of rivers, waterfalls, orchids and various plantations: banana, coffee and avocado. At La Playa, we enjoyed lunch before heading for an hour to Lucmabamba (2,000 m / 6,562 ft), where our campsite was located. In the afternoon, we had free time to explore the tropical surroundings and visit an organic coffee farm. This is the main agricultural industry in the jungle that exports products to the United States, Asia and all of Europe. After this experience, we went to the hot springs of Cocalmayo to take a comforting bath and relax after several days of hiking. We took a break and felt the tranquility of the surroundings. Later, we returned to Lucmabamba to spend the night in the Jungle Domes. We had a dinner with dancing, I found a massive brown spider in my dome (and switched domes), and I received the first round of reviewer comments for the Trapped Reentry paper.

Wednesday November 9

After a hearty breakfast, we hiked a bit of the original and world-famous Inca Trail. After climbing for two hours and enjoying fascinating views over the Santa Teresa valley, we arrived at Llactapata (2,700 m / 8,858 ft), an Inca archaeological site located in front of Machu Picchu. We were pleasantly surprised to see two beautiful horses here, with our first view of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu in the background. Llactapata is the first Inca complex we saw on the hike. Our guide explained the history of the Incas while standing within the original ruins of the settlement. Afterwards, we descended for an hour and a half and had the opportunity to see along the way the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, which encouraged our anticipation to make tomorrow more exciting. We stopped in Aobamba for lunch before continuing for half an hour to Hidroelectrica (1,800 m / 5,906 ft). One of the most impressive sights on this stretch was the 250-meter-high artificial waterfall that generates electricity for the entire city of Cusco. Once in Hidroelectrica, we hiked all the way to Aguas Calientes along the railroad track. There might have been one or two beers consumed... (Foguete nao tem re!). Once in the small town, we enjoyed dinner at an exclusive restaurant and spent the night in a comfortable hotel.

Thursday November 10

Today was the day we've been waiting for since we first set foot on the trail. We were finally going to visit one of the New 7 Wonders of the World: Machu Picchu! After going up to the Inca citadel by bus, I was split from the group (since I booked too late) and was sent up the Machu Picchu Mountain (3,000 m). An incredible amount of original Inca stairs all the way to the top. The view there was spectacular and you could see the astonishing might of the Inca empire and how they used and influenced the landscape around them. After coming down (took 3 hours) I enjoyed a private guided tour of approximately two hours to the incredible ancient Inca site to see temples, houses, palaces, and cultivated fields, among others. I was impressed by the intelligence of the Incas in terms of engineering work, which was far ahead of its time and remains a mystery in many respects. The Incas did not have the tools we use today, but they were still able to build and organize their community on the side of a mountain and even create a water system with aqueducts and canals.

I joined the group again for lunch in Aguas Calientes before boarding the train to Ollantaytambo. Private transportation then picked us up at the next station and took us back to our separate hotels in Cusco. Finally, I took a well-deserved rest; however, my heart will continue to beat to the rhythm of the Andes for many weeks, months, and years to come.