Peru
We arrived in Arequipa exhausted from our travels. Viewing the city through a groggy lens, we booked our trip to Colca Canyon, took a quick walk around the city center, and proceeded to pass out in preparation for another early morning.
Our 3:00 a.m. pick-up was right on time. Sleeping on the three hour drive proved difficult even for me, master sleeper, as the long and winding roads took us up to altitudes of 16,000 feet. It was as though my body thought it was dying; the second I would start dozing, my body would jolt up begging for a deep breath. After that jarring ride to Chivay, we warmly welcomed hot coffee and breakfast.
Before beginning our trek into the canyon, we made our way to Cruz del Condor, the perfect lookout point to catch a glimpse of the enormous birds. Unfortunately, they didn’t feel like flying much, but we gazed at the new scenery. This new country was everything we hoped it would be.
Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, we readied our packs for the descent. By the halfway point, I would have given anything for any semblance of an uphill. Knees inflamed, we held our steady rhythm to the base of the canyon.
Here we rested. The roar of the river and the view before us soothed our tired bodies. Soon, it was time to push forward across the bridge to our oasis for the evening.
A refreshing (read: cold) swim in the pool, and we fell into a deep sleep in our hut. 5:00 a.m. came quickly, and we began our climb out, headlamps leading the way. Nearly five miles of hiking while gaining a mile in elevation; the hike out was punishing. Half a mile from the top, I noticed a small, bright blue surprise waiting for me in the middle of the trail. Scott, far ahead of me, had scattered individually wrapped pieces of chocolate every 50 yards or so for me, all the way to the top. I'm one lucky woman to have found him.
We crawled over the edge of the canyon just before 8:00 a.m. and made our way to Cabanaconde. This small town is home to people with a rich culture closely connected to the land they inhabit. Their way of life is honorable and their history fascinating. Unfortunately, much of that culture now seems ostentatious due to the amount of tourists that come to the town. The local people display animals that would normally be left in their natural habitat, wear their nicest clothes to entice people into buying souvenirs, and charge to get their picture taken. Finding a balance between wanting to support this small community without supporting the exploitation of their culture was a struggle for both Scott and myself.
We slowly made our way back to Arequipa, stopping along the way at the top of the pass. Here, at 16,000 feet, merely walking around proved challenging as our bodies ached for more oxygen. Clouds rolled in, fields of grazing alpaca and llamas filled our view, and soon we were back in Arequipa.
We made reservations for a bus ride to Puno, the city nearest Lake Titicaca, and enjoyed the city of Arequipa for one more night.
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Lake Titicaca sits at 12,506 feet above sea level, marking it the highest navigable lake in the world. It’s prestige is well known internationally and because of this, it too is populated with tourists waiting to tour the islands of the lake. We were among this crowd and were quickly on a tour of our own.
A multitude of boats rattled against one another as we made our way through the maze to our tour company’s particular vessel. The floating islands of Uros were our first stop. These manmade islands are created using the abundant reeds that grow on the lake. As you step from the boat, it feels as though you are stepping onto some sort of sponge. They utilize the reeds for a variety of purposes, from the island they created to their houses to crafts they sell to tourists.
Again, we struggled with that feeling of exploiting the peoples’ way of life. Their culture is fascinating to learn about first hand, and yet there has to be another way to share and appreciate their culture other than flooding their homes with tourists multiple times a day. We were on a small island of fifteen inhabitants, looking into their homes and listening to their songs; outsiders looking in. We bought a few things from these people, almost out of guilt, as though we needed to repay them for letting us intrude on their daily life.
The natural island of Taquile was our last stop and was a sight to behold. This island belonged in the ocean, not on a lake. It seemed surreal, being on this island, slowly making our way up the hill to the town center, breathing hard due to the elevation (12,507 ft.). We enjoyed a hot meal and conversation with fellow tourists, trying our best to enjoy the beauty of the island without disturbing the local inhabitants.
This tour opened our eyes in terms of becoming more socially and environmentally responsible travellers. In the future, we hope to make more conscious decisions in exploring. Regardless, we were grateful for this experience and the knowledge it brought us for future ventures.
Onward we went, to our final destination, the land of the Incas: Cusco.
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We arrived in Cusco and found our favorite hostel of our entire trip: Pisko and Soul. This cozy hostel was just what we needed after a long night of travel. Situated in the San Blas area of Cusco, we were well within walking distance to many attractions and took advantage of our location on our days leading up to our trek to Machu Picchu.
The Plaza de Armas offered beautiful sights, from churches of the Spaniard conquest of Peru, to old, square, Incan architecture that still remains a mystery to modern day architects. We admired this historic city and were happy to go on a free walking tour to learn more about these magnificent buildings and the history associated with them.
This city seemed endless, especially on foot. Being able to explore it in this way left our options open. We were able to see the city and the life it encompassed clearly at an even pace. Cusco has surrounding areas that offer a rich history, like that of Machu Picchu, but there are also monuments and historic areas that can be explored right in the city: Saqsaywaman, Christo Blanco, and a plethora of churches. We oohed and ahhed to our heart’s content at these structures weathered from time, but not in majesty.
On the main square, young and old, locals and travelers gathered to watch performances, one after the other, of various cultural dances put on by students in Cusco. These dances were elaborate and well rehearsed. I was in heaven. Dance is the universal language. To see these dances up close and personal was a sight to behold, and I was extremely grateful to have experienced and shared that part of their culture with them in such an enriching way.
No time to linger, it was time to start our trek. Five days of constant hiking, covering somewhere around 40 miles and changing elevations reaching up to 15, 090 feet; Scott and I were hooked. Bodies aching, we kept going on this tedious trek without a second guess as to whether or not we would do the additional “optional” hikes. New beauties greeted us. Turquoise lagoons, peaks reaching into the sky, lush forests, cable car rides over a raging river, hot springs in paradise, and to end: Machu Picchu.
On this trek, we were lucky enough to meet Sylvan. Slow, steady, direct, motivating, and inspiring, Sylvan was proof that age is just a number. At age 60, Sylvan decided he wanted to become a runner. Undaunted by age or physical limitations, he soon was running ultramarathons through the mountains. Now 73, he works to help local farmers around the world utilize modern practices to help increase their yields each year. In his spare time, he is active in exploring the countries he visits. He made this trek seem like a walk in the park. He would finish each day at least a half an hour before us and would be in good spirits at the end of each day. Having met Sylvan, we felt a spark light within us both. To embody his physicality and mentality into our own lives would be our goal from here on out.
Machu Picchu was everything we hoped it would be. Magnificent, breathtaking, spectacular, and all the other adjectives used to describe the wonders of this world. Naturally, we were in awe of these ruins and the human race.
We climbed Wayna Picchu, and here we fully understood why this place is considered sacred. All around us the green mountains enveloped us, welcoming our presence. Above us, the sun shone brightly, and that sense of accomplishment flooded through our veins.
Our last few days abroad in Cusco were spent meandering around the city, eating delicious food, and checking out the local planetarium. We were pleasantly surprised by this small, family owned operation and highly recommend visiting if you find yourself in Cusco.
Scott was also found out the owner of Pisko and Soul was an avid mountain biker. Scott rented a bike on our last day and had an awesome afternoon of biking with Eduardo before we all enjoyed drinks and dinner at a rooftop restaurant. We listened to Eduardo talk of his traditions and interests, drank our beers, and couldn’t think of a better way to end our journey, overlooking the city light below.
Our adventure had come to an end, and we both committed to keep traveling. To keep exploring this vast world around us. Travel and adventure doesn’t mean you have to go to the ends of the earth. We are explorers, craving journeys that make our minds clear and our bodies tired. This can be accomplished anywhere, at any time. Excuses will pile up, one after the other, and it may not always be “convenient,” but your priorities create your goals and habits. Depending on what those are, your life will turn into what you make it.
In South America, we sorted out our priorities in life. We returned with new goals and aspirations at the ready. We didn’t know where we would be going next, but we knew one thing: we will go.