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Finally, the reason we’re here. We caught a bus at 6 a.m. to head to the start of the Inca trail at (KM 82). Our first day of walking was pretty easy, and for a second we even thought we might not have a hard time at all! We were wrong. But it was a great day where we saw great views of a snow-covered Mount Veronica and passed through a few villages. We were absolutely blown away at lunch and at every meal to come over the next four days. The food was truly gourmet. It was just amazing what they were able to pull off in the middle of the mountains. Every night when we got to camp we had tea time (loved the poppy corny!) before another fabulous dinner. Our chef was really amazing.

What we learned during day 1: First, how can you not be thrilled to be here? The scenery is truly amazing everywhere you turn. We love our guides (Saul and Jose) and everyone in our group. You lose your breath going uphill much faster than it seems you should.

We walked a little more than 8.5 miles today. We also saw our first Inca site, Llactapata, from above.