Travel

Our trip to Machu Picchu

Jason and Kari at Machu Picchu

The views were absolutely amazing. The people were kind. The food never ceased to surprise us. And Cusco is a city of stunning beauty. But what we really went for was the trek. We hiked about 26.5 miles, up 7,000 feet, down 6,880 and over a 13,750 foot pass. And every step was worth it.

We arrive in Cusco (finally)

It was a long day of travel (late flights and missed flights) but we’re finally here. We were greeted at our hotel (el Balcon) with the traditional coca tea. We’re easily won over by this local custom, but it takes Kari a handful or so before she realizes she shouldn’t be eating the leaves, just More …

The Sacred Valley of the Incas

A bus tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas is on the agenda today. After a quick stop at a little market, we entered Pisac, a huge site with terraces, water ducts, ruins and best of all stunning views of the valley and the Urubamba River. It’s a Spanish creation built on top of More …

Our last full day in Cusco

Finally, the altitude isn’t bothering us at all today. We decided to spend our last full day here doing a walking tour (self-guided) of the ruins in and just around Cusco. We took a taxi to Puca Pucara (archeologists believe it was an Inca hunting lodge) thinking we’d hike back toward Cusco on a trail More …

The trek begins

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 More …