I wake up on a swaying night bus to Cuzco and open the curtain. For the first time, all I see are trees and greenery! My mood immediately improves and I already love the city. Cuzco has almost everything I expect from a city. It is beautiful, historic, full of churches, museums, coffee shops and finished houses. This is surprisingly unique in Peru, where most houses do not have a real roof and are only in their red brick shell phase so that the owners have to pay less tax.
The first two days I explore the city and plan the rest of my time in Cuzco. With some travellers I met in Arequipa, we plan to hike the Salkantay trail independently. I inquire at various tour agencies and we set a date to start. But before that, I want to visit Rainbow Mountain, at an altitude of 5,100 metres. After my altitude sickness in Huaraz, I want to be sure that I can handle the Salkantay Pass (4600 metres) and if I can climb this rainbow mountain, then the Salkantay should definitely be possible! The road to the mountain is difficult. It is not steep, but the altitude makes it a challenge. It feels like we are climbing a steep mountain when in fact we are only going up a small hill. The view is beautiful and the different minerals are very impressive. Then we climb further to the red valley, which I find slightly less beautiful. We stay at the top of the cliff and sit down. This was a mistake for me, and suddenly my stomach starts to churn. We walk down and by the time we are in the van, the contents of my stomach have already come out. The rest of the day I am extremely nauseous and have to vomit several times. I am afraid that I will not be able to walk the Salkantay and book myself on an Inca Jungle Trek, where we will all do adventurous things like mountain biking and rafting, and walk part of the original Inca trail.
After another day of rest, I head to the Humantay lagoon, the start of the Salkantay trek, at 4,200 metres. I really wanted to see this and I feel great during the walk! The view was beautiful and well deserved, my first time above 4000 metres without altitude sickness. I am a little disappointed that I jumped to conclusions after Rainbow Mountain and didn’t persevere and do the Salkantay. I hike the Inca Jungle trek, which was fun but with a small group. And the Salkantay trek kept haunting me; I wish I had done it… My last trip was to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, together with two friendly Italians. We saw many ruins, the most beautiful of which I thought was Ollaytatambo. The site is built against a ridge and from the archaeological site you can see other Inca structures on other mountains. We visited the salt mines of the Sacred Valley, which were formed when seawater was trapped between the mountain ranges during the shifting of the tectonic plates. No one knows how much salt remains, as mining began with the Incas. They will use the site as long as Pachamama continues to provide salt. The next day, I buy the last few things I need for the trek (leggings, shampoo, toilet paper) and get ready for adventure!
The Inka Jungle trek started with a surprise: I got into the car and discovered that there were only four of us! A cheerful Canadian couple, a quiet guy from Iran, and me. During the mountain biking, everything that could go wrong did: two rear tyres burst, a brake failed and there was a crash. In the end, we finished the ride with three people (including the guide) instead of five. In the afternoon, I was the only one brave enough to go rafting. We rafted down a tributary of the Amazon River, which is brown and the water is wild. Mountains shoot up from the banks, covered in green vegetation. We are currently in the high jungle, where there are fewer scary insects and more scary larger animals, such as panthers. But we didn’t spot any. 😉 The second day starts early with two shots of locally brewed spirits. Not drinking was not an option, as that would offend Pachamama (Mother Earth). We cheerfully walk up the big mountain of the Inca Trail. We stop occasionally for beautiful views and to buy water and snacks. At one of the stalls, we saw a little dog convulsing. He had been bitten by a nasty mosquito and would probably only live for a few more weeks. So sad and unfair… Mosquitoes are one of the biggest killers in the Amazon, and this was one I had never even heard of. We continue walking through rivers, forests, banana plantations and suspension bridges until we arrive at the thermal baths. I squeeze in a quick zipline and relax in the warm water. I squeeze in another quick zipline and relax in the warm water. On the last day, we walk along the train tracks from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes, the village of Machu Picchu. It is an 11 km hike (the day before was 22 km), but it feels longer than the day before. The route is beautiful, but a bit monotonous. It feels as if the train tracks will never end. Every now and then, a PeruRail train rushes by. Once in the village, we have lunch and sip just a little too much Pisco Sours, after which we have a cheerful afternoon of souvenir shopping. On the last morning, we take a bus to Machu Picchu. The bus ride only takes 20 minutes, but it saves us a steep climb of 1.5 to 2 hours. The site itself is beautiful, although I find the surrounding mountains even more breathtaking. After a beautiful sunny morning spent learning about the temples and irrigation systems, clouds roll over the mountain tops and into the site as we walk outside. I walk downhill and after 1.5 hours I am back in Aguas Calientes. I check into a new hostel and spend the afternoon with a cheerful New Zealander full of travel stories. She has been on the road for 2.5 years. On my last day in Aguas Calientes, I buy some postcards for home and take a panoramic train back to Cuzco. The views are beautiful, just like the sacred valley. I understand why the Incas chose this place; the mountains are close together and rise steeply. The valley is deep, narrow, flat and fertile. You would think that the gods live on the mountain tops.I make a plan to walk the Salkantay trek the next morning after all, and get ready for another early morning. However, my body is too tired, and I oversleep. I don’t feel like spending another four days here, because I also want to have enough time for Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. That evening, I decide to take a night bus to La Paz, and it is one of the best decisions I have made on this trip so far.
