Take Care,
Phillip
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| Machu Picchu | ||||||||||||||||||||
| My friend Ben and I started our epic adventure by flying into Peru's former capital, Cusco, and were pleased with the people and culture we encountered. The locals were friendly and warm and most of them spoke some English, perhaps from all the tourism into Machu Picchu. We decided to hike into Machu Picchu via the 2 day Inca Trail which starts at Kilometer 104 (about a 6 mile hike) instead of bussing it in like all the other tourists. The first day we hiked to Winaywayna (translates to "forever young") and then ended at Machu Picchu. The second day was all exploring Machu Picchu with our guide. It's mandatory to get a guide when hiking on the Inca Trail, so we booked our trek through United Mice Guides. Our guide spoke English well and told us a lot about the Incas and Machu Picchu that made the experience well worth every dollar. After our tour, Ben and I decided to climb up Huayna Picchu, the neighboring mountain to Machu Picchu that offers a great view of the ruins. On the back side of the mountain is "The Temple of the Moon", but it's called "The Great Cave" in the trail description. Getting to the top of the peak was not a problem, getting to "The Temple of the Moon" was a bit slippery because it was such a steep downhill climb and getting back to the ruins was the "stair-stepper from hell!" The trek is not for the faint at heart because it is at 8,600 feet (Peru is 11,000 feet), which means there is less oxygen and a chance to get altitude sickness. Don't worry about sweating, it's always humid in the jungle and I was drenched with sweat before any of the micro-burst of rain hit me! Machu Picchu is so amazing that is has been nominated to become on of the new 7th Wonders of the World (www.n7w.com) The Inca Trail borders South America's Amazon Jungle and big insects can be seen along the way, so bring your insect repellant...I almost stepped on a large centipede (I took a picture of it) so watch your step too! I hope you enjoy the photos and make sure to put this place on your To Do List. Take Care, Phillip |
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| Machu Picchu in the fog | ||||||||||||||||||||
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