finding happiness in peru
A month ago I returned from what was quite possibly the best trip I’ve taken thus far in my life. The time I spent in and around Cusco, Peru featured everything I love about traveling: vibrant colors and culture, important historical meaning, beautiful architecture, delicious food, epic landscapes, unique experiences, lots of outdoor adventures, great company, and a photographer’s heaven. Have I convinced you yet on why you should visit Cusco?
At the start of this year, I was perusing social media and came across a friend’s Instagram stories of a trek she did in Peru called the Salkantay Trek. It was a 5-day trek through the Andes mountain range that took you from the outskirts of Cusco, over the Salkantay Pass, to Machu Picchu. It looked like such an epic trip that I immediately asked her about her experience, to which she replied with very positive comments. When I saw that the exact trek with the exact company (Salkantay Trekking) was only $550 for five days with lodging and food included, my jaw dropped. It seemed too good to be true. I had never been to Peru before, let alone South America in general. It looked like this was my chance.
I texted my friend Nicole about the idea and within one week, we had booked our flights, hostels for before and after the trek, and the trek itself. It was a pretty quick turnaround from learning of the trek’s existence to signing up, but the trip really spoke to me and I’m glad Nicole felt the same. And it’s no surprise to me that I had zero regrets then, and zero regrets now.
Our trip took place over ten days in the middle of April. April is known to be the tail-end of the rainy season in Peru, with mild temps, usually mid 70s during the day and low 50s at night. The weather during our trip was as expected and it was beautiful! Overall very sunny without being overly hot, with some sporadic rain (even some hail at one point) which I enjoyed just as much as the sun.
Our general itinerary was three days in Cusco, five days on the trek, and a day of travel on either end. Cusco was definitely a place we wanted to explore, but a major reason for staying in the city for three days before the trek was to acclimate. During the first two days of the trek we would be hiking from 12,000 ft. to 15,089 ft. so it was crucial that we spent a few days in Cusco (11,152 ft.) to help ourselves acclimate. I also brought along a prescription for Diamox (brand name for Acetazolamide) which helps speed up the acclimatization process. It didn’t make me fully immune to the effects of altitude (I wish), but I can confidently say that this medication helped me.
We flew midday on Friday out of Los Angeles, had an overnight layover in the Lima airport, and landed in Cusco early morning on Saturday. The flights were uneventful: movies, airplane meals, and roughly 10 hours in the air (8.5 hours to Lima, 1.5 hours to Cusco). Between Cusco and Los Angeles there’s only a two hour time difference but we were still pretty sleepy so when we landed in Cusco, we immediately routed ourselves to a coffee shop. Peru is known for producing great coffee so both Nicole and I were excited to drink our way through Cusco.
That first day in Cusco was spent drinking coffee, walking around, eating, shopping, and repeating. We walked 6 miles in and around Plaza de Armas, the historic center of Cusco. There were narrow streets, small tourist shops, and stray dogs everywhere we went. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the town square and for our second coffee of the day, we went to a place called Qura which ended up being my favorite coffee of the trip. Their coffee is organically grown in the Sacred Valley region of Cusco and is exclusively sold to Qura because the farmer’s son works there. I ended up bringing a bag of it home to LA and am sad that it’s now all been consumed.
I didn’t know much about Cusco prior to the trip. But I quickly grew to understand just how important Cusco was to the history of the Inca Empire and Peru as a whole. Learning of its importance made me even more thankful that we chose to visit this city.
Cusco was originally called Qosqo, which means “navel of the world” in the Quechua language. It served as the capital of both the Inca Empire and Peru until the Spanish took over in the 1530s and moved the capital to Lima because of its proximity to the coast. The Spanish changed the name Qosqo to Cuzco to make it easier to pronounce, and when Peru gained its independence in the 1820s, the name was changed to Cusco because oftentimes the letter z wasn’t pronounced. Beyond the name of the city, a lot of the landscape changed in Cusco due to the Spanish takeover. Sites were abandoned and left unfinished, agriculturally rich terraces went unused, and many sacred temples were torn down to make way for Spanish cathedrals.
Cathedral of Cusco
We ended up touring the main cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin (also known as the Cathedral of Cusco), on our first day in the city. The cathedral was built in place of the Inca temple Kiswarkancha. There were lots of paintings, gold decor, and fancy furniture. Like much of the architecture we saw in Cusco, it was a beautiful sight to behold. But I couldn’t help but feel a little off kilter, trying to find a balance between appreciating what the Spanish created while also acknowledging their purposeful erasure of the Inca culture.
That night, we stayed at the Tucan hostel, a few minutes walk away from the main square. We stayed there for three nights and it was lovely!
The next day we did a full day trip with Salkantay Trekking, the company we were doing the trek with in a few days. We did their “Super Sacred Valley of the Incas Tour” which took us to a bunch of different archeological sites that were significant to the Inca Empire. It was a jam packed day!
Our first stop (and my favorite of the day) was a visit to the Manos de la Comunidad animal sanctuary that is taken care of by over 300 families. We got to feed several types of llamas and alpacas, and see their relatives the vicuña (national animal of Peru) and the guanaco.
As someone interested in making things out of yarn, it was really cool to learn how the wool from these animals, namely alpacas because their wool is the softest, is dyed a variety of colors using various plants, bugs and fruits. Fun fact, you can tell real wool apart from synthetic because wool is cooler to the touch, softer, and the colors are more earthy/muted than the brighter synthetic colors available. We also got to see some women weaving table runners, which take a few months to make from start to finish. The intricacy of what they were doing made the task of crocheting (a new hobby of mine) look like a walk in the park. After learning all about the animals and the wool that comes from them, we then had the chance to buy woven pieces so Nicole and I both bought winter beanies made out of alpaca wool. They were a great staple to wear for the rest of the trip.
From there, our whirlwind tour continued to the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo where we saw terraces built into the hills. The terraces were built in such a way that it helped mitigate earthquakes, drain water, and provide lots of accessible farming space along the hillside. Temples were built at the top of the hills so that priests could be closer to the sun to worship.
Some temples were more unfinished than others, as the progress was interrupted by the Spanish invasion. But regardless, they were clearly an architectural feat. The temples were constructed using a ton of stone blocks but instead of being connected using mortar or cement, indentations were carved into the stones so that they fit perfectly together, like Legos. This ensured that there was no wiggle room, which was a necessity because of earthquake risks. Another feature of the temples was that the walls were built at an angle which helped make them more stable amidst earthquakes.
After a quick stop for lunch, we headed to our last two stops of the tour: the Moray terraces and the Maras Salt Mines. Because of the different depths of each of the terrace tiers at Moray, each tier experiences a difference in 1°C (33.8°F) temperature which allowed farmers to grow different types of crops at different temperatures despite being at such a high altitude, which was pretty neat to learn. Our guide also pointed out that the terraces also look like an avocado, which now I can’t unsee.
At the Maras Salt Mines, we had the opportunity to learn about how salt gets produced in the Sacred Valley. There’s a salt lake in the mountains that drains into the pools and as time goes on, the water evaporates, leaving only the salt to be harvested. It takes about a month for the salt in one pool to be fully ready to harvest. There were so many pools! That concluded day two of our time in Peru but we were really happy that we did this tour.
The next day was similar to the first day, drinking coffee, walking around, and sight-seeing. We started the day at Qura and then walked south and ended up doing a guided tour of Qorikancha. During the height of the Inca Empire, Qorikancha was a very important temple that sat in the center of Cusco. When the Spanish invaded, they tore down a lot of the temple’s structure and built a church in its place. But we were still able to see remnants of the stone walls from the Incas.
Pachacuti statue in Plaza de Armas
On this tour, we learned a lot about Pachacuti, one of the most important emperors of the Inca Empire. He transformed Cusco from a town to an empire, and is responsible for much of the Inca territorial expansion and the design of many of the temples and terraces we saw in the Sacred Valley, as well as initiating the build of Machu Picchu. As a testament to his importance to the Inca Empire, a statue of him can be seen in the center of the Plaza de Armas.
After our tour, we wandered back north to another coffee shop affectionately called the Llama Cafe then on to a chocolate museum. We also visited the Twelve Angled Stone which used to be part of an Inca palace.
Salkantay Trekking office
Later that evening, we had our pre-trek meeting with Salkantay Trekking. It was really exciting to finally meet the hikers and guide that we’d be with for the next five days. All the other hikers (8 others) were from the United States, with four of them actually living in Southern California like Nicole and I. They were also all couples which meant Nicole and I were the odd women out, but it was okay. Our guide, Carlos, walked us through our full itinerary with a lot of detailed information. It was really helpful and made me even more excited to start the trek. Even though the time exploring Cusco was really fun, this trek was what we came to Peru for most. And we were finally about to begin!
DAY 1 - TUESDAY - CUSCO TO SORAYPAMPA
We woke up bright and early for a 4 am pick-up and then it was a 2.25 hour drive to Mollepata where we had breakfast. Naturally, I slept the whole way. At breakfast, we started to get to know our fellow hikers. A lot of them worked in the health industry, some in sales and IT, and others in science journalism. We all had a wide variety of careers and past experiences, and all seemed to get along well so far. I already felt thankful for the group we were put with, and looked forward to getting to know them more over the next five days.
at the trailhead
After breakfast we drove another hour to the trailhead in Challacancha which sat at 12,067 feet. I felt nervous but excited, and most importantly, I felt that this was exactly where I was meant to be in the world at that moment in time. The presence I felt was such a wonderful feeling.
Our hike started with a moderate uphill section that instantly got all of us huffing and puffing because of the altitude. I thanked Diamox over and over in my head because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to do this section (nor the rest of the trip) without it. The hike was insanely beautiful! Along the way, our guide Carlos told us more about the Andes and showed us mint growing on the trail, which is good for relieving stomach aches and aiding in digestion. We also got to taste the famous coca leaves, a mild stimulant which gives you energy and helps deal with altitude sickness. It was a staple for farmers working long hours outside. Everywhere we went, people chewed on coca leaves. I personally wasn’t a big fan of chewing the leaves, but I loved the tea.
After a few miles of steady incline, the trail leveled off and took us into the area of Soraypampa where we’d be staying for the night at the Sky Camp. The igloos were incredible! I had always wanted to stay in glass igloos and this was such a cool place to do it. In addition to our group of 10 hikers, there were four other groups from the Salkantay Trekking company that were also doing the trek, so it was fun to share the campsite with them.
from left to right: Carlos (guide), Beltran (head chef), David (sous-chef), Luis (horseman)
We immediately went into our first official lunch of the trip and man did it exceed my expectations. Our chefs Beltran and David, with the help of the horseman Luis, prepared the most elaborate meal in the middle of the mountains, complete with appetizers and desserts. Going into the trip, I was a little nervous about being able to get enough sustenance because I had recently gone pescatarian. But I needn’t have worried because wow there were so many options, for both meat and non-meat eaters alike. My stomach didn’t know what to do with itself! I was surprised because I’m usually not a soup person but I’m a changed woman after this trip because the soups the chefs prepared were so good and one of my favorite parts of each meal. I’m pretty sure I overate during most meals of the trek.
We rested for a little after lunch and then came a big test of how we’d handle the combination of a steep (like really steep) incline plus high (like very high) altitude. We hiked from our campsite to Humantay Lake which is about one mile one-way. Our guide anticipated it’d take us about one hour to get up to the lake. As we started hiking, he quickly realized differently. That one mile took me two freaking hours to hike. It was crazy! We went from 12,861 ft. to 13,969 ft., so about 1,000 ft. of elevation gain. As someone who had never been above 12,000 ft., every step I took was a new accomplishment for me. But man was the air thin. I’d walk about 10 steps before I had to stop and catch my breath. I wasn’t dizzy, but I just couldn’t get as much oxygen into my system as my body wanted. Others faired better than me, but we definitely all felt the altitude. By the time we got up to the lake, I was so relieved and proud of myself, and also very cold. It was raining/hailing and kind of foggy. I spent about 5 minutes at the lake before quickly booking it down the trail toward the warm lodge that offered coziness and hot tea. That descent took me 30 minutes.
During dinner (again incredibly delicious), Carlos walked us through the next day’s agenda. It was going to be the big push to Salkantay Pass, and would be more strenuous than the hike to Humantay Lake. We’d have to go about 2,000 ft up over 4.4 miles, and we’d need to do it in about 4 hours in order to stay on schedule. Uhm, what! Carolos told us that if we wanted to, we could hire a mule to take us up to the Pass. For those that struggled with the Humantay Lake hike (like me), he strongly recommended we take a mule. My heart started to sink. I had envisioned myself being able to walk myself up to the Pass, and being able to say I hiked the full trek on my own two feet. Taking a mule felt like cheating. It felt like admitting I was weak. I was disappointed, frustrated at myself (“why can’t my body just do what I want it to do?”) and envious of others who could hike at high altitudes easier than I could. But given that it took me two hours to go one mile the day before, I knew that taking a mule was the right choice.
That night, I had to really fight my inner critic and try to turn all the negativity I was feeling into positives. It was hard. But the reality of it was, I knew I could hike up to the Pass but it would’ve taken me longer than four hours which wasn’t an option. There were others taking a mule so I’d have company and as a kid I loved riding horses when I got the chance, so I knew that I would enjoy the experience. I just had to change my mindset from “I have to ride this mule because I’m too (insert negative criticism here) to do otherwise” to “I’m choosing to ride this mule and it’s going to be a fun, unique adventure.” Yes, it wasn’t what I had pictured I’d be doing, but learning to be adaptable is what travel is all about right? And the mules seemed to be well taken care of by the horsemen so that also made me feel better. As the night came to a close, I felt more and more sure and more excited about my decision to ride a mule. I was proud of myself for not letting this change take a negative toll on my mindset.
Challacancha to Soraypampa (Sky Camp)
Elevation min: 12,067 ft. (trailhead)
Elevation max: 12,861 ft.
Campsite elevation: 12,795 ft.
Total Ascent: 897 ft.
Total Descent: 118 ft.
Distance: 4.63 miles
Duration: 3 hours, 7 minutes
Average pace: 40.5 min/mile
Soraypampa (Sky Camp) to Humantay Lake
Elevation min: 12,861 ft. (campsite)
Elevation max: 12,969 ft. (lake)
Total Ascent: 1,114 ft.
Total Descent: 1,091 ft.
Distance: 2.5 miles
Duration: 2.5 hours
Average pace: 2 hours/mile (up), 30 min/mile (down)
DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY - SORAYPAMPA TO COLLPAPAMPA
Mules are the offspring of a donkey and a horse. They get their athleticism and larger body from a horse, and intelligence and strength from a donkey, without as much of the stubbornness that donkeys possess. They are more sure-footed than horses, which is crucial on rocky terrain like in the Andes mountains. I was very thankful for their sure-footedness.
Riding the mules took us about 2 hours to go up the 4.4 miles to Salkantay Pass, with roughly 2,228 ft. of elevation gain. It was so much fun to ride a mule! It gave me a chance to not worry about breathing, and just take in the scenery and the experience. We crossed streams, went up narrow switchbacks, through valleys and across lots of rocky terrain. The more hikers we saw struggling, the more I was happy about my decision to ride a mule. We were guided up the trail by, funny enough, another Carlos. The mule I rode was Lucho. He loved being in front, walking right next to the cliffside, and hated going in the water. He was a cutie.
Mid-morning we made it to Salkantay Pass. It was breathtaking, literally and figuratively. The sun was out, the mountain peaks were visible, we had snacks and tea. It was a perfect morning. When the few hikers from our group came into view, we cheered them on and shared stories about our different experiences. Then Carlos gave us Salkantay Trekking shirts and we celebrated being at the highest point on the trek.
From there, it was all downhill. Literally. In about three miles alone, we dropped 2,013 ft. It was really cool to witness the landscape change from rugged, rocky mountain terrain to a lush, green cloud forest and the temperature go from dry and cold to humid and hot. I love hikes where I get to experience all sorts of terrain and climates, and this trip had it all. After lunch we continued descending another 3,330 ft. over the course of 6.86 miles.
As the elevation decreased, our moods and hiking speed increased. We rolled into our next camp, Mountain View, around dusk and I was mesmerized. It was the most beautiful lodging I had ever seen, even more so than the igloos we stayed in the night before. The foggy vibes, warm lights, and dark blue sky made it look even more magical and also made it a great photography moment.
I have a lot of experience camping, but I had never really gone “glamping” (glamorous camping) before. If I had to pick one place to experience ultimate glamping, Mountain View is it. The rooms are perched on a hillside overlooking the mountains with huge glass windows so the view is incredible, and we took hot showers (!!) and had electricity and WiFi. After such a long day, it was really nice to finally stop walking. My feet hurt a lot from hiking downhill so much on rocky trails.
Our group was in really high spirits by the time the day was over that we coined ourselves Team Happy Face. And what a happy team we were.
Soraypampa (Sky Camp) to Salkantay Pass (via mule)
Elevation min: 12,861 ft. (campsite)
Elevation max: 15,089 ft. (the Pass)
Total Ascent: 2,228 ft.
Total Descent: 76 ft.
Distance: 4.4 miles
Duration: 2 hours, 7 minutes
Average pace: 2.15 miles/hour
Salkantay Pass to Collpapampa (Mountain View Camp)
Elevation min: 9,461 ft.
Elevation max: 15,089 ft. (the Pass)
Campsite elevation: 9,678 ft.
Total Ascent: 305 ft.
Total Descent: 5,343 ft.
Distance: 9.69 miles
Duration: 5.5 hours
Average pace: 34 min/mile
DAY 3 - THURSDAY - COLLPAPAMPA TO LUCMABAMBA
We had a 5:30 am wake up call instead of 4:30 am! Living in luxury. It gave us a lot of time to explore our cozy abode in the daylight.
Day three featured another long descent through the cloud forest. But this time, instead of rocky trails, we walked on a dirt road for most of the time so it was very chill which I was thankful for because my legs were so stiff and sore from all the downhill hiking the day before. The only obstacles we faced were two landslides we had to cross. With all the rain this year, parts of the hills had washed away. Crews were actively working to repair the roads and in the meantime, there were some sections where we had to cross a narrow pathway on top of the landslide. The person in charge of regulating safety for each landslide would signal us when it was safe for us to hurriedly walk across the landslide. It was kind of freaky. The horsemen and mules had to also cross the same way we did which was insane to see.
After we crossed the landslides it was smooth sailing from there on out. I listened to an audiobook (Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, very great book!) and zoned out, just enjoying the nice long walk that was in front of us.
We made two pit-stops along the way. The first was to a fruit stand that sold sweet passion fruit. It was the grossest looking yet most tasty fruit I’d ever had. The second pit-stop was to a coffee farm called Café Canela. We learned about the coffee making process and got to try our hand at making some (we over-roasted it). I walked away with another bag of coffee and am now almost out of that too sadly.
Around lunchtime we got to the Jungle Domes where we’d be staying. The domes were like a jungle version of the Sky Camp igloos. For the rest of the afternoon, while some went off to a nearby hot spring or rested in their domes, I stayed in the dining area and stretched and listened to my audiobook. By that time, I had so many blisters forming on my feet and was so stiff that it was hard to walk so I really, really needed a good stretch. I also shared some beers with Katie and Mike and had a chance to talk with two travelers from another hiking group that were from Australia. As the rain started to pour in and nighttime was upon us, I drank tea and played rummy with some of my group. It was a perfect afternoon of relaxation and downtime which is just what my mind and body needed. And the dinner was awesome! Our chefs went all out for it.
Collpapampa (Mountain View Camp) to Lucmabamba (Jungle Domes Camp)
Elevation min: 6,752 ft.
Elevation max: 9,678 ft.
Campsite elevation: 6,562 ft.
Total Ascent: 285 ft.
Total Descent: 2,991 ft.
Distance: 11 miles
Duration: 4.5 hours
Average pace: 24 min/mile
DAY 4 - FRIDAY - LUCMABAMBA TO AGUAS CALIENTES
Waking up, my legs felt worse than yesterday morning but better than yesterday evening so I take that as a win. We were supposed to start our day by hiking 9 miles to the Llactapata Pass and ruins (2,624 ft. of elevation gain), and then on to the Hidroeléctrica station where we’d walk another 6.8 miles along train tracks to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. But because of all the rain the day before, it was unsafe to hike up to Llactapata Pass so we had to take a 2.5 hour van ride to Hidroeléctrica. We were all bummed we we’re going to be able to see Llactapata but given how sore my legs were and given that I had already seen some ruins in the Sacred Valley, I was ultimately okay with the van ride.
The 6.8 miles along the train tracks was a fun, easy walk. The Urubamba river gushed by us and we were surrounded by super green trees. As we got closer to Aguas Calientes, we started to get glimpses of Machu Picchu from the backside high up on the mountain tops which was super exciting. We were almost there!
We even got to see the national bird of Peru, the Andean Cock-Of-the-Rock (yes it’s really called that), also known as the tunki in Quechua, which is pretty rare to see in the wild.
We got to Aguas Calientes around 1:30 pm. Another perk of not going to Llactapata Pass was that we now had an afternoon to explore Aguas Calientes which I ended up loving. We visited a few coffee shops (note to self: drinking two right in a row in the afternoon on an empty stomach is not a good idea), explored the shops, and played more rummy.
At dinner, Carlos gave us certificates that celebrated our completion of the Salkantay Trek. We laughed, ate delicious food, and reminisced about all the fun we had on the trek. That night, we stayed at the Royal Inti Hotel and after so many days of sweat and grime, it was nice to be in a hotel and be back in civilization.
Lucmabamba (Jungle Domes Camp) to Hidroeléctrica station (via van)
Duration: 2.5 hour van ride
Hidroeléctrica station to Aguas Calientes
Elevation min: 6,055 ft.
Elevation max: 7,125 ft.
Town elevation: 6,692 ft.
Total Ascent: 1,056 ft.
Total Descent: 60 ft.
Distance: 6.81 miles
Duration: 2 hours, 50 minutes
Average pace: 25 min/mile
DAY 5 - SATURDAY - MACHU PICCHU
Our last day of the trek and the culmination of everything we’d experienced thus far.
Carlos showing us what we were supposed to see out there vs. what we actually saw
Bright and early, we took a 30 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu and entered the ruins around 6 am on Circuit 2 (there were a few walking circuits that you could pick from). It was really foggy at the popular “postcard” viewpoint but Carlos encouraged us to wait it out. After about two hours, the fog finally started to clear and it was an incredible sight to behold. I had seen pictures of Machu Picchu, even pictures from the very spot I was in, but seeing everything in real life meant so much more than seeing pictures on the internet. What made it even more meaningful was the fact that we had hiked from Cusco rather than riding a train like most people do. We worked our butts off to see that view.
After taking some photos, we continued onward. Carlos spent the next 2 hours sharing the history of Machu Picchu. It was really special to be given a tour by the guy who had spent the past four days guiding us through the Andes mountains. We learned about why Machu Picchu was intentionally built where it was built: there are sacred mountains and water sources all around, there was a stone quarry right there (unlike a lot of other temple sites), and the area is in between the highlands and the jungle which aided in their ambitions to conquer the jungle for its resources. Being on a mountain also meant being closer to the gods in the sky.
image of the vegetation hiding Machu Picchu
The site took about 90 years to build and at its peak, there were roughly 180 buildings and about 500-700 people lived there. It served as the last religious town along the Inca Trail and likely housed nobility. No one really knows why the citadel was abandoned but the most common theories are that people just simply moved away or started getting sick and left. But either way, it was never found by the Spanish which is one of the reasons why it’s the most preserved of the larger Inca ruin sites. For 380 years, Machu Picchu lay undiscovered, hiding in thick vegetation until it was discovered by local farmers.
We saw both farming and urban areas of the Machu Picchu citadel, rooms where things were offered to the gods, and sacred areas referencing the importance of the condor (represents the upper world), the puma (our world), and the snake (the underworld). For some of the rooms, Carlos had pictures of what they looked like back in the day which was really cool to see. It’s no wonder why Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Fun fact: the list is called the “New” Seven Wonders of the World because in 2000, a campaign was launched to determine a new list of seven wonders, given that the original list (often now referred to as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) was created back in 2nd Century BCE and the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one from that list still standing. Millions of votes were cast to determine the new list and in 2007, the New Seven Wonders of the World was created. In addition to Machu Picchu, this newer list includes the Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Petra in Jordan, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Taj Mahal in India.
At the end of the tour, we boarded the bus back to Aguas Calientes where I had some incredibly delicious pasta and one last Peruvian beer. Then we spent the next 5 hours taking a train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and then a van to Cusco. The moment we’d all been dreading had come. It was time to say goodbye to the group and goodbye to an incredible trek. Over five days, I had the thrill of a lifetime getting to know my fellow hikers and our guide Carlos, and getting to share the whole experience with my friend Nicole. Team Happy Face felt like a little family and it was hard to say goodbye. Later that night, we ended up meeting up with some of the team for one last meal, and then we stayed at the Samay Wasi hostel in the San Blas district.
We boarded a flight early Sunday morning to Lima and then on to Los Angeles. The four who were also from Southern California were on our same two flights which was a fun surprise. We landed in Los Angeles late that night and by that time, I was pretty exhausted from traveling so it was nice to go back to my apartment. It felt good to be home, but I was already missing the trip and the people. Even a month later, I still do.
Looking back on the trip, I really understand how much I needed a trip like this one. Leading up to it, I was really lacking self-confidence and energy for life. This trip was a breath of fresh air and a warm ray of light to break up all of my dark clouds. After the trip I felt reinvigorated and more confident. The trip reminded me why I love traveling so much, made me feel like a badass woman, and also reawakened my passion for photography. It showed me that I’m capable of reaching higher altitudes (maybe now I can finally hike a classic Colorado 14er like I’ve always wanted to) and capable of staying in the moment while traveling. The happiness and presence I felt on this trip was unlike anything I had experienced. The trip was everything I needed and wanted, and so much more. I’m so grateful to Nicole, Katie, Mike, Gina, Max, Navya, Nikhil, Dee, Dave, Carlos, Beltran, David, Luis, and Salkantay Trekking for making the whole experience so insanely wonderful. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.
When can I go back?
