- Tuesday – Susan took me to DCA around noon for a 3 p.m. flight to ATL. The on-time flight landed in Atlanta at 5 p.m., where I transferred to the flight to Lima [map]. I landed in Lima around 11:30 P.M. Getting through the Lima airport (luggage retrieval, money exchange, and cab to Miraflores) was a breeze. I arrived at the Hotel Britania Miraflores around 1 A.M.
- Wednesday – After a late breakfast at the hotel, I returned to my room to unpack and relax, then walked to the ocean, and moseyed around Lima until the late afternoon. After cleaning up at the hotel, I walked down the street to La Tranquera (an Argentinian grill) for an early (huge) dinner. After dinner, I walked around Miraflores [map] for a few hours, then headed back to the hotel to check out the huge (not so hot) hot tub in my room. Bruce called to let me know that he had arrived at the hotel, and we made plans for breakfast the next morning and the food tour that Bruce had scheduled.
- Thursday – I met Bruce in the hotel dining room for breakfast, around 7:30. After breakfast, we returned to our rooms, then met again around 11 A.M to join Daniel from Food W.T. Peru for our walking/tasting tour of the Miraflores district. We tried a variety of dishes (seafood soup, ceviche, local fruits, etc.) and wrapped up at the Chocolate Museum. Daniel recommended a couple of places in the Barranco District for dinner; a seaside restaurant with a good sunset view, and a bar that Daniel said was the oldest in Lima (with great bread). After a brief rest at the hotel, Bruce and I walked along the ocean-side cliffs for about 90 minutes to the seaside restaurant (Javier’s) where we split a beef hearts appetizer (enough for dinner) and had a couple of beers. After sunset, we walked to the Barranco town square and visited the old bar (Juanito de Barranco), where we split a ham sandwich and a couple more beers. After a stroll around town, we caught a cab back to Miraflores.
- Friday – After breakfast, the Road Scholar group got together in a meeting room in the hotel for introductions and a discussion of the upcoming trip. In addition to Bruce, Mike, and me, the group included Susan Hollis and Randy Park from Saddlebrooke, Arizona, Mary and Peter Pawlick from Emmett, Idaho, Thomas Pritchett from Asheville, NC, and Claudia Swendseid and Clark Thurn from Stillwater, Minnesota. Our tour leader and guide was Eliacin (“Elias”) Palomino, a native of Peru. Elias went over the schedule for the next 11 days, and let us know that he would be evaluating everyone during the acclimation hikes to see if we were fit enough for the Inca Trail hike, which started on Day 6. After the meeting, we took a bus to a local restaurant (El Senorio de Sulco) for a cooking class and lunch. After lunch, we drove to downtown Lima, where we met a local tour guide (Sheila?) for a tour of the historical district. We visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, the Monastery of San Francisco, and walked around the city square. I bought a bag of coca leaves from a street vendor, in preparation for the acclimation hikes. We arrived back at the hotel in the late afternoon, and attended a somewhat dry and confusing lecture (“A Brief Introduction to Peru, Inca Culture, and History”) by a local professor. After the lecture, Bruce, Mike, Thomas, and I walked to a local restaurant for dinner. After returning to the hotel, I re-packed for the morning flight to Cusco [map].
- Up early to finish packing and grab a quick breakfast, then boarded the bus to the airport for our flight to Cusco. In Cusco, we loaded into the bus that would take us to the Sacred Valley. En route to the Sacred Valley, we stopped briefly to tour the Awanakancha Alpaca Center. In the Sacred Valley, we stopped for lunch at a Peruvian chicken restaurant, then traveled to the Ollantaytambo ruins [map]. We spent a few hours walking around the archaeological site, then re-boarded the bus for the trip to the hotel where we’d spend the next three nights (Posada Del Inca Yucay). We checked in to our rooms, rested for a while, and then re-convened for dinner in the hotel dining room.
- After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we took our bus up a long winding road into the high country above the Sacred Valley to Moray [map], the site of Inca circular terraces that were purportedly used as a laboratory for crop science. We hiked around the site for about an hour, then enjoyed an interesting lecture by Maywa Blanco (a university professor in Lima) on Andean crops and agriculture. After the lecture, we drove to the Salineras de Maras, where we observed the salt extraction process, then hiked downhill back to the Sacred Valley. On the trip back to our hotel, we stopped for lunch at a local buffet. The afternoon was free for resting and exploring Yucay. Dinner was at the hotel.
- After breakfast, we drove to Pisac (elevation approx. 11000 ft) [map], where we hiked around the ruins for an hour or so, then took a moderately long trail back to town. We had a box lunch during the hike. In town, we explored the market (I bought Susan’s earrings), then boarded the bus for the trip back to the hotel. Prior to dinner, the group met for a final briefing regarding the Inca Trail hike. We were given duffel bags for the items that our porters would carry, and scales to weigh the contents (limit 8 kg). Elias let us know that all of us were capable of completing the Inca Trail, in his opinion. Dinner was a buffet at the hotel.
- Early breakfast at the hotel, then boarded the bus to Piscacucho, stopping briefly, en route, in Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo, we visited the home of a family who were raising guinea pigs in their house, and then walked through the village. I withdrew some money from an ATM in town, but forgot to retrieve my card (which worried me for the next four days, with no way to reach my bank). In Piscacucho, we met the 20 porters who would accompany us on the Inca Trail, as well as an additional guide (Greco) and a Road Scholar photographer, who also joined us on the trail. We registered at the entrance station, then began the hike. The Day 1 hike went from Chillca (9000 ft) to the campsite at Huayllabamba (9678 ft), a distance of approximately 7.8 miles. En route, we stopped for a snack break near the Pallaqta viewpoint, then stopped for a sit-down lunch and an extended break. Our porters had raced ahead to the lunch spot, set up cooking tents, dining tents, and outhouse tents, and had lunch waiting (the pattern for the next two days, as well). After lunch, we continued the relatively easy hike to the campsite, which was located on a high meadow, near local farms and a church. During the night we were awakened by what sounded like fireworks or gunshots from a nearby celebration.
- Day 2 on the Inca Trail – Huayllabamba (9678 ft) to Pacamayo (10991 ft), over the Warmiwanuska Pass (13780 ft) – approx 5.5 miles
Day 2 was billed as the “tough day”, and it lived up to its reputation. The trail was continuously uphill (sometimes very steep) from Huayllabamba to the Warmiwanuska Pass (“Dead Woman Pass”) [map] and steeply downhill from there (over rough steps) to the 2nd night campsite at Pacamayo [map]. We got up early, greeted by one of the porters with a hot beverage, had breakfast, then hit the trail for the demanding trek. The first part of the trek was relatively easy, with the trail winding through tropical subalpine forest. After a brief rest stop at Ayapata, we started up the arduous path to Warmiwanuska Pass. By the time I approached the Pass, I was taking tiny steps and crossing back and forth across the trail to save energy and keep my heart rate and respiration manageable. We rested for a while at the Pass (where we spotted a condor flying overhead), then started the steep decline to our night two campsite at Pacamayo. The Pacamayo campsite (like all of the Inca Trail campsites) was a relatively large campground, intended for the hundreds of people who were permitted to hike the trail, day to day, but the campsites felt homey and uncrowded. We had a wonderful dinner, then I relaxed, listening to the frogs that lived in the stone wall behind my tent. - Day 3 on the Inca Trail – Pacamayo (10991 ft) to Phuyupatamarka (11975 ft) – approx 5 miles
Elias had described Day 3 as the “nicest day” on the Inca Trail, and, again, the day lived up to the description. The first part of the hike was a relatively tough grind to Runkurakay Pass [map], with a brief visit at the Runkuracay (“Egg Hut”) archaeological site. Near the pass, I re-aggravated the hamstring pull that I suffered a few months earlier, and the associated knee pain flared back up. Luckily, Mike had a knee brace in his pack, which I borrowed for the remainder of the trip. We rested for a while at the pass, then started the descent to Phuyupatamarka [map]. Much of the trail during this stretch was of original Inca construction, with impressively built cribbing on steep rock faces, meticulous paving, and tunnels carved through long stretches of stone. The trail was mostly under the canopy of tropical plants, and bromeliads and orchids hung into the path. The day was mostly cloudy, but we’d occasionally have stunning views of the snow-capped high Andes (> 20,000 ft) nearby. During the downhill trek, we stopped at the ruins of Sayacmarca, and had lunch at the Chaquicocha campsite. We arrived at the Phuyupatamarka campsite a little earlier than we anticipated. The campsite was on a high, open hill with spectacular views of the surrounding area and nearby peaks. After another wonderful dinner, I hiked around the campsite, photographing the sun setting over the high peaks surrounding us. The knee pain made sleeping in the confined mummy bag relatively painful, so I didn’t get much rest. - Day 4 on the Inca Trail – Phuyupatamarka (11975 ft) to Machu Picchu (7474 ft) – approx 7 miles
Our guides woke us before daybreak with coffee at our tents, then we convened for a brief hike to the nearby summit to watch the sun rise (with three llamas, who had also convened for the event). After sunrise, we enjoyed a big breakfast in the dining tent, then arranged our gear for the final day on the Inca Trail (the porters were leaving us after they broke down the tents and packed up). The trail to Machu Picchu [map] was mostly downhill. The day started off a little chilly and cloudy, but turned sunny and warm as we walked. The hike took us through the Phuyupatamarka, then to the Winay Wayna archaeological site. Because my knee was hurting, I opted out of climbing the long set of narrow steps to Winay Wayna, and joined the small continent of our group who opted to go directly to the Machu Picchu entrance station, where we had lunch. After a little less than an hour, the rest of the group arrived at the entrance station, and we continued our hike to Machu Picchu. The final piece of the Inca Trail skirted some steep cliffs, with outstanding views of the Urubamba River and the Sacred Valley. We climbed a very steep set of steps (I used my hands), and after another turn or two we were entering the Intipunku (Sun Gate). We celebrated at the Sun Gate for a while, with Elias breaking out a bottle of champagne that he used to douse those of us within spraying distance, then hiked down the trail to Machu Picchu, where we grabbed a bus to Aguas Calientes [map]. In town, we checked into our lodging for the night, the El Mapi Hotel. The first thing I did in my room was grab a hot shower, then I met the group in the bar for a couple pisco sours. Dinner was at the hotel. - After breakfast at the hotel, our group took the bus to Machu Picchu to tour the archaeological site. Elias gave us a guided tour for several hours, then we split off to investigate the ancient city on our own. The cloudy day turned rainy toward the end of the tour. We took a bus back downhill to the town, where we had a couple of hours for independent exploration, then met for lunch at a local restaurant (Indio Feliz). Pressed for time, we took our dessert with us to the train station for our trip to Ollantaytambo. We met our tour bus driver at the Ollantaytambo train station and drove for several hours back to Cusco. After driving through the highlands near the Sacred Valley as the sun was setting, we arrived in Cusco relatively late in the evening, and checked in at our hotel (the Sonesta Cusco). Mike, Thomas, Elias, and I walked a few blocks to a local pizza place for dinner (opting not to try the variety that Elias suggested that included mango, pineapple, and condensed milk), then headed back to the hotel.
- After breakfast at the hotel, Mike, Bruce, Thomas, and I explored the historic area of Cusco. We watched a large, military-style parade in the main square (including a brigade of women in short skirts and heels, marching on the cobblestone streets), then went to lunch at one of the restaurants that Elias had recommended (Pachapappa), which featured guinea pig. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to meet the group for a tour of the Saksaywaman Ruins and a walking tour of historic Cusco with Elias. After the tour, we returned to the hotel for a demonstration of traditional Peruvian musical instruments by Gustavo “Tito” Leon, the walked back to the town center for a farewell buffet dinner.
- Another breakfast at the hotel, then Bruce, Thomas and I headed out to visit the large churches (including the Cathedral Basilica) and museums (including the Casa Concha Museum) in the city square (Mike had come down with the intestinal problem that had plagued Bruce a few days earlier, prior to the Inca Trail, so he rested at the hotel). We had made a reservation at another recommended restaurant for lunch (Cicciolina) the day before, and met there around noon. After lunch, we visited a small chapel where I ran into Jim and Anne Hardebeck, who I had traveled with in September 2016 in northern Italy and Switzerland. About 4 p.m. we headed back to the hotel to meet the rest of our group for the flight to Lima. We arrived at the airport around 6, and arrived in Lima 7:30 p.m. We waited in the food court until about midnight, when we headed to the gates for our individual flights. I was flying Delta to Atlanta and then to Baltimore, where I arrived in the early afternoon.
Kerry Snow's Travel Blog (and other stuff)
