How to…. Cusco

How many times did I hear “Will you visit Machu Picchu?!” as a response to “I’m studying abroad in Peru”? Enough to question if anyone really knows me… There has to be some kind of misdemeanor devoted specifically to people who visit Peru and don’t make the trip to one of the 7 wonders of the world. I awaited this trip for a large part of my life… when the morning came that I would fly out to Cusco, it didn’t feel real. 

Though I typically like to begin my stories from the middle, jump around the timeline a bit and leave listeners absolutely confused… This story is rather important. So I will start closer to the beginning. 

Day 1. Cusco. 

If you’ve never been to Cusco before, it’s important to keep in mind the altitude… 11,000 ft (almost twice the altitude of Denver). About 50% of travelers experience altitude sickness in some shape during their first few days whether it be in their stomach, a headache, dizziness, etc. Never have I been more proud to be coming from the great state of Colorado… theres nothing like standing over a pile of altitude-sickened trekkers completely immune. Thank GOD for an acclimated body. All this being said, the “Day 1” Cusco advice is always to rest… which is why I was not incredibly active this day. 

The Plaza in Cusco is as charming as they come…. aged churches tower and line the edges of the square about a most impressive fountain. Native women sit in symmetry weaving tapestries and ponchos of alpaca fur under the intense sun. And at night… *dramatic sigh*… the lights on the hills dimly illuminated the city in a most majestic way. 

As for the cuisine…. I dined on the finest of cuy that afternoon… yes, cuy. We in the states call it guinea pig! Did I like it? Yes. Did I feel guilty for liking it? Slightly. Will walking into Petsmart ever be the same? Absolutely not. It had the taste of pork with the difficulty to eat of crab. Guinea pigs have so many bones.. they are all very intricate and tiny so it’s hard to find the meat. But as I sat there, sifting through little guinea pig ribs, I contemplated two beloved deceased family pets. Fuzzy and Cutie (Shut up! We were all girls!)… I remembered how they would play in one of those hamster balls, nibble on alfalfa and cuddle up into your hands. And there they lie…. dead on my plate…. eyes open… teeth mockingly poking out…. beneath my fork and knife. (Is “The Circle of Life” going through anyone else’s head?).

Day 2. Salkantay Trek Begins.

 I wish I could say that we all hopped the bus, introduced ourselves and became instant lifetime friends. But it was 4:20 in the morning. That happened six hours later. We started trekking around 9 am uphill for about three hours. This was the period of anxiously getting to know the strengths of our other group members… will we spend the trek waiting for them to catch up? Or be those guys… “hey.. wait up! not so fast!”? Our group all took turns as the weak link… my share of the pot came the last few days limping my way through the rainforest. But we will come back to this. 

We trekked for about 6 or 7 hours…. me and my Gandalfian staff.

Day 3. So. Hard.

At 5:30 am, we were awoken by our “chef” with a shake on our tents “coca tea? coca tea?”. The bitterness of waking up when it is still dark and freezing outside breaks even when you are handed a cup of steaming tea…. And we needed it. We spent 3-4 hours trekking steeply upward to the peak of Salkantay (about 15,000 ft).. It was the difficulty of a Colorado 14er plus the added weight of my pack. You know the feeling of reaching the top of a high peak? The thin air combined with the awe of beauty shorten your breath… Well, half of this happened. It was so foggy when I reached the top… it began to snow…. there was no view beyond five feet in front of you. Only the desperate will to flea from the cold. But we took a cool picture. 

Hiking downwards for 6 more hours took quite the toll on my knees and ankles. I remember finding myself completely alone for about an hour of the decent… Slightly afraid that I would lose my group permanently… Or not find my way at all. But then I remembered…. this is why I am here. To escape a city of 9 million people (Lima) and reconnect with myself.. with nature.. with the church. 

You see, there was something quite intriguing by the pagan culture. They clearly see God… a god… in the elements of sun, moon, water, earth, etc. An obviously innate human need to worship is present.. a humility in knowing that the suns warmth is a gift, as is the nourishment of water. We deserve none of it alone. However, as a Christian, I don’t see individual gods in each of the elements…. rather, they are cyclical… intertwined… one…. one God. 

Day 4. 

“Coca té coca té!” Oh! Time to get up…. Mom, why didn’t you discover this wake up tactic when I was a kid?! Guess what we did that day. More trekking. However, whereas we peaked a 15,000 foot mountain in the snow the day before, we were now limping (okay just me) through the jungle at high heat, lashing our arms about to fend off mosquitos. In addition, perhaps we were not made aware of the jungle’s inherent dangers from the get go… for example, we were told, only AFTER touching a three inch long, dead centipede, that it’s poison would kill you in one hour. That’s good to know. I just.. won’t touch any centipedes. Oh wait! I forgot to tell you (again) after touching thorny vines, that some vines contain poisonous thorns. But don’t worry! In that case, you would have five hours to live, not one. So what do I do when my friends or I are pricked?! “Alright guys! Give me five hours on the clock!” But maybe it was best not to warn us… In my experience, having possible dangers at the forefront of my mind makes everything seem fatal. Leaves are no longer leaves, but rather, poisonous monsters awaiting some ignorant gringo to use them as toilet paper… stray dogs are no longer cute and mistreated, but rather, rabies infested monsters looking to inflict their disease on anyone who wants to “play” with them. 

And that was day 4.

Just kidding… that evening, we visited termas (hot springs) near our campsite. This was the first resemblance of a shower for many of use… I can’t imagine the filth that still lingers in those natural waters. Later, we threw a dance party around the campfire. We had the most interesting combination of music I’ve heard since my middle school prom. I can’t imagine what the DJ was thinking… “I’ll start them off with a little bit of salsa, then pick a random song from my list of western-approved music” or “Yes, I do think it’s a good idea to play the YMCA three times”. The goofy music selections set the tone for a goofy night of celebrating new friendships and the light-hearted spirit of traveling. 

Day 5. 

Okay. Coca té is a great way to salute your morning… maybe a good stretch… but imagine this way of waking up: zipline. Mhmm yep. Soaring 200 feet above ground… in all kinds of positions… upside down, backwards, upside down backwards and superman. (Breakfast beforehand: not suggested). After a leisurely lunch, we continued our trek to Aguas Calientes (the town below Machu PIchhu – yes, we’re almost there!). 

Day 6. Machu Picchu. 

I want to say it was spiritual… breathtaking…. mystical. But for a place that truly is all of those things PLUS 2,500 tourists a day, you kind of end up breaking even. I enjoyed the solitude of my hiking.. maybe I was spoiled by it and unable to enjoy Machu Picchu because of all the clean-cut tourists who had definitely not done any work to get there. All that being said, I was still able to imagine the natives going about daily life, working on the walls, the fields, visiting the temples.. 

After, sneakily eaves dropping in the other tour groups, I gathered sufficient information about the ancient peoples and felt ready to leave. Goodbye Machu Picchu. 

I would like to conclude with a few helpful tips for your visit to Machu Picchu/Cusco: 

1. Give yourself ample time to adapt to the altitude (unless you’re from Colorado). Drink coca tea… it helps and no, it is not cocaine. Plus! It’s illegal in the US so you can get that giddy, rebellious feeling drinking it.
2. DONT let those native-dressed women with the adorable baby alpaca scam you. They DONT want you to have the photo for free and they DO have change for your 20 soles. 
3. Finally, (and this goes for all of Peru) if you see a price on something, don’t just accept it. Always always always try to barter… Though 1 sol (33 cents) is practically nothing in the US, a frugal mentality can save you money. I’ve been in Peru for about 3 months now and I’d guess that I’ve saved about $10 now! 

Signing off, 

Em