Machu Picchu

Photo of the Week: Machu Picchu

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IMG_3919Machu Picchu, Peru

Sometimes the journey teaches us about the destination, and in this case, it couldn’t be more true.  Walking the same path that was used by the ancient Inca in their pilgrimage to the top of Machu Picchu was surreal.  I learned to pause along the way and admire the quiet beauty of nature.  The days it took to reach Machu Picchu  were hard, pushed me to my limits, and made me appreciate this magnificent sight that much more.  On the fourth day, we woke up early to make it to the Sun Gate in time for sunrise.  Looking down at this sacred city with the sun light breaking through the clouds is an image I’ll never forget.

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

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Trip Report: Peru

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It’s hard to believe that it’s almost 2 months since our trip to South America.  Time flies! This trip report summarizes all the posts related to our trip to Peru and provide a break down of the cost.

  • Time Cost
    • Total Days In Peru: 8 day  –  1 days in Lima, 2 days in Cusco, 1 day in Sacred Valley, 4 days in the mountain
    • Total Days Off From Work: 4 days (we went over July 4th weekend).

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Travel Tips: What to Pack for the Inca Trek

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For our Inca Trek, we had a porter to help carry our stuff, however, there is a 6 kg weight limit on how much a porter is allowed to carry.  The limit includes the weight of the sleeping bag and air mattress, which will leave about 3 kg for personal stuff, and it all has to fit into a duffle bag. We had to balance between the weight limit and what we deemed absolutely necessary to bring for the whole trek. Anything extra would have to be carried in the day pack, but on the second day when you are climbing the steep mountain, you’ll be glad that you don’t have a 20 lbs bag on your back. Based on our experience, here are some tips on what to bring. This includes some of the tips that were given to us and some that we added from our experience.

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Peru: Machu Picchu

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Getting ready for the Inca trek

Finally, after all the preparation and anticipation, we made it to the day of the trek. Starting off from Ollantaytambo, we packed our bags, said goodbye to civilization and got on the bus taking us to the km marker 82, the official start of our Inca trail. As we wound our way along the Urubamba river, the bus driver was blasting music, pumping us up for the adventure ahead. Sitting at the back of the bus, staring out at the Andes mountains I contemplated if I really wanted to go through with it and if there was time to turn back when I heard the lyric “everything that kills me makes me feel alive”.  I think that’s a sign.

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Random Thoughts: Countdown

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Yikes!  Just saw my Inca Trail countdown goes from months to days…Need to step up my preparation. The UA Base 4.0 cold gear have arrived, I tried them on and they fit! Although, I have to say, they are not as warm as I thought they would be for something that’s advertised as “built to take on even the most brutal cold”. I hope I am wrong and these will hold up at night. I don’t look forward to freezing in my sleep.

Preparing for Our First Trek

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In one short month we will be embarking on our first ever trek to Machu Picchu. Fausto, of course wanted to do the 4 days hike on the Inca road, traversing the well-worn path that leads to the ancient city. I on the other hand have many misgivings. We don’t camp or hike or embrace nature in general (unless you count walking around Central Park on the weekend). We are definitely city folks, so this feels like going from beginners to experts to me.


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