Peru, Part 3

I was feeling a little overwhelmed by Lima, so I decided to travel elsewhere in the country. And what better place to go to than Cusco, a city that was once the capital of the mighty Inca empire. Getting to Cusco is quite easy — if you travel by plane, of course. I wasn’t able to get a cheap flight in such short notice, but at least it was fast, and most importantly comfortable.

It was still before noon when I got to Cusco, which meant I had plenty of time for the Inca Trail hike, something I had wanted to do for a long time. There were about 10 of us there, a nice little group. And there were also couple of llamas accompanying us as well, they were so cool. During the hike, we could see the evidence of Inca civilization, and really appreciate what a great empire this used to be. It always amazes me, seeing something this old, considering that in my home town the oldest building is barely 150 years old. This is an activity I would most certainly recommend, but it’s not for everyone; you have to be in a decent physical condition, otherwise, you’ll get tired very easily climbing all those steps.

At some point it seemed like we were going to get lost, but thankfully our guide knew what she was doing. I actually tried that truck gps app on my phone, and surprisingly it worked. It wasn’t the most precise, but it’s good to know it kind of works outside trucks as well.

It was getting dark and I was feeling exhausted. Luckily, the hotel, which I had meticulously booked a month in advance, wasn’t very far, so I could just walk to it. It wasn’t the cheapest hotel, but the staff was so friendly and helpful that I really enjoyed my whole stay there. And they give you complimentary chocolates! Now, that’s what I call good service!

Of course, a visit to Peru wouldn’t be complete without seeing Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca site, located some 50 miles northwest of Cusco. As I was expecting, there were a lot of tourists there, but I guess that’s a pretty normal situation for this type of site. It’s certainly one of the most popular sites in the world, arguably even more so after it was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

Again, I was impressed by the ruins which tell a story of the once mighty Inca Empire. I still can’t wrap my head around the technology they used to build all those structures. After all those years, it’s still standing there, and to have such an opportunity to see it in person….that’s priceless. I felt like I could stand there for days, admiring the structures, but alas, it was time to go home. It had been exciting 10 days, filled with adventure and exploring, and learning about history. This is one of those things I will remember for the rest of my life.