Travel Update: The Wonders of Peru

As I write this, Zach and I are sitting in a van driving to a town called Barreirinhas in northern Brazil. Our van just stopped for food and I bought this warm pastry thing filled with sausage and melted cheese. It was delicious and seemed like a cross between a croissant and a hot-pocket. It turns out that even knowing Spanish I still don’t understand Portuguese at all; some friendly Brazilian people around me helped me translate when I ordered. In fact getting in this van was kind of a gamble…this guy just approached us as we walked out of the airport and mumbled something that I thought faintly sounded like a slurred “Barreirinhas” and beckoned us to follow him to the van. I now know that we are indeed headed for the right place because I read the road signs.

Zach and I have explored the wonders of Peru since I last wrote here. As we headed south towards Cusco, we wandered the ruins of the massive mud fortress known as Chan Chan, braved altitude sickness and hiked to the pristinely blue Laguna 69 in Huaraz, ate at a top 10 restaurant in the world in Lima (blowing like half my travel budget in one go), and sand boarded down the massive sand dunes surrounding the oasis of Huacachina. We made it all the way to Cusco (only being held back when our bus caught fire in the middle of the highway at 1 am) and immediately embarked on the four-day journey of the Inca Trail as we approached our ultimate destination: Machu Picchu.

Although I am a seasoned hiker, the trail still tested me as we woke up at 4 am every morning to climb the steep stone stairs through the Andes (there are over 10,000 of them). I survived mostly because of coca leaves (illegal in most countries because they produce cocaine), timely altitude pills, and being in an impeccable group with excellent vibes all around. Our ages ranged from 19 to (I believe) 60, but we all connected amazingly as we struggled together through the sub-zero degree nights and precariously rocky trail. Having excellent guides, porters, and ridiculously good food prepared for us every day by our chef Maximo helped lol. 

When I arrived panting at the Sun Gate, I got my first magical glimpse of Machu Picchu down below—my second world wonder. There it sat, glowing faintly in the early morning light as the sun peeked over the surrounding mountains. Inca Trail hikers get unique access to the trail that comes over the mountains and get to approach the wonder from above. After approaching it bit by bit over the past four days, finally arriving and basking in its glow was quite the experience. Even after the majesty of the Taj Mahal, this did not disappoint. 

Zach and I have since left Peru and flew through the night into northern Brazil. We will travel in Brazil for almost two weeks—with our final destination being Rio where we plan to go hang gliding (like in “Rio”, the bird movie).

Huacachina Oasis

Laguna 69, Huaraz

Chan Chan, Trujillo

Inca Trail, Cusco