The Incan Excursion!

Incan Trail 

 

The famous Inca Trail is a four-day hike, which terminates at Machu Picchu, and is regarded by many as the highlight of their trip to Peru. This scenic trail is often more demanding than what many people are expecting, but also more rewarding. There are a couple of different starting points for the Inca Trail, but the traditional four-day hike begins at km 82 of the Cusco – Aguas Calientes rail line. From this point, the trail passes more than 30 Inca ruins and traverses through some spectacular scenery. The most difficult portion of the trail is the second day of the hike, with a climb of 1,200 meters in elevation gain and two high passes. If you plan to do these hikes you would have to make reservations on the days you are going. However, if you don’t feel like taking the four day hike there are multiple day or two day hikes that you can also take. I would have loved to take the four day hike but instead my cousins and I took the two day hike and it was still pretty hard. The reason why it was hard to hike was because of the altitude, you are at a such of a high altitude that you can get altitude sickness which means you begin to feel nausea, dizziness and and exhaustion. Which happened to me. Luckily the llamas that occopony thorugh the hike have backpacks that carry water, food and medicine for the sickness. THE LLAMAS SAVED ME. 

Machu Picchu 

Perched high upon a ridge, above the Urubamba River, the majestic Inca City of Machu Picchu is one of the most dramatic settings of a ruined city anywhere in the world. Almost as impressive as the ruins themselves is the spectacular backdrop of steep, lush, and often cloud-shrouded mountains. Standing near the caretaker’s hut, looking out over Machu Picchu, the jungle covered mountains, and the river far below, it is not hard to imagine why the Incas chose this place to build their city. I still cant imagine the Incas carrying large stone slabs all the way up the trail and then placing them correctly to create homes and pyramids. That is truly amazing. Moreover, The second craziest thing that has happened in my life, took place here. So while i was in Peru i met a guy named Clayton at a night club and we had so much in common that we became friends. I later found our that he is a famous youtuber that gets payed to travel all across Latin America and takes really amazing pictures and learns about all the different types of cultures. Anyways he ended up coming with us on the hike because he was also planning to come to Machu Picchu as well. Clayton loves soccer just like me and so when we reached the ruins we decided to play and little did we know the full effects of altitude sickness. We played for about 30 minutes and all of us were instantly super tired and we had trouble breathing regularly. I thought i was going to pass out and be taken away on a helicopter. Luckily we were okay but very surprised that it took a giant toll on us. It literally felt like i couldn’t breath.

 

Lake Titicaca

The sparkling blue water of Lake Titicaca is surrounded by rolling hills and traditional small villages, offering a mix of beautiful scenery and culture that sets it apart from other regions of the country. Sitting at 3,820 meters above sea level, Lake Titicaca is known for being the highest navigable lake in the world, but it is also an extraordinarily scenic area where visitors can relax and enjoy some tranquility. The train journey that my cousins and I took was from Cusco to Puno which is a 10-hour trip through rural Peru to the banks of Lake Titicaca that is considered one of the world’s great train journeys. The trip was so much fun, you can really feel at peace with all the nature around you, i enjoyed so much that i would do it again. As for my cousin he really didnt have the best time, he got motion sickness and couldnt stop throwing up. It was bad my mans was throwing up like every 10 minutes and my brother kept looking at him which made him throw up as well. It was pretty funny, he started a chain reaction and like another woman that was with us started throwing up as well. Other than that i really enjoyed the 10 hour trip. 

 

Nazca Lines

The mysterious Nazca lines are an unusual sight that will leave visitors with a sense of awe. These huge images on the desert floor were relatively undiscovered until planes flying over the area in the 1920s saw the lines from the air and realized they formed distinct patterns and images. Until that time there was some recognition of the hillside drawings near Nazca and Paracas, which can be seen from ground level. However, the huge drawings on the flat desert floor are so large that it requires an aerial view to be appreciated. From the air, it is possible to see 70 different plant and animal drawings as well as hundreds of lines and other geometrical shapes. Some of these lines stretch as long as 10 kilometers, and they are spread over hundreds of square kilometers. Most notable among the figures are a lizard measuring 180 meters long, a condor with a 130-meter wingspan, and several others that include a monkey, hummingbird, killer whale, and spider. 

 

 

Ica and the Sand Dunes at Huacachina

Ever been sand boarding?  If not, then make your first time in Peru. Huacachina can probably be best described as a blue-green laguna and a backdrop of huge sand dunes is a beautiful site. It is the definition of a tourist town and is worth a visit. Take a dune buggy ride up and down the dunes before getting out to sand board from top to bottom. It’s an awful lot of fun but getting back up is an effort! It is an easy trip from Lima to the closest big city of Ica and from here you can get to Nazca and Paracas which are other popular destinations. While they are beautiful to see, people come here to try out the sport of sandboarding. Similar to snowboarding, sandboarding is surfing down the sand dunes on specially made sand-boards, which can be rented in the area. For the less coordinated, renting dune buggies is another great way to get out and enjoy the landscape.

 

My next Blog will be on Colombia!