Travel

In summer of 2015, myself and 2 schoolmates traveled through some parts of South and Central America as a post-grad trip for ~6 weeks. We went though Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Panama, then flew back home from Costa Rica.

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Our journey started in Lima, though the big Peruvian city was more of a warm-up travel introduction than the cultural experiences that lay ahead. After Lima, the Peru leg of the trip highlight destinations were Machu Picchu and Colca Canyon, and in between those we spent some time in Cusco.

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Machu Picchu is a must see. It is stunning, beautiful, and structurally amazing. To imagine that the Incans were able to build this glorious estate 500 years ago is mind boggling. Anyone thinking of going should go sooner than later and plan well ahead because it's very touristy and busy. We weren't able to do the famous Incan Trail to Machu Picchu because we started booking things only ~8 months prior to the trip. The trail is fully booked up for at least 10 months, maybe more, and it's only getting worse. Increasing restrictions on the 'New World Wonder' greatly limits the amount of people allowed on the mountain and trail. Wear and tear on the trail and ruins by people has been a major concern for the Peruvian government so the rules have been tightening.

We were fortunate enough to ascend Wayna Picchu which is the little mountain that towers over the famous ruins. I wasn't aware of this, but there's actually more ruins on top of Wayna Picchu which was the estate for the high priest.

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After Machu Picchu we spent some time in Cusco, a largish city that's full of Peruvian culture. Probably my favourite town of the trip, it was full of youth gambling, pickpocketing, coca tea, and delicious $0.75 street meat skewers.

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Next was Colca Canyon, a 3 day trek with a local guide. Luckily this guide was from a village that was an ~8 hour hike away, so on the 2nd day (the easy trek day) he took us fruit picking and to meet his friend's village nearby where we help collect firewood for a large family feast later that night. This might have been the highlight of the trip; a true Peruvian experience.

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Next stop, Puno on .. Lake Titicaca! I had altitude sickness and cold symptoms so I was bed ridden for a day and didn't do much. We were going to be spending a few days at 13,000ft so I took it easy. Here's a pic I snapped from the bus...

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Flights were expensive and scarce and there is no infrastructure for passenger trains except to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco. Buses worked out quite well; they were inexpensive, frequent, and comfortable. They're the only practical form of transportation but don't expect to sleep much on the bus. The winding mountainous roads will bash your head side to side, keep in mind that everyone drives like maniacs there too.