Patagonia!!! But First… Peru!!!

Patagonia has been on my list ever since there was a list. It was supposed to be a trip for my 40th birthday but then round trip flights became over $2,000 in peak season and it is really, really far down there. One (of the many) benefits to taking a year off to travel is the ability to work your way towards a place in a more cost efficient process. Cutting down on expensive flights, going out of peak season, traveling to the cheapest hub then taking a bus or train, and staying in hostels can really stretch your budget a long ways. There are always ways to save money here and there (especially with food) but you should absolutely splurge on the things you want to do in the process. Patagonia is one of those splurges for me.

(above) Swanky $18 a night hostel with an amazing breakfast of avocado toast, a juice and a tea included in the price. Cozy beds, laid back vibe but they played acoustic covers on repeat all day which Kieren wasn’t keen on. A friend of ours tried to save about $8 per night at a different hostel and came back a day later as they didn’t have a working shower.

I had already dabbled in South America with my first ever international trip being to Aruba and then chaperoning a spring break trip with high school students to Peru in 2019. This time around was more of an adventure to dig deeper. After a few long flights and some jet lag, I landed in Cusco and checked into a swanky hostel that was around $18 a night for a bed including a fancy breakfast. Later that evening a familiar face with curly hair and the unmistakable australian accent strolled through the door. Kieren had been bouncing around Peru on his first time visiting the America’s. Previously we have explored Spain, Portugal, Austria, and Germany together.

(above) Getting acclimated to life in Cusco. It is recommended 2-3 days to adjust to the altitude. Peru also has coca leaves to chew (pre-processed cocaine essentially) that helps with altitude sickness. Just don’t try to take them with you as it is illegal to export them. It can also be drank as a coca tea or as a candy. And there are also tablets you can take which I did since I was coming from sea level and going above 16,000 feet.

Kieren had already been exploring Cusco and surrounding areas prior to my arrival and had locked in a 5 day trek with a local small travel agency. Kieren is the master of finding deals and this was a prime example. The Salkantay Trek he found was $180. With it being on the verge of the end of the peak season, they lumped us into the bigger company groups with the exact same trip, those companies cost $400 -$700 for the exact same experience. I had to spend a few days acclimating to the altitude in Cusco before we started the trek so we explored the city. Cusco is 11,152 feet above sea level and the Salkantay Trek reaches heights of 15,190 feet. The main square had a peaceful protest on the first day I arrived, local workers marching for more pay. And then Halloween was pretty interesting as the streets were full of costumes and kids in search of a sugar high.

(above) The main square in the city where it seems every day was a holiday – in a little over a week there we saw protests, weddings, concerts, Halloween, and dancing. This was a peaceful protest which we originally thought was against the government but turned out being about locals fighting for better pay. They circled the square with signs, horns, and made their voice heard. They also had a protest against plastics – a huge problem with less developed countries.

Our trek began with a 4:30a.m. pick up from our hostel and a 3 hour drive out of the bustle of the city with a random mix of people. That early in the morning everyone is sleeping, or attempting to sleep but the curvy roads make that difficult without banging your head on the side of the van each turn. At breakfast we begin meeting our group of three Americans, one Aussie, a Brit, one French, an Argentinian, one Dane, one Brazilian, a Peruvian, and a Dutch. 

The trek itself was amazing and you can check out the details on the map or Google online. The fun of group trips is the little moments along the way as we cross cultures. We got extremely lucky to have a great guide named Ricardo, aka Shakira. He blended fun in the group with knowledge of the old ways to honor nature and the customs (which are fading fast with each new generation – even his own children do not speak the native language anymore of Quichua).  

The group danced, sang, summited mountains, indulged in beverages, sang karaoke, took bets on what the capital of New Zealand was, and sat around the fire bonding and learning from each other. It was a great experience and here are some of the special moments in pictures as we made our way to Machu Picchu.

(above) Day 1 of the hike was an initial hour of steep incline with some wisdom and bonding from our tour guide Ricardo. We sat around our first dinner together communicating in numerous languages and joking about our differences.

(above) In the late afternoon of day 1 we had scrambled to Humantay Lake which looked just a short distance away but felt like endless uphill climbing until we came to this glorious view. Joaquin, an economist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, had borrowed his mothers Nikon camera and while catching my breath every 3 minutes we talked photography with leading lines, light, perspective, depth of field, etc. He taught me more about Argentina and their history than I taught him photography I do believe.

(above) Day 2 was epic…starting with a 5:30a.m. knock on the door and coca tea. Sleeping at over 13,000 feet above sea level proved more challenging than I had anticipated. Day 2 was the hardest day as we would travel 23km (14 miles) over a 10 hours across the Salkantay pass (the highest point of the hike at over 15,000 feet) and then 3 hours of down, down, down. This is one of my favorite pictures of the hike as we headed towards the peak.

(above) The summit was windy and cold but we felt accomplished. Our group had an inspirational talk from Ricardo about the Incas and their passionate connection with Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). We had in depth conversations about how society has gone in the completely opposite direction. I do encourage you to read about the Incas spirituality and connection, it is too much to sum up here.

(above) Also us at the top of the Salkantay Pass. Kieren pretending to be dangling off the edge. Aussie’s are everywhere and they are always entertaining.

(above) Day three was all downhill and a spa day of sorts. We went to a local hot spring where we had competitions on swimming, holding our breath, and then got absolutely destroyed by sand flies. My foot swelled to the point I couldn’t walk with a shoe on a few days later.

(above) We found out that after a few drinks…. Ricardo turned into Shakira. So we drank and then he got on the table and started dancing and singing while swinging his long hair. The ride back to camp was an hour straight of loud music, everyone singing and just pure joy as the van zig zagged its way along towering cliffs. There was a lot of trust in the driver.

(above) We started each day to open our sense as he put what he called “condor pee” in our hands (it was a liquid to help with altitude). On the final day of the trek as we headed towards one of the seven ancient wonders of the world: Machu Picchu, Ricardo included us in our journey to connect to the environment with a face painting ritual. Each person got their own design that matched their personality in a red ink from a plant he had found nearby. It was also Joaquin’s birthday so we had some special celebrations for him.

(above) Our first view looking down on Machu Picchu from a distance. This day was brutal with 3 hours of up and 3 hours of straight down hiking then we walked along train tracks for what seemed like eternity until we finally reached Aguas Calientes.

Kieren and I still had to get our tickets into Machu Picchu so we had to stand in line and wait to go the next day. Essentially you stand in line early in the morning (we arrived before 7a.m. and waited about an hour) to get a ticket to come back at 3pm in which they line you up and you pick your ticket and pay ($80 I believe with a bus ticket  – Kieren got up at 4a.m to hike up instead). 

I had been before and had an amazing guide so entering a second time I was curious as to how it would feel. The journey to get there on foot (46 miles with 6000 feet of elevation gain over 4 days) and bonding with fellow travelers (rated as one of the top hikes in the world) was the ultimate highlight. Machu Picchu itself is mind blowing the way it was constructed and the history behind it. I highly recommend reading “Turn Right at Machu Picchu” by Mark Adams for a good background. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/secrets

Here are some pictures of the incredible architecture of a stone city made around the 1400’s with incredible precision to withstand earthquakes while hiding in a jungle at 8000 feet above sea level from the Spanish invaders.

(above) Our guide was pretty underwhelming sadly. We did get tickets to circuit 2 which is considered to be one of the best but this picture is the only clear view we got in our 2 hour visit. Pro tip: We went with the earliest time available and by the time we finished there were thousands of people and it got really crowded. It will inevitably have weather move in and out and likely rain on you.

Jake’s birthday was also celebrated with karaoke and drinks in a random dive bar. Fun was had and songs were slayed. Getting back to Cusco was a bit of a fiasco but that is stories for sitting around the next campfire. Once back in Cusco we relaxed, explored the local food markets and then Kieren and I split ways. He was on his way to Bolivia (he didn’t need a visa like the US passport requires). 

Back in the hostel which so kindly stored our packs for free while we were on the trek, other travelers were coming and going. Our room chatted in good conversation with Maren and Svenja from Germany and James from the United Kingdom. James had just got in from some high elevation exploring in Bolivia and had been recovering from altitude sickness. After a few days we decided to do Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley day trip. 

It was another 4a.m. wake up call with a long curvy van ride and then a lot of sucking wind as the elevation reached 16,522 feet (the highest I had ever been) and the air was thin. It was super crowded and you literally waited in line for a half hour to get to the front to take a picture without anyone in it (and pay the people with the alpacas for the touristy pic). Was it still worth it? Of course it was. Here are some pictures of James and I exploring the area. 

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”