May 9: Salkantay Trek, Machu Picchu

1.
The Salkantay Trek To Machu Picchu:
How do you get to this amazing site? There are basically two options:

1. You can commute by train and bus.
2. You can walk.

If you take the train, you’ll get there in about 2-3 hours. If you hike, it may take you five days or longer depending on your itinerary.

Why on earth would you go by foot? As Emerson said, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.” That idea resonates.

In the end, reach a decision by weighing risks vs rewards. Do what makes sense for you and yours. 

We ultimately chose to hike the Salkantay Trek without a guide, so that will be the basis of this cultural highlight! 

Salkantay Trek Overview: Fifty miles. Five days and four nights. Maximum elevation over 15,000 feet. Total elevation gain of 11,663 ft. Every day was leg day and cardio day. The Salkantay Trek is a less crowded and more challenging alternative to the classic Inca Trail.

The Solitude: On the Salkantay, there’s appeal to the remoteness of it all. On average, we were told there are only 50-100 trekkers on any given day. Lots of time to think, sing, talk, and look around. Going hours without seeing other humans made those rare moments where we crossed paths with other backpackers even more special. 

We may have been deep into the wilderness, but there were small villages along the way. Each offered an authentic and unique Peruvian cultural experience. Connecting with the people in these small villages turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the trek. For example, we enjoyed multiple nights of entertainment watching toddlers catch chickens. They LOVED showing off their skills. One boy kept putting the live chickens head in his mouth. We tried not to react since it seemed like a terrible health hazard. We failed miserably. We felt glad they didn’t have electronic tablets to occupy their time. 

Accommodations: After much research and planning, we felt confident in our ability to find lodging each night since it was “low tourist season” (late April). With that being said, there was no guarantee we’d find availability at the small places we mapped. The uncertainty was a bit unnerving for the first couple of days. We did have back up plans for worst case scenarios and fortunately it never came to that. To play it safe, we woke up around 4:30am every day to get an early start and arrive at our next place early afternoon. It paid off as we almost always had first pick of lodging upon arrival in each small pueblo. Late afternoon, the places we chose always reached max capacity with other trekkers. The bedding was always basic at best, but we slept solid every night after exhausting days.

The views: Unbeatable. The crystal-clear and brilliant blue waters of Humantay Lake. Glaciers, waterfalls, and rivers. Stone houses and fences. Countless flowers with dozens of species we had never seen. Wild fruits and berries lined our path much of the journey.

Wildlife: Llamas, and alpacas were abundant. Seeing them never got old. The real treat came near our max elevation around 15,000 feet where we spotted chinchillas jumping from rock to rock. Or at least we thought they were chinchillas. After the fact, we learned these fuzzy rodents were more likely viscachas. They are a tad bigger than chinchillas, but just as adorable.

The Discomfort: Intense inclines at altitudes surpassed expectations.  It took shortness of breath to a new level. A big serving of humble pie. The climate was also challenging. Rapidly changing weather had us feeling freezing one minute followed by infernal heat and humidity moments later.

Looking back at the experience, it was tough, uncomfortable, and totally worth it! 

2.
Mysterious Machu Picchu:
How did this site make the exclusive list of The 7 Wonders of the Modern World?

Rather than just listing the facts, let’s go through them by entering a story.

Imagine you’re walking through a tropical rainforest on a foggy morning. As you move beyond the trees, the haze clears. You look up to a towering mountain ridge and behold a massive city of over 200 granite structures resting on lush green grass. Stunning. Almost unbelievable. Now, imagine you’re teleported into the heart of that elevated city. You see temples, palaces, and houses. As you study the walls, you see the stones are all different shapes and sizes. Somehow they were cut to fit together precisely. 

Then, you walk to the edge of the city and look out in all directions. You’re high in the sky. You can feel the chill that comes with high altitude. Your view includes colossal jagged mountains, steep cliffs, waterfalls, and flowing rivers surrounding you.

“What is this magical place?,” you think to yourself. 

In that exact moment, an indigenous Elder mysteriously appears. He warmly greets you. Together, you survey the impressive landscapes before your eyes. As if the man has special powers to know your curiosities, he tells you the city was constructed over five hundred years ago. He then motions to the city with his left arm outstretched, and explains that some of the granite stones used in the buildings weigh a whopping 50 tons. He goes on to amaze you by explaining that the workers did not use iron tools, wheels, mortar or cement. 

“How and why did they build this place?,” you ask. No reply. You turn to see that he vanished as quietly as he came. 

Hopefully that illustrates how special this place feels. Machu Picchu still holds plenty of secrets as the Inca tribes did not keep written records. Thus, we’re left to find answers with scientific theories, imagination, and wonder.