Farewell, South America!

I have taken my sweet time in getting to the point where I would write this post. Our South American adventure is officially over. In fact, it's been over for about a month! It ended with a day of travel that would have tested many travelers, but I feel like we handled it well. 

We flew from Iguazu to Buenos Aires, with Frank dealing with work and home buying calls in both terminals. Our flight out of Buenos Aires got delayed, causing a chain reaction that added a flight and several hours to our trip. We enjoyed lie-flat seats on the first flight, several hours in a nice lounge in Bogota (with more work and home calls!), and a very quick layover in San Jose before finally touching down in Washington, D.C. around midnight, a mere 36 hours after we left Iguazu. We checked back into the country, got an Uber, and settled in at our sister's house in Maryland.

Lie-flat seats and lounges kept this crew's spirits up!

It's done. A whole new adventure begins now and to be honest, I think I was more prepared for a year in South America than I am for this next journey, but with my awesome crew I know it will be memorable.

Last sunset of the trip, taken on our last flight.

~Jo, the former nomadic momma ;)

Time to see more of Peru! Puno y Arequipa...

The first stop on our bus adventure was Puno, a town on the coast of Lake Titicaca. As the highest navigable lake in the world at 3812m above sea level, we boaters just had to visit! We opted for a 2-day/1-night tour that first took us from Puno to the nearby Uros floating islands. These 120 islands were created from 2m chunks of land topped with 1m of dried reeds which are then tied together and anchored to nearby shallows. The residents refresh the reeds routinely and also use the reeds to craft boats (and now crafts for tourists). While the islands helped save the people from conquistadors 500 years ago, younger generations are heading to the mainland and cities and it's not likely that the community will last for too many more generations.

The Uros island of Waliki

Next we transited a man-made channel out to the "big" part of Lake Titicaca. The lake really is large and while you can see the distant mountains of Bolivia, the water seems to extend nearly to the horizon sometimes. Our next stop was Amantani Island where we would stay with a local family for the night. We stayed with Rosalia and Bautista (the community President!) and their two kids and while Quechua is their main language, they knew some Spanish. The island is agriculturally rich and we talked with the family about farming, fishing, family, food, houses, and local and global politics. The family eats mostly vegetarian (though some neighbors have sheep and chickens, and sometimes they fish) and Rosalia only goes to the mainland one or two times a year. After lunch we hiked up to the top of Pachatata (Father Earth) for sunset, had dinner with the family, and headed to a touristy-yet-fun fiesta in the town hall wearing traditional dress. 

Chatting with the family was the highlight, but the views and getting to try the traditional dress was awesome, too! The skirts were warm!

After a quick breakfast and goodbyes to the family we were off via boat to the island of Taquile. Here we hiked a trail with amazing views of the lake to arrive at the town square for a dancing demonstration and a lunch where we learned all about the island's farming history, use of natural materials for crafts and daily life, and about the social structure of the community. The island reminded me of some of the small islands in Greece! After that, we enjoyed the boat ride back to Puno. Love a good day on the water. Oh, and right near the pier Frank got to hold a black-chested buzzard-eagle! Our bird guy was happy! And after having a lazy afternoon walking around Puno and enjoying a long dinner, we ran into an old classmate of ours from Cusco. Always great to see Alex!

The island of Taquile.

A little bit of fun in Puno (especially for Frank!).

We boarded another overnight bus from Puno to get to Arequipa, "The White City." The goal for this stop was to do a little sightseeing, but also to get caught up on school. We arrived at the hotel at 0500 and while we couldn't check in for a few hours, they had a lovely garden we could sit in and plenty of hot tea. We had a great breakfast, got into the room, showered, and slept! Later in the afternoon, the adults went to an on-site cooking class where we learned how to make traditional Peruvian ceviche and chorrillana, a fried fish dish. It was so delicious! After a quick dinner for the kids we had to turn in as we needed to be up at 0300 the next day for...

A "hot" date night! (P.S. Don't cut rocoto peppers and then touch your eyes even if you have washed your hands about 10 times with soap. Just trust me on this one.)

...a trek to Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world! With a bird nerd and geology geeks in the family, we thought this trek with a night at an "oasis" on the canyon floor sounded great. While I was mentally prepared for the 1100m descent to the canyon floor, I was not prepared for the insane amount of up and down we did in intense sun and heat to get there! It was a long, hot day and I swear we ended up descending and ascending the entire canyon twice by the end of the trek, but it was nice to take a sunset swim in the pool at the oasis at the end of day one. We also had a lot of fun introducing our Austrian hiking buddies to the game, Farkle! The next day we were up early to hike up, up, up out of the canyon. Amazingly we managed to do it in less than 3 hours. While we did see condors at a roadside stop on the first day, we never did see them while we were in the canyon so that was a little crushing! But the views were great and there were some really interesting basalt formations. On the way back to Arequipa we stopped to relax in some hot springs, saw the areas volcanoes, and saw wild vicuña, but I'm not sure I'd do this one again. Maybe I'm just a little worn out!

A hot day of steep up and down ended in a rustic lodge with a pool at the base of the canyon.

We made it! Had another great group for a trek. We really enjoyed the post-trek relaxing.

We are at an AirBnB in Arequipa now and are only two blocks from the main plaza on a local side street known as "the music street" as it is lined by instrument shops--we love hearing all of the music! We are cleaning all of our stuff from the dusty trek, walking around the city, and eating all the yummy food! After school one day we visited the Museo Santuarios Andinos to see learn more about Incan traditions including child sacrifices and to see the mummy "Juanita," a well-preserved mummy of a girl of only 12-14 years old who was sacrificed atop a nearby mountain. You can't take photos there, but trust me when I say that the level of preservation achieved in cold, arid climates of the mummy and her belongings (and those of others found on the mountain) is amazing. We also hit up La Capitana, a popular picantería, to try some famous Arequipeño dishes (sadly they were out of rocoto relleno for the day)--so much good food!

Picantería goodness and getting some queso helado on the street (trust me, it's not cheese!).

Few more days here before we move on. Where do you think we will stop next?

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

Cusco: Week 8--Last Call!

We closed out our time in Cusco with a week full of celebrations--Halloween, All Saints' Day, and Day of the Dead--and final visits to favorite places we've found over the past two months. 

Monday we got back to volunteering and school, and we enjoyed a walk through the crowded Plaza de Armas to see Halloween costumes and browse a book market. Dinner was Trent's pick--Burgers and Beer (he's not wrong--it's good!).

Halloween on the Plaza de Armas

Tuesday was a holiday and the volunteering program was closed, but we did join the Amauta Spanish School students for a tour through Plaza de San Francisco, Mercado de San Pedro, and el Cemeterio de Huancaro with Professor Hans to learn about the Peruvian traditions of All Saints' Day and Day of the Dead in Peru. The markets were full of vendors selling lechon (pork), pan wawa, and flowers and offerings for graves. We enjoyed the markets so much during our morning visit that we went back in the afternoon to try some food. On the way we ran into the Caminos del Inca Road Rally as it ended in the Plaza de Armas--it was pretty cool! Later we hit Nick's Food Co (Katreina's pick) for Indian and Mexican food (trust me, it works) before heading back to the plaza to gawk at cars a little more. Then it was time for one last trivia night at Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado! We managed to tie for 2nd place this time and stayed for part of Alex Leran's set before heading home.

Learning all things about All Saints Day and Day of the Dead in Peru.

A fun night out! Korma Sutra vs. Tacomania at Nick's and rally cars in the Plaza.

Wednesday was a bit of an odd day...we did school, ran some errands, and headed to volunteering. But only two kids showed up! We ended up getting done early and hit the markets again for some street snacks. Cookies, salchicha on a stick, quail eggs, popcorn, and pineapple were all a hit! We walked and relaxed for a while before heading out to dinner and finding many places were closed. We ended up at Mullu for some Thai food (and a little Peruvian)--no complaints!

Street food throughout the week.

Thursday we finally visited Qorikancha, an amazing 15th century Inca temple that was once covered in gold, but was destroyed by the Spanish and replaced by a Catholic church. It was so easy to see the brilliance of Incan architecture and the cruelty of conquerors. There are so many similarities between the Incans and the Native Americans and the fates their cultures suffered at the hands of the colonizers. We admittedly passed quickly through the Spanish portions and lingered in the Inca portions. It was a VERY busy day at the aftercare program and afterwards we had to unwind with dinner and drinks at Jama.

Qorikancha. Cusco means "navel" in Quechua and is the center of the Incan empire.

Friday was a "routine" morning with the kiddos wrapping up school and the adults off to run some errands in the morning. We headed out to Wanchaq to a sports store to get a new soccer ball for the program we work at and afterwards took Katreina to an art cafe in San Blas (because who doesn't love art AND coffee?). We had our final lunch with our host mum (Lomo Saltado, of course!) and our final, emotional day (at least for me) at the Colibri Program. We helped with homework, went to the park for some great outdoor fun, then I headed to Amauta to pick up our huge load of donations to the program with an agree Uber driver, and all the volunteers and some kiddos helped to carry the load from the car to the program (you literally cannot drive to the door--you have to go down and up steps). Then there was a really nice farewell celebration for us, complete with kind words, songs, and dancing. And yep, I cried (no surprise to anyone that knew me in the military). We got so many hugs from the kids, the coordinators, and even the moms as they came to get their kids. But I felt like we were the ones that should be thanking all of them. We learned so much from this experience, and I don't just mean Spanish! We learned about Peruvian culture, the working class of Cusco, the government/social programs in Peru, how kids are kids no matter what country you're in, that cursive is alive and well in Peru, and that positivity, at any age, is contagious. 

One last day of work and fun!

As part of the program we gave a financial donation to the program which bought food and school supplies. It was so much, but the kiddos all helped carry it up the steps before sending us off!

Saturday we simply walked around, got some farewell gifts for our host mum, ate all the street food, packed, and had one final meal at Nero de la 375. And then, it was time to go! We took a taxi to the Peru Hop terminal and at 2100 boarded our first overnight bus of the trip. Destination--Puno. 

Goodbye, Blanca and Cusco!

This first bus was pretty nice and cozy! We have opted to use Peru Hop busses for our slow trip from Cusco to Lima for the next two weeks.

Jo, Nomadic Momma

Cusco: Week 7--City fun and the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

After last week's challenging Salkantay Trek we were super impressed that the kids jumped right into school to stay "on track" as we only had five days before we set off on the Inca Trail. We all nursed our wounds, dealt with a cold that struck the entire family, and had a little fun in the city! We visited the Cusco Planetarium Monday night and got to see Saturn, Jupiter, and a few star clusters of the Milky Way in the telescopes, plus we learned about Southern Hemisphere constellations, the Inca's use of astronomy in daily life, and the dark constellations of the Milky Way that were used by the Incas. It was a really cool night! We also hit trivia night at the Sacred Valley Taproom for another solid 3rd place finish! 

The real fun began Thursday morning at 0500 as we loaded into a van with another couple and our guide, JD, and headed for KM82 outside of Ollantaytambo--the start of the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. After meeting up with our team of 11(!!) porters and the chef, we headed to check in. The Inca Trail is tightly controlled with a limited amount of people per day and can only be done with a guide, so everyone checks in at a ranger station with passports and heads through a visitor center to begin. And then, we were off!

¡Vamos!

Day 1: Cusco - KM82 - Llaqtapata - Wayllabamba Campsite. 12km hiked; 250m ascended.

An "easy" day! We were on the Inca Trail by 0830 and had a pretty easy first few hours of hiking. It was just an easy trail along the river and past many homes where ladies were selling drinks and snacks. About three hours in we passed by the impressive site of Llaqtapata before stopping for lunch. It was such a lazy day that we all napped on the grass for a bit after lunch before starting out for another little bit of hiking. We were at our campsite for the night by 1530 and had a lazy afternoon and evening getting to know our traveling companions, an awesome couple from northern Cali who serve the public as a nurse and a firefighter (and they were on their honeymoon!). We all got along really well from the start and we once again felt fortunate that we had such a great group to trek with.

Llaqtapata archaeological site and a nice, relaxing hike to our peaceful campsite.

Day 2: Wayllabamba - Pass Warmiwañuscca (Dead Woman's Pass, 4200m) - Pacaymayo Campsite. 9km hiked; 1200m ascended; 600m descended. One child questioning her love of family. Knees firmly reminding the old lady that she is, in fact, old.

After a 0500 wakeup we set out on the "challenging" day of the trek as we ascended to Dead Woman's Pass. Very early on I decided that hiking with someone who is intimately familiar with the fireman carry may be a good thing. We took it slow and took a lot of breaks. The weather was clear and sunny as we wove our way around the mountain and through some wooded areas. The altitude wasn't an issue, but the steep climb was definitely a challenge and Katreina was not a fan. But we made it! I'd also like to mention here that the Inca Trail, unlike the Salkantay, has A LOT of stairs on it. Short stairs, tall stairs, uneven stairs, narrow stairs, wide stairs, slippery stairs, stairs, stairs, STAIRS! My hell began about two minutes after the summit as we began our descent down an unending stretch of stairs. We somehow managed to make the journey down to the campsite in less than an hour and a half. We enjoyed an amazing lunch at our campsite with spectacular views, then I consumed a fistful of ibuprofen, took a cold shower, and we once again napped (or at least relaxed on our sleeping mats with a great view of the valley). Trent especially loved the napping action on this trek. The night sky was amazing at this camp and we talked, snacked, and ate with our group for a few hours before turning in.

Thankful for good weather and gorgeous views as we ascended to the highest point on the trek. It was a pretty difficult climb, but...

...we made it to Pass Warmiwañuscca (Dead Woman's Pass)! After a little break at the summit we began the steep descent to our campsite.

I loved this campsite. The views of the valley were just amazing.  While we were there, we got to chat with our team of porters (the youngest was 18!).

Day 3: Pacamayo - Runkuraqay - 2nd Pass (3900m) - Sayacmarca - Puyupatamarca - Intipata - Wiñaywayna. 15km hiked; 360m ascended; 1310m descended. Knees? What knees? 

Hands down, this was the best day of hiking of any of our treks in Peru so far (at least for Frank and I). Why? Well, it wasn't because it was easy or short, that's for sure. But the combo of great weather, amazing Inca sites, stunning scenery, mystical jungles, and great companions made it an epic day! We hiked from just after sunrise to just before sunset and despite the insane pain in my knees I couldn't complain. It was just that good. Today was the day to learn about the different shapes and purposes of the Inca sites, how they were constructed, and how they all were discovered. Sayacmarca stuck out as an amazing site, as did Wiñaywayna. The Inca's understanding of construction, farming, and the seasons, as well as their spiritual beliefs and obvious ability to do really physically hard work are on full display in all of their sites. It's just awe-inspiring. I won't even attempt to convey all that we learned from our guide, JD, here, but I think we all learned a lot and have a better understanding of the people of Peru and their heritage after this trip. Today was also a fun day as the chef made Fiona and Elijah a cake to celebrate their honeymoon (which is incredible considering he had two propane burners and maybe two hours to work with) and after dinner we celebrated our team of porters and the chef with a "tipping" ceremony. They all worked so hard so that this trek was comfortable and relaxing for us and really appreciated them! But then it was a short night of sleep...

We hiked up to Runkuraqay, then through the clouds to Sayacmarca where we learned about the Inca's ritual sacrifices that were carried out on the surrounding mountain peaks.

We continued through dense jungles to our lunch (and llama) stop before continuing to climb to Puyupatamarca. 

Trent tried out the porter's pack before we began our descent to our campsite. Along the way we stopped at the impressive farming terraces of Intipata.

Our campsite was adjacent to the Wiñaywayna site and we made a quick visit before sunset. The people who farmed Intipata lived here and used the area as an agricultural laboratory. Wiñaywayna means "Forever Young."

Day 4: Wiñaywayna - Intipunku - Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes - Ollantaytambo - Cusco. 5km hiked; 250+m descended. Popping ibuprofen like candy.

After a 0330 wakeup and a quick breakfast, our porters were off to catch a train and we were seated at the checkpoint to begin the final two-hour hike to Machu Picchu. After checking in at the control station, we hiked to Intipunku, or the Sun Gate. We kept up a brisk pace as weather at Intipunku is really variable--the more time you have there, the better chance you have of seeing Machu Picchu from this magical viewpoint. Only a few parts (including a "Gringo Killer" that we actually enjoyed clambering up) were challenging and we made it up there in just over 45 minutes. We stayed there for about an hour and a half, having a snack and catching glimpses of the site here and there as the clouds came and went...it really does add to the mystery of the site! Then we decided to head on down the path to Machu Picchu! With this path we were able to get the "classic" view of the site that we didn't get on our last visit. It was very cool and really brought the trek to an end. The kids crushed it again! After taking photos from the viewpoint, we descended to the lower part of the city for a tour with JD. We covered some of the same areas as we did on our last visit, but this time had better questions to ask. It was super crowded, but we still got to enjoy it and this time we got to visit the Condor Temple which was really awesome. We closed out the day with a bus ride down the mountain, celebratory drinks with our group in Aguas Calientes, a very scenic train ride to Ollantaytambo, and a van ride back to our home in Cusco. 

Up and down many steps to arrive at the Sun Gate!

It wasn't very sunny at Intipunku (the Sun Gate), but we managed to catch glimpses of Machu Picchu as the clouds swirled through (but not easy to photograph!).

We did it! And we got a very different view of Machu Picchu from our previous visit. The site is seriously impressive.

We focused more on the details of the architecture on this visit, and got to visit the  Condor Temple, which features natural stones that look like the sacred condor.

Final thoughts: Which was better, the Salkantay or the Inca Trail? Well, that's really hard to say. They were just different. I liked the remoteness of the first 2.5 days of the Salkantay, but really loved the Inca site/jungle combo of the second half of the Inca Trail. Both boasted a ton of amazing scenery and flora, and both were challenging, and once again we had fabulous travel companions. We were treated to two different experiences at Machu Picchu as well--one was a cloudy, uncrowded, early morning while the other was an epic walk in under mid-morning blazing sun with large crowds. I'd take bits and pieces of each experience to make my true favorite, so just like when picking a favorite child, I just can't! 

I would definitely recommend our tour provider, Inca Trail Machu, and our fabulous guide, JD. Communication was great through the booking process, our inbrief was personal and convenient (at our home), our accommodations along the trail were cozy, the food was amazing (and very plentiful!), the small group was just wonderful (and looked less chaotic than the 15-pax groups we saw on the trail), and all of the transportation went really smoothly. It was another amazing, unforgettable experience for our family! 

~Jo, Nomadic Momma and (still) Denier of Major Knee Issues

Cusco: Week 6--The Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu!

There's really only one thing to talk about this week--the Salkantay Trek!

Many weeks ago we booked the classic Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu, but after talking to some friends that had done the Salkantay Trail, we started to see if we could do it, too! Tickets to Machu Picchu were mostly sold out for the month of October, but we lucked into spots on a 5-day/4-night trek that would allow us not only to visit Machu Picchu, but also hike up Huchu'ypicchu Mountain while we were there. Well, this was the week for it! It was challenging, fun, educational, and awe-inspiring.

Day 1: Cusco - Soraypampa - Humantay Lake - Quiswarniyoc Camp. 6km hiked; 338m ascended; 250m descended.

We started the trip with a 0400 wake-up and boarded our van at 0500 in Cusco to head off to the start of the trek. We stopped for breakfast before starting the trek in Soraypampa. It was pretty chilly at the start, but walking uphill helped warm us up a bit. We were surrounded by beautiful mountains that were occasionally shrouded in clouds. But then, the rain started and it was very wet and cold! It was still raining when we arrived at Humantay Lake, but that didn't mar its beauty. Thankfully the rain stopped while we were there and we were able to dry out and warm up a bit. And of course, take photos! From the lake (at 4250m) we descended to our campsite at Quiswarniyoc and a much-appreciated lunch. This was our first meal cooked by our trail chef and it started off with an amazing mango ceviche--it was indicative of the great food we would enjoy along the trail! We spent the rest of the day resting and getting to know our tour companions. Our group of 13 folks (in groups of 4-2-2-2-3) originated from the USA, Canada, Peru, Holland, and the UK, and was led by a fantastic guide, Marco. The only downside to this campsite? We had to walk up a very steep hill (took me about 10 minutes) to get to the dining place and my legs were SHOT (actually, the "down" is just as bad for me). Soooo happy there was a toilet down by our huts! You had to scoop a pail of water out of a giant barrel to flush the toilets, but they were there! We enjoyed a very comfortable night with llamas walking by and stars glittering overhead. I loved it.

Humantay Lake is surrounded by mountains and fed by glaciers. It's beautiful!

Our first camp was very cozy and remote. We had great views of Salkantay when the clouds cleared and the night sky was stunning.

Day 2: Quiswarniyoc - Salkantay Pass - Chaullay - Camp. 22km hiked; 630m ascended; 1100m descended.

Touted as the most difficult day of the trek, this is the day we ascended to the highest point of the trail, the Salkantay Pass at 4630m. The mountains here made this day quite literally breathtaking, but the "Gringo Killer" to the pass didn't kill us! After a dry and sunny start to the day, clouds moved in so we didn't have great views from the pass, but we did make an offering to Pachamama and the Apus mountain god before descending in a cold rain to a lunch site. That part of the trek was super hard for me as my knees have been shot for ages, but add in the rain and cold and it was a bit miserable. Lunch was in a cold tent and though the staff tried hard, the food was cooled quickly by the wind. But our group was so great and we laughed through it as much as we could and pressed on to the campsite where the promise of hot showers, beers, and dry huts awaited us. It was actually kind of fun to wait in the queue for the showers while sipping cervezas with our traveling companions! We have "happy hour" each evening, too, which is actually hot drinks and popcorn before dinner, but it's also a great time to learn about each other. 

Our ascent to the Salkantay Pass was a challenge, especially as the weather changed, but it was still a great hike!

After our frigid descent and lunch, it finally dried out for our final few kilometers along the river to camp.

Day 3: Chaullay - Collpapampa - Playa Sahuayacco - Santa Teresa. 16km hiked; 1350m descended; knees gone.

This was supposed to be our "easy" day. We were continuing to descend and were really in the heart of the Andean jungle. Fruits and bromeliads dominated the landscape and our stops were punctuated with fresh fruits, fruit juices, avocado sandwiches...all the treats of the jungle! We even had a fun stop where Trent got to play fútbol (soccer) with other trekkers and executed a mean (but clean!) tackle on a guy that earned him a lot of praise from the European members of our group--he loved it! We ended our trek at a coffee producer where we learned all about the process from hand-picking the beans to having a cup of coffee. We even roasted and ground our own beans to try and it was amazing! We were supposed to be in tents that night, but apparently previous rains had left them in sad shape so the company put us in a hostel in Santa Teresa. The afternoon was "free" and we had the option to zipline and/or go to hot springs. Trent was going to zipline, but after hearing thunder he opted to just hit the hot springs. THAT was nice! It's a pretty touristy spot, but the water was warm and relaxing and there was a hot "shower" waterfall which was quite welcome since the hostel didn't have hot water. At the springs we also had a little "real" happy hour with shots and music and laughter...it was a great time and we got to know the three couples in our group even better. That night, however, was hell! Though we had nice beds, music pumped in the town until some ungodly late hour, then the street dogs barked like crazy for a few hours, and then the music started back up at about 0300 as the workers got going for the day. I don't think anyone in the group slept well, but we were back up at 0500 to continue on our way.

Waterfalls, river crossings, and LOTS of downhill this morning. But we had got to play and relax, too!

We roasted and made coffee, got real beds, and relaxed in the local hot spring. 

Day 4: Santa Teresa - Hidroeléctrica - Aquas Calientes. 19km hiked; 796m ascended; 810m descended. Spirits and knees needing help.

The day started with a three-hour climb on the Inca Trail. While the jungle was beautiful, it was hot, steep, buggy, and the nice pace we had enjoyed on Day 2 seemed to be gone and we were booking up the mountain. Katreina struggled a bit, flatly stating, "this is just so hard," and she wasn't wrong. Before we hit the summit there was a nice rest stop where we enjoyed a creamy avocado sandwich and some cat snuggles. At the summit, we splurged on a celebratory Powerade before starting the rapid descent. Right after the summit we stopped at the Inca ruins of Llactapata where we got our first glimpse of Machu Picchu and learned about the various "tambos" or resting places along the Inca Trail. From there, my hell really began. I had let out quite a few audible whimpers on Days 2 & 3, but on Day 4 tears involuntarily flowed a few times. I have a long, not terribly fun history with my knees and struggled trying to keep up with our group as we descended. Those "easy" parts are my absolute hell and a few times I started to wonder if avoiding knee surgery for years was really my best move. I adopted an awkward gate to try to keep my right leg from bending more than 20 degrees and scurried down the mountain. When we arrived at the lunch spot I could barely swing my leg over the bench to sit down. I've never felt so old and broken. Lunch was a good break, but we weren't done! We had about three more hours to hike on a gentle upslope to Agua Calientes. That was easier on the knees, but by now we were all dragging tired legs. Nonetheless, we tried to keep up a good pace as some of our group needed to queue for Machu Picchu tickets and we really wanted them to get them! We had some good stops along the way, included our best juice ice pops of the trek, but still drug ourselves into the little vibrant outpost of Agua Calientes. Only trails and a railroad lead into this pristine, paved town full of lights that boasts its own tourist bus fleet. It was so strange after days in the mountains and jungle! Our hostel room was cozy, but with everyone checking in at once we were stuck with ice-cold showers. But we made the best of it and Frank and I headed out for drinks before our final meal with the whole group. We all had different entry times to Machu Picchu the next day so this was our last meal together. It was a fabulous meal and great time with our new friends, but we had to turn in early as we had tickets for the first entry to site. Frank headed off to get us bus tickets as we had decided we'd enjoy the whole experience more if we didn't have to climb 400m at 0400. And I got a hot shower!

We hiked the Inca Trail for a bit--it was a challenging, hot, uphill hike and an excruciating downhill, but we had the support of jungle food and furry friends, and we got to see Machu Picchu in the distance!

The relatively flat hike from Hidroeléctrica to Agua Calientes is flanked by railroad tracks and the river with great mountain views. We had to say goodbye to our awesome trekking pals tonight!

Day 5: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Hidroeléctrica - Cusco. 10km hiked (plus around Machu Picchu and Huchu'ypicchu Mountain); 98m ascended; 213m descended; 8.5 hours bus ride to Cusco. Spirits great, knees meh, bug bites terrible.

What a day! We were up and at breakfast at 0430, in line for the bus at 0500, on the bus at 0530, and second in the queue to enter Machu Picchu at 0550. It was just our family and our guide, Marco, so we basically got a private tour. At 0600, our passports were scanned and we entered...and we amazingly got to see Machu Picchu with essentially no people on it. Wow...it's just immense. And for the first maybe 5 minutes it was clear, but then a cloud moved in and the view was obscured for a bit. We feel so fortunate to have seen it as we did. Marco sat with us for a bit and told us how the site was initially discovered by Hiram Bingham, the theories about what the site's purpose was, and why it was so intact and well-preserved after being abandoned for over 400 years. Our tickets had us on Circuit 4 and Marco led us through the Sun Temple, the House of the Inka, and the Sacred Stone before leaving us at the entrance to Huchu'ypicchu Mountain. From there, we were on our own! Huchu'ypicchu is the littlest mountain near the site and was perfect for our tired legs. While not the tallest of the surrounding mountains, it is the closest and we thought the views were absolutely fantastic! We descended and continued our circuit past the Temple of the Condor, the Water Mirrors, and the Temple of the 3 Windows. Three hours after we entered, we were through the circuit (we took our time!) and took the bus back to the trail. 

We got to see Machu Picchu before people and clouds moved in! We learned so much from our guide, Marco, and were sad to part ways with him.

The climb up Huchu'ypicchu was a little steep, but the views were worth it! This mountain is on the "other" side of Machu Picchu from where the usual "classic" view photos are taken and we absolutely loved it.

For this trek we opted for the cheap route, walking 10km back to Hidroeléctrica and then taking a super long bus ride to Cusco. This saved us $240 as a family and only required time and patience and a little more wear-and-tear on the joints. We took our time on the return hike, stopping to admire plants, birds, the river, the mountains, and a trailside empanada stand. We had time for a lazy lunch and a pre-road beer, which was probably a good thing! Once we finally got going on the bus (there was a half hour of sorting who all needed to be on the bus), our progress through the mountains was hampered by an insane amount of construction and one-way sections. I mean, we stopped and got out a few times! Some folks were pretty cranky, but we had plenty of snacks and knew what we had signed up for. Around 1900 we stopped for bathrooms and snacks (the guys scored roadside burgers) and we arrived back in Cusco at 2300 with swollen feet and ankles, sore legs, and lots of memories!

Final thoughts: I am so incredibly proud of my kids, not just for the physical effort they put forth with 80-ish kilometers of trekking up and down mountains through every type of weather, but also for their willingness to go with the flow, try new things and foods, and do it all with only a little bit of complaining. They were also super social in our group and would often be off on the trail or down the table from us having their own conversations with the other adults in our group. And our group was just awesome! We weren't the crazy partiers, but we had fun. They were all so sweet to our kids, and I'd like to think that we offered some words of encouragement to the younger folks who saw some things they liked in the lifestyle we've chosen. Interestingly, not a single member of our group was on a short vacation--all were traveling for weeks to months. I love that this is becoming more mainstream and loved hearing how each person was making it happen around jobs, school, and life. I think we all learned something from each other. 

I was happy with our tour provider, Machu Picchu Reservations. We went "budget" for this trip, but it didn't feel like it when we were on the trek. While the overall group at the inbrief was huge (like 50 people), we were split into smaller groups with guides and they managed to bed and feed all of us with only minor hiccups. The food was absolutely incredible except for maybe the first breakfast (which wasn't done by the company's trail chef) and there were so many yummy vegetarian options at each meal. They route went as briefed, changes were clearly communicated by our guide, our guide was knowledgable, and our guide worked super hard to keep everyone going and get everyone situated for Machu Picchu. All in all, it was a good experience for us!

This weekend is all about rest, recovery, laundry, and school as we heading back out, this time on the Inca Trail, on Thursday!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma and Denier of Major Knee Issues

Volunteering begins! Cusco: Week 5

I can't believe we're now on the "back end" of our time in Cusco. It has flown! 

This week we have shifted our daily schedule entirely, with homeschool in the morning, lunch with Blanca, then we head to our volunteering jobs at an after school program! We are volunteers in a public after school program that provides a place for the children of vendors (the ones selling goods and services in the plazas) to go so that they can do their homework, have a snack, and have some fun time off of the street for a few hours. We start at 1:30-2pm, do homework until 3:30pm, have a snack, and then spend 4-5pm doing English or French lessons (Katreina teaches French!) or playing games. At 5pm, the kids head out. But here's where the real humbling begins. Many head right out into the plaza to help their parents sell stuff or to hang out while their parents sell. We don't know when they finally go home, but we saw one of our kiddos in a cerveceria (taproom) at 9:30pm selling keychains one night. He stopped to give Frank a hug and told us what he was doing so we bought some of his keychains, and off he went with a smile on his face. These families and the kids work hard and seem to always smile despite the long hours on the street. We buy a few things here and there, but the best thing we hope to offer is homework help and a cozy environment for a few hours of their day. We see "our" kiddos in the plaza and it's so sweet when they say hi or give us hugs (Frank gets a lot of hugs!). It's only been a week, but I can already tell that we are really going to miss these kiddos when we leave Cusco.

Our crew of volunteers and kiddos! We do a lot of homework help, snuggling...

...and general cleanup. The walk to the program (and the playground) is steep, but it's worth it!

We kept it a little low-key this week, but we did hit trivia night with the kids (and they helped us get 3rd place!) and we went to our Spanish school for a Pisco Sour lesson. It was great to see some old classmates again and meet a few new ones. I even went to Salsa lessons with Katreina and we worked up an appetite for a nice girls' night out.

Always so much fun taking classes at Amauta! And we love Pisco Sours!

Green Point Restaurant is a bit of a splurge for us, but it is sooo good! Vegan/vegetarian menu, amazing kombucha, great beer, and a fantastic atmosphere. K & I really love it!

Yesterday after an awesome lunch in the Mercado de San Blas we did a little hike from the city up to Cristo Blanco, past Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo, and Qochapata, over to Temple de la Luna, down to K'usilluchayoq, through the Plaza de San Blas and the Coca Museum, and into a bar for 2x1 drinks. It was about four or five hours on foot and had a lot of vertical gain...think of it as a test-run for the coming week. Everyone did ok and enjoyed wandering through some of the free archeological sites just outside of the city. Today is a day of rest and packing as bright and early tomorrow we leave to trek the Salkantay Trail for five days!

Cristo Blanco sits atop a hill over Cusco with great views of the city. About 30-min away by foot we arrived at the Temple de la Luna.

Did a little cave exploring around the temple before checking out the ruins of K'usilluchayoq.

Frank and I have also spent a ton of time this week ironing out travel plans. I may not have given enough consideration to bus schedules at the southern tip of South America when booking some our places at the end of the year, so we had to adjust some lodging plans. We are getting into the high season in Patagonia so lodging and tours/treks are a little harder/more expensive to secure, but we're working on it. Our joy of the week was securing a 5-day trek on the famous "W" in Torres Del Paine National Park! Almost 16 years ago we did that trek and even though we only had one kid at the time, we said we wanted to return with our kids. Well, we're doing it in December! And does the word, "Paine," look familiar???

~Jo, Nomadic Momma