Ancient Ruins, Breathtaking Treks and the Spectacular Machu Picchu!

¡Hola amigos! After months of anticipation, the Pacific Discovery South America crew met in Lima, Peru last week to begin our 2 month adventure through Peru and Ecuador. Bonding started right away with a 3-day orientation as we played games and our fearless and fantastic leaders Laurel and Caitlin prepared us for the trip of a lifetime. Excitement levels were high as we got to know each other while exploring ancient catacombs in central Lima and trying our first Peruvian meals together.

We didn't get to see too much of Lima before we were off in a plane to Cusco to begin exploring the rich Incan culture. We quickly made ourselves at home at a hostel in Urubamba nestled between breathtaking mountains. Because the next couple of days would be jam packed with activities, it was wonderful to have a cozy hostel to take shelter in at night and feel very comfortable at. Some highlights in Urubamba were visiting a colorful market in Chinchero, going on a tour of an Inca archaeological site at Ollantaytambo, hiking downhill through salt mines in Salinas, and trekking alongside llamas while learning about the native eco-friendly animals.

The Inca Jungle trail was the next step in our adventure that would lead us to the famous Machu Picchu that many of us could have only dreamed about before. Feeling both excited and anxious, we began our 5-day journey by mountain biking downhill through a cloud forest. Although our bike ride was cut a little short due to some unfortunate rainy weather, it was still an experience I will never forget. We arrived by bus to Santa Maria where we were warmly welcomed and had the incredible opportunity to hike to exotic fruit plantations and learn how to make coffee all the way from the bean to the cup. The second day of the Inca Jungle Trail consisted entirely of hiking. While hiking upwards was challenging at times, we were rewarded with many breaks to learn more about the culture and history of the Incas. The beautiful views at the top of the mountain were also so rewarding and instantly made me forget about my burning legs and aching back. After stopping for a fantastic 4-course meal and taking a short siesta in hammocks in the small village of Quellomayo, we continued the trek to our campsite in Santa Teresa where we were able to relax and let our muscles recover in the amazing hot springs.

The thrilling activity of ziplining awaited us in the morning, and it most definitely lived up to its expectations. Although my fear of heights became very real as we hung hundreds of feet above rapids by a wire, I loved every second of it. The rest of the day consisted of a short and peaceful hike alongside a railroad to Aguas Calientes, which was our final destination before taking on the daring task of hiking to Machu Pichu before sunrise. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the small town and tried to get a little shuteye before waking up at 3:30 am to begin our ascent to the ruins. While many of us decided to accept the challenge of hiking up 1,600 stairs to Machu Picchu, some took the bus up instead and cheered the rest of us on as we reached the top, about ready to pass out.

Machu Picchu was more incredible than I ever could have imagined it. While it was hard to see the ruins at first due to the dense clouds, we had the incredible opportunity to watch, as the sun pierced through the grey sky, the clouds lifted, and the ruins emerged in the distance. After taking lots of pictures from our amazing birds-eye view, our beloved Inca Jungle Trail tour guides Jimmy and Angel gave us an official tour of Machu Picchu, and then we were able to explore on our own. Because hiking is everyone's absolute favorite and it's not like we were exhausted from our earlier hike, many of us embraced the yolo moment to accept the next challenge of hiking up Waynu Picchu, which was about another hour hike up the side of a steep mountain. As exhausting as the hike was, the view at the very top of Waynu Picchu was absolutely breathtaking and I felt like I was on top of the world as we overlooked Machu Picchu and other high mountains. After we successfully hiked back down, we were all beat and very ready for a 2 hour train ride and 2 hour bus ride to Cusco where we would spend the next week.

Cusco is a beautiful and unique city and we all took full advantage of our free day to rest and explore and see what the city has to offer. Sunday was a very exciting day as we met our first host families of the trip. Since it's pretty helpful to know Spanish when you are spending time in a Spanish speaking country, we are spending this week learning Spanish in a small school here in Cusco. Since I'm pretty far from being fluent in Spanish, communicating with our host family members can be hard at times but living with a host family has still been an incredible experience. It is truly a beautiful thing that a family that knows nothing about you can treat you as one of their own children and show you so much care and love. Not to mention Mamá makes mean banana pancakes and a killer Lomo Saltado (traditional Peruvian beef dish). Stay tuned for our next adventure to Lake Titicaca at the end of this week, but for now hasta luego!

Taylor Steggerda