ps I went to Machupicchu

Soooo one day I decided that since I was in Peru, I might as well get my act together and figure how I was going to see this wonder of the world that calls itself, Machupicchu. One thing led to another and I had signed up for aforementioned Salkantay trek. Four days of hiking, one day of Machupicching.

To the left is the valley we hiked through on my birthday. Pretty impressive even though it was covered in mist. Lord of the Rings style...not really my favorite movie, but in real life, it´s amazing. We had a nice group of ten with a really sweet guide who did his best to keep us happy throughout the rainy weather we endured. Suffice to say, we were pretty hardcore...despite the fact that our things and food are carried by horses. (The altitude is killer, trust me.)

Besides all the hype you hear about Machupicchu I was sadly ready to be disappointed by the crowds, the weather, something. Fortunately, this was definitely not the case. After about a thousand steps at four in the morning, the fab five arrived to be the first in line at Machupicchu on October 9th, 2008. Entering the site at 6am with mist rising from all sides almost took my breath away and definitely gave me some goosebumps. There´s nothing like seeing a place live that you´ve only ever experienced in pictures or through other´s descriptions. There´s also llamas there from a beer commercial that they never bothered to remove. Pretty crazy.

The fab five also climbed Waynapiccu even after four days of trekking and we were quite proud. The steps are suuuuper steep and the sun was blazing on the way down. Nothing compares to the views from the top and of course, just our luck! We saw a condor. By the end of Wayna my feet were swollen, I had only eaten bananas and Oreos all day AND! we´d been up since three in the morning. It was time to take the comfy bus down the hill and relax while waiting for the swanky train back to Cusco. The rain began just as we got on the bus, how perfect! There are many silly stories from the trek but the best is Rambo. A fellow trekker who accosted us outside of Aguas Calientes asking for the nearest Chaco´s sandals retailer. SO RANDOM. (Trust me, they don´t sell them in very many countries, I´ve looked.) He was sweating in the pouring rain after running full speed down the train tracks in teva-esque sandals held together by a plastic bag. No words my friends, no words. But he will return.