Day Nine - We're Back
// August 5th - Cusco //
I woke up early
and had breakfast with a German couple, who were traveling throughout South
America in 100 days. His Spanish skills didn’t exceed much more than “Gracias”
and “Hola”, while she didn’t speak Spanish at all. But apparently still
everything worked out, very impressive.
My goal for
next year is to learn Spanish properly again, so I can have actual
conversations, not only with the cab driver after a few cervezas (cheapest ride
I had in the whole time in Peru!). And then travel South America, too!
My bad
conscience about staying at home most of the day was kind of present, but on the
other hand – I had seen Cusco before and I really didn’t feel like doing
another tour today. Especially not one that involved hiking. Soon again, as
soon as I stop walking like an old woman.
In the
evening I met my friend for dinner, we went through some kind of a Cusquenan
Hipster-neighborhood and ended up at a really good Indian restaurant. Alpaca actually
tastes pretty good.
We ended
the night with a Pisco Sour and beer in a local bar with live music, playing
Jenga, reviewing the amazing days we spent this week.
We got up
early everyday, ready for the next adventure. We saw this beautiful blue lake
in front of the massive, white Humantay mountain and the most amazing night sky
one could ever imagine. We were freezing so badly at -15 degrees, so the 2
degrees in the following night felt like a nice day in spring.
We hiked
over 80 km, over frozen grounds and waterfalls, up to the Salkantay Pass at
4630 m. We thanked the Pachamama and built a (kind of sloppy, but hey, it’s
special) cairn that will hopefully remain on the top, with all our small and
bigger wishes we had for the future.
We looked
around, impressed by the sacred mountains, and realized how tiny we humans
actually are.
We went
down into the jungle, with tropical flora and fauna surrounding us and passed beautiful
waterfalls. We walked over bridges that seemed like they could be gone by
tomorrow and balanced on the rail tracks.
We started
at the foot of the mountain and took over 3000 steps up to Machu Picchu, into
the clouds.
We met
those wonderful people and made friends around the world once again. We had
inspiring conversations and learnt from each other, with or without actually noticing.
And we
share those unforgettable memories of this once in a lifetime experience. We
can be proud of ourselves, we kept on pushing, and what we saw and felt –
nobody can ever take this away from us.
Shout out
to the “Singles-Team” and our great guide Apu! And of course the Canadians, I
hope you’re still having a blast. I’m sure our paths will cross again.
Thank you
for this amazing experience, I’m glad I got to share this with you!
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