Time out for two... Peru, Cusco - In the former Inca Empire

It's November 11, 2022. We have finally arrived at the main destination of our Peru trip: the former Inca capital Cusco. The Mecca for every Peru traveler who wants to marvel at the beauty and superlatives of the Andes and the fascinating culture and architecture of the Incas.

The Airbus landing at an altitude of 3,399 meters in the middle of the Andes and the bumpy turbulence made some people on the plane feel like they were experiencing a near-death experience and shout out loud. With wings shaking strongly, the pilot landed very solidly, but I still got sweaty hands and hoped we wouldn't crash land :-D

At the airport, we received useful information about the so-called 'local' buses or, as they would say in Germany, public transportation. For only 1 Peruvian Sol (about 25 cents), you can use the bus no matter how many stations you travel. Super cheap! We first went to the center to eat and get a SIM card. On the way to the bus stop, which was only a 5-minute walk from the airport, we already noticed the 'thin' air! 5 minutes turned into 10 minutes... and the heavy luggage became even heavier.
On the short walk, we were approached by at least 10 taxi drivers. They wanted to drive us to the center for 15 Soles. That's also cheap, but the bus connection was muuuuch cheaper, quickly took us to the center, and was definitely worth the experience! On the potholed and partly unpaved roads, and with the driving style of the bus driver, you had to hold on tight. If you were lucky, you either had a seat or it was so crowded and tight that you couldn't fly around anymore :-D

After taking care of our errands, we started looking for a bus, as we had rented a cabin for 2 weeks in the remote village of Sencca, not far from Cusco. The problem with the local buses is that the stops are not marked with signs. So you have to figure out where the stops are and which of the many buses you actually have to take to reach your destination?! The locals were very helpful and with a few words, they helped us get on the right buses. Our cabin was even located directly at an end stop, so we could never miss it. After a few days of taking buses in Cusco, we eventually knew where to find the right bus.

Our cabin was located at an altitude of 3,743 meters. Just right for acclimatizing for 2 weeks. It was also nice to spend a longer time in one place to relax. The cabin was well-equipped for Peruvian standards. Some might say: 'spartan', but we didn't lack anything, except for running hot water. The pressure was not sufficient to transport the gas-heated water through the pipes. In Peru, running hot water is a luxury! But we managed very well with it. We simply boiled water in Grandma's whistling kettle every morning, mixed it in a large container, and poured the warmed water over our bodies, shivering from the cold :-) It got really cold at night here in the mountains. Our duvets also felt like they weighed 10 kilos. But they kept us super warm! A small wood stove also provided cozy warmth in the house.

Our landlord Raul was the best thing that could happen to us in Peru! Since he came from the tourism industry, he spoke good English and could give us valuable tips for our activities. In every tour office in the city of Cusco, you only get the information: Only with a guide. Not true... If you don't find a travel report on the Internet that provides useful independent information, you won't find any description 'without a guide' there either. Yes, it is sometimes the main source of income in Peru, but Nico and I are not fans of guided tours. We don't want to depend on a tour group or the tour guide. Raul was so cool and told us that everything is possible without a guide (except for the Inca Trail). Our plans: The Rainbow Mountains, a quad tour, climbing, the Salkantay Trek, and of course: Machu Picchu!

I got a nasty cold in the first week, so we couldn't do much. From time to time, we drove into Cusco, explored the beautiful old town with the old Inca walls and the colonial buildings built on them, and visited cute, small, and cozy cafes. It was also nice to enjoy the peace and quiet in the small remote village and observe the village life in the traditional Inca way.
Nico caught the cold shortly after as well. But in the second week, we were able to at least go on a quad tour in the area and hike to the house mountain Sinqa at 4,406 meters and visit the incredibly beautiful and impressive Rainbow Mountains.

Quad tour to Lake Puray and Laguna Cusiqocha at 4,200 meters

Thanks to Raul, we got the quads rented from a friend around the corner. We were able to zoom into the mountains without a guide. Awesome! Well, zooming was exaggerated because the quads had so little power at the lower oxygen level that the vehicles struggled uphill. When we had smaller inclines at around 4,000 meters, the engines stalled. Nico helped out and pushed both quads uphill while I gave gas. But Nico almost collapsed himself because he couldn't get enough oxygen. So we left the quads on the last stretch and walked to our destination: Laguna Cusiqocha. The small lagoon was in the middle of nowhere and was surrounded by the rugged, rugged, and yet impressive mountain scenery. We enjoyed the surroundings for a moment and then walked back to our quads.

On the way back, it happened. Nico's quad didn't start anymore. Oh no... There was still enough fuel and the choke for injecting the air-fuel mixture into the carburetor was also set correctly. Strange... Luckily, it was downhill to the next village, so we rolled down with the quad. There we tried to figure out where the problem was. Alla Melli Hemp, as Nico would say, I even topped it all off! The ignition key actually fell into the engine compartment... Hey, there was only a small gap between the cover and the engine, and of all places, the key fell in there!!! Nico couldn't believe it! Although, I could... :-D
Well, stay calm and ask the villagers for help. And time and time again, you have the same experience: the poorest people are the most helpful. One villager gave us a screwdriver, with which we were able to retrieve the key, and a resident gave us her phone to contact Raul. He knew the problem, gave us the hint to turn the main switch off and then on again, and voilà! It was running again! Great, we made it back without any major problems.

Hike to Mount Sinqa at 4,406 meters

Dress rehearsal. After 12 days of acclimatization and stair training in the house, we attempted a hike to the nearby Mount Sinqa with a climb of nearly 700 meters. And believe me, there was excitement. The 11 steps in the house were a challenge every time. Panting like a May bug, we went to the toilet or to bed. Even in the middle of the night, Nico and I occasionally had moments of breathlessness. The high-altitude air should definitely not be underestimated! Sex at high altitude could also quickly turn into a marathon race :-D

We stuffed coca leaves into our cheek pouches and off we went. The plant actually helped. I no longer had headaches and the circulation remained in balance. But it didn't help against the thin air. With very slow steps, we found our breathing rhythm, and occasionally, we had to take short breaks. Special caution was required for Nico, who has asthma. But despite the low oxygen, he luckily never had a complete shortness of breath, and we reached the summit cross. The view was great! Now we could take the next step: and that was going over 5,000 meters to the Rainbow Mountains...

The Rainbow Mountains Vinicunca at 5,036 meters

Wow! Woooowww! And another woooowww! What a sight! When the sun shines, the colors come out beautifully. The ascent from 4,600 to 5,036 meters was incredibly exhausting and pushed us to the limit, especially Nico, but we made it! When you finally reach the summit viewpoint and look over to Vinicunca and the snow-covered Andean mountains, your jaw drops and the amazement and admiration seem endless!

Thanks to Raul, we were able to rent his Toyota Jeep and embark on the journey to the Rainbow Mountains on our own. This allowed us to take our time and walk up at our own pace, and we could enjoy the view for as long as we wanted. We also had the opportunity to hike to the 'Red Valley'. 'Welcome. You have reached Mars.'. If you had gotten out of a spacecraft, you could really believe that you had landed on Mars. It's amazing what nature produces!

On our way back, we had a nice encounter with three alpaca ladies: Britney, Sherley, and Chantal. I rolled down the car window and greeted them with a friendly 'Hola'. I was lucky not to get spat at... But it was wonderful to see the adorable animals strolling by :-D

Now the next challenging adventure awaited us in the Andes. We were able to leave most of our luggage at Raul’s cabin and embark on the 7-day hike of the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu with our hiking gear. Full of anticipation and excitement about what awaited us, we set off early in the morning...