Höher, schneller, weiter

Sometimes I wonder how I'm supposed to process so many impressions in just a few days. In Peru, after our start, one highlight followed another and I am flooded with new experiences, encounters, and memories.

In Cusco, we deliberately chose a small family hostel a bit off the beaten path, as we knew we would need our strength for the next few days. This way, we could relax a bit and avoid the risk of not getting any sleep again. Starting with the popular free walking tour, market and café visits, and short hikes to viewpoints, we really enjoyed the two days in Cusco and had a great first impression of Peru. As expected, the people here are very open and welcoming, always ready to help with any problems, and welcomed us with open arms. Upon arrival, we initially doubted our physical condition because even climbing the stairs in the hostel caused shortness of breath, but it turned out to be just the altitude challenging us once again. Since Cusco is located 3400m above sea level and we had just come from the warm coast of Ecuador, it was good that we could acclimatize for a few days.

And then the time had come: Machu Picchu was next on the list. For the tour, we chose the 3-day Inca Jungle Trail. We had long considered whether to do the world-famous Inca Trail. The 5-day hike would have certainly been a completely new challenge, but our pros and cons ultimately spoke against it. And honestly? We couldn't have had a better Machu Picchu experience. We did everything from downhill biking, rafting, ziplining, and hot springs. Of course, we also couldn't resist climbing a section of the Salkantay Trek, the final 400 meters in altitude from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, as well as the Huchuypiccu mountain. With that, I can now cross Machu Picchu off my list of wonders of the world. Such a ruined city of the Incas at 2430m altitude is truly impressive!

Interpersonally, everything worked out perfectly in the group this time, and we were all ready for adventure. Sometimes it happens that you end up in a karaoke bar the night before the ascent and have to survive the ascent, descent, and 11 km hike to the next village with just an hour of sleep. But since we are young, dynamic, fresh, and athletic (or at least I tried to convince myself of it), we also survived that and could not have made better use of our time. Although I wonder what the people must have thought when we sat down on the bus back to Cusco completely exhausted and immediately fell asleep for 6 hours. :D

Back in Cusco, we had actually planned to take it easy, but as always, we were restless. So the next day, we went on an ATV tour and visited an Inca ruin in Moray and the Maras salt flats.

The visit to Rainbow Mountain was the perfect ending to our time in the Cusco region. We had underestimated the ascent to 5100 meters, and Nadine suffered from altitude sickness, but ultimately, we mastered this adventure together as a team. Although I was really worried at times. When we reached the top, we were literally breathless. One reason was that it felt like there was simply no more oxygen, and the other reason was that it was indescribably beautiful.

For the next few days in Peru, we already have a rough plan and want to visit the sand desert and the coast again. But as you already know, we never really know what will happen and how things will unfold. It remains exciting.