Peru Immersion: Back From Machu Picchu and Packing Up

July 25th, 2009 | Peru Immersion Program 2009

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Hola Amigos,

We have just returned from our three-day trek to Machu Picchu and are about to spend our last night in our beautiful homestay village of Ollantaytambo.  Everyone is experiencing a wide breadth of emotion, but contentment seems to be the most powerful.

Since we last checked in with you all, we have been busy finishing our service project, making the most of the remaining time in our homestay community and trekking to one of the world’s foremost wonders, Machu Picchu.

It took hard work from everyone, starting early at 7:30am, but mud abode by mud abode, we put up the 3.5 meter walls of the kitchen early last week.  Our next task was the roof.  We hauled huge wooden beams across town and spaced them on the roof, then connected them with hundreds of bamboo rods, which had to be nailed and secured with wire. Next, was the task of laying the 1,200 or so tiles. Methodically, with the help of our beloved foremen, Juan and Eugenio, we laid row after row of typical clay tile.

Roofing

Our Kitchen Nearly Complete

We finished the project triumphantly on Wednesday afternoon and celebrated with a toast (of Sprite) and a great sense of accomplishment. Many of us continued with our tradition of ending the day with soccer, but we all headed to bed early in anticipation for the next day’s 3:50am meeting time.

Trek to Machu Picchi

On Thursday morning, the group met at the plaza in the wee hours of the morning ready to start the trek to Machu Picchu. We drove for a few hours, ate the breakfast our host families had lovingly packed for us, and started our walk by 8:00am. The steep hills and humidity was no match for our excitement and high spirits. Before we knew it, we were breaking for lunch. We anticipated a long afternoon of uphill hiking, but were pleasantly surprised with how quickly the time flew by. We arrived at Santa Teresa’s campsite in the afternoon, where we rested our tired feet in the luxurious hot springs.  At bedtime, we retired to our tents for a hard earned night’s rest.

The next morning, we rose at 6am, packing up our tents and sleeping bags, and loaded our backs with our luggage for the next few days. We began the beautiful journey from Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes, walking along the Urubamba River as the terrain slowly changed from a sub-tropical canyon to sweeping emerald mountains covered with mist.
Eventually, we met up with the famous Peru Rail tracks, which guided us to Aguas Calientes, aka Machu Picchu pueblo.  We had hot showers and an early dinner and tried our best to sleep as the excitement was rising for the today’s push to Machu Picchu.

There are two ways to get from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu: by buses that chug up steep switchbacks or by hiking the infamous, grueling, never-ending steps, which must make Icy-Hot a lot of money.  Clearly, we chose the latter.  At 3:30am our group assembled and the excitement was tangible.  We departed into the misty dark morning, strapped with headlamps and daypacks and began to climb.   Our lungs burned and our legs were willed only by the hope of climbing Wayna Pichhu (they only let the first 400 visitors attempt to climb this peak that towers above the ruins). After 1900 steps (Vanessa counted), we celebrated being some of the first in line at the top.

As the sun rose, we entered the ruins and hurried to the base of Wayna Picchu.  Despite our fatigue, our group scaled the mountain faster than all others. Our speedy ascent was rewarded by being the only ones at the top, accompanied only by clouds, occasional sprinkles and a rainbow stretching over the rugged peaks. Time seemed to stand still as we marveled, speechless, at the surreal setting at the top.

Top of Wayna Picchu

We later descended to the ruins and enjoyed an in-depth tour from our friend and certified guide, Mario “Chino” Meza.  We took the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo early this afternoon.

We are scheduled to leave our homestay village tomorrow morning.  In our two weeks here, we have bonded with our new friends and families, constructed a kitchen that local children will use for years and, most importantly, immersed ourselves in the rich Peruvian culture.  We have stepped outside our comfort zones and pushed ourselves harder than we thought possible.  We speak better Spanish now and know a few words in Quechua.  High altitude doesn’t affect us.  Our forearms and legs are stronger, our hearts bigger and our minds are more open.  This month has been the adventure we hoped for and more, and we can’t wait for you to hear about it in person.

We leave tomorrow for Cusco, and for Lima on Monday.  Our international flight is scheduled to land Tuesday afternoon.  Thanks for following our adventure, and we hope you are enjoying your summers!

Vanessa y Gabriel
Peru Immersion