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Machu Picchu

            One week ago today I stood at this spot, and now back home in San Francisco it almost feels as if I just imagined it.  Even at the time it had a surreal quality.  To have heard so much about Machu Picchu and seen so many images, then after four days of tough hiking to actually be standing there in the early morning light with this scene filling my field of vision…  Really a unique, incredible experience.

Low clouds covered the peaks we’d hiked through the day before and there seemed to be a good chance Machu Picchu would be hidden under a gray blanket when we arrived.  Instead the morning was unusually clear, with blue sky and sunlight on the ruins.  Our group had uncanny luck the whole way.  And that luck extended to the group itself.  The people I hiked with turned out to be great – fun, friendly, laid back, good senses of humor – which made the whole experience that much better.

I’d wanted to do the ‘classic’ four-day Inca Trail hike for a long time and finally made a reservation back in June.  The Peruvian government limits the number of people who can start the hike each day to 500 (which usually means only 200 tourists supported by 300 guides/porters/cooks), and typically all the spots are reserved months in advance, so you have to plan ahead.  You also have to go with a certified tour operator.  I chose Peru Treks and have nothing but good things to say about them.

The logistics make it tricky to fit the Inca Trail hike into a week-long vacation.  Most tour operators require you to be in Cusco at least two days in advance so you can acclimate to the altitude.  Cusco sits at about 11,000 feet and I can personally confirm that taking some time to adjust, especially coming from sea level, is really important.  On my first day in Cusco a short climb up a flight of stairs left me winded and light headed.  And just getting to Cusco takes a while.  My flight had three legs – SF to San Salvador, to Lima, then to Cusco – which pretty much ate up a full day each way.

So I ended up leaving SF at about midnight on Thursday 10/15, getting to Cusco Friday night 10/16 and spending the weekend there, hiking the Inca Trail from Monday 10/19 through Thursday 10/22, hanging out in Cusco on Friday 10/23, checking out Lima on Saturday 10/24, and finally returning to SF around midnight on Sunday 10/25.  Most of the other travelers I met were on much longer trips and I would have loved to have been able to spend more time exploring the rest of Peru.  But all things considered I can’t think of many better ways to spend a week – truly an amazing trip.  A lot more photos to follow.

Taken on: October 22, 2009

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Machu Picchu

Inca Trail

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Sets appears in: • Peru '09

Groups appears in: • Peru Images

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, f/8.0, 1/400 sec, 24mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto bracket
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows
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