11,152 feet: Cusco, Peru

Cusco, Peru is a city full of history. It's one of the oldest living cities in South America, having been inhabited for nearly 3,000 years. The streets are full of ancient buildings and the roads are anything but modern. The beauty of this place has completely swept me off my feet.

A quick reminder; although my primary travels are solo, my trip to Peru is a part of a travel group with Travel World Culture. I have briefly mentioned them before but just to quickly remind you, TWC is a travel group owned by Jess and Gavin; the couple who I first traveled with to Costa Rica in early January and are a huge reason I decided to solo travel. My trip to Peru is a part of a month-long group trip with other adults in their mid 20's who work remotely.

My first couple of days in Cusco were an adjustment, going from 575 feet in Costa Rica to 11,152 feet in altitude. Although Jess and Gavin had warned us about the altitude and tried to prepare us as best as possible, I was hit pretty hard. The second day I was there I was out with intense altitude sickness, one I would not wish on anyone. If you plan to travel here, definitely over-hydrate and give yourself a couple of days to acclimate.

My first weekend was full of adventure with Saturday being a 3 am wake-up call for a hike on Rainbow Mountain. A three-hour drive from Cusco and roads you wouldn't think are legal nor safe to drive on. Something I quickly learned while abroad is that American roads are very different. While we are used to freeways, traffic lights, and just concrete streets, other countries' streets are mostly dirt roads. So let's just say that the three-hour drive was quite bumpy.

Rainbow Mountain, also called Vinicunca, is found in the Andres mountains. Its beauty is full of natural multi-colored minerals and 17,000 feet above sea level. The hike to the top is quite exhausting, and breezy, but the views are 100% worth it. On the mountain, you'll see many locals holding Llamas and Alpacas, in hopes you'll want a picture which will cost you about 1 sol ($0.25). As well as this, most restrooms around the area will also cost you about the same to use. The hike itself is about two hours, so including the three-hour drive both ways, you're in for a full day. Our tour group included breakfast and a lunch buffet (absolutely amazing). By the time we'd gotten back to our hostel was close to 6 pm, so about a 15-hour day.

Sunday was another full day with a tour through the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is a region in Peru's Andean highlands and formed the heart of the Inca Empire. This is an extremely popular attraction in Cusco and is a very scenic, cultural, and historical tour. It has viewpoints, the Pisac ruins, local markets, Ollantaytambo ruins, and the Maras salt mines/moray hortic site. This was also an early morning call, at 6 am; so as you can expect by the end of this we were all quite exhausted.

Pisac Ruins: Among Peru's most extensive archeological sites - an example of Ingenious Inca architecture. (seen above)

Ollantaytambo ruins: Known as the living Inca City, they have religious significance and were used as a retreat from the attack of the Spanish.

Maras Salt mines: These are about 3,000 pounds of salt, locally owned by 600 local families. They are one of the largest salt extraction centers in the territory of Peru. (picture to the right)

That's my first weekend in Cusco, Peru! I'm absolutely wrecked from all the activity and socializing, but have never felt happier. Learning about different cultures, countries, and people are a true passion of mine. The history and beauty of each place I've visited has blown my mind. Especially learning about it with my own two eyes instead of sitting in a classroom or reading it off the internet.