Tag: hiking

I’m going to let you in on a little secret with this post on what I packed for Peru in July. Not only do I make regular packing lists before I travel, I also make a visual packing list of my clothing. Behold:

I know. So dorky, right?! And I know what some of you are probably thinking: this takes more time than normal people are willing to spend on a packing list. Though I usually whip these up in about 15 minutes or less. What can I say? I’m a visual person, and this is the perfect way for me to see if I’m going to have everything I need before I drag it all out of the closet and dresser.

My visual packing list also shows me if there’s anything repetitive, if I’ll be able to mix-and-match, or if I planned more than I need to take. To make the visual packing list, I simply right-click and copy the images of my clothes from online stores, and then I paste the copied images onto a blank document in Photoshop. I scoot the picture layers around to fit, and add/delete as needed. Easy breezy!

For this trip to Peru, Chris and I spent a couple of days each in Lima and Peru, but the majority of time we were trekking through the Sacred Valley on the Lares Adventure with Mountain Lodges of Peru. So I mainly needed hiking-appropriate outfits, and a few things I could wear around the lodges in the evenings. And also mountain-themed socks, of course.

Because we had some early mornings, we needed to be prepared for the low temperatures as well as the highs. The range for our trip mostly ended up being between 35-75 degrees F. We lucked out with a long string of sunny or partly cloudy days, and even though I bought a cute new rain jacket, I never needed it. So in addition to the visual list above, here’s the checklist of what I packed for fifteen days in July:

• 3 quick-drying short-sleeve shirts
• 3 casual short-sleeve shirts
• 2 long-sleeve shirts
• 1 1/4-zip technical fleece
• 1 pullover hoodie
• 1 tank top (not pictured; for sleeping)
• 2 pairs of lightweight hiking pants
• 1 pair of jeans
• casual jacket
• waterproof rain jacket
• waterproof hiking shoes
• Vans casual shoes
• bras, undies, and socks (I love Exofficio for travel – they dry quickly after washing!)
• baseball cap
• knit beanie
• small Ona camera bag to hold my SLR and a point-and-shoot
• swimsuit (not pictured above)

My hiking outfits were the hardest part for me to decide on because my pre-trip research found photos of people hiking the Sacred Valley trails in tank tops and shorts, but also in puffy jackets, gloves, and scarves (same people on the same trip). Elevations on our trek ranged from 6,232’/1,900 m to 14,646’/4,464m. Most of our days we needed long sleeves and layers that we could peel off as the day got warmer, but I never ended up in short-sleeves except for at Machu Picchu where it felt much warmer than the rest of the trip.

All of our stuff was neatly organized into our trusty Eagle Creek packing cubes and into our suitcases. It’s worth mentioning that while Chris and I tend to only bring one carry-on suitcase each (plus a personal item/backpack), our plan was foiled this time around because of my hiking poles.

I bought a really great new pair of poles to use on the trip specifically because they folded down into a compact size, only to find out that hiking poles are not allowed in the airplane main cabin and we had to check our bags! Womp womp. MLP provided poles, too, so I probably didn’t even need to bring mine. Oh well.

I ended up wearing everything I brought except for the rain jacket and the knit beanie. Generally I don’t think anything was missing from what I packed, although I did feel like I kept repeating my warmest hoodie every night around the lodge. I easily could have bought an extra sweater though. We had plenty of opportunities to buy beautiful alpaca sweaters at almost every turn!

So that’s my packing list for two weeks of mainly doing outdoors-y stuff in Peru. I hope it helps you prepare for your own adventure! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about packing for either of these places.

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Like many travelers who make plans for Peru, my ultimate goal was to see the magnificence of Machu Picchu, and our trip would not have felt complete without a visit to the ancient citadel. And for most of the morning and afternoon on Day Six, we thought we would miss out on seeing it. But late that day, we made it to Aguas Calientes, and on Day Seven of our Lares Adventure we did see Machu Picchu! And it was indeed magnificent.

But let me go back to the start of our time in Aguas Calientes. We arrived by train around 7pm and walked from the station to our lodging for the night, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel. The hotel grounds are breathtaking, but after having sort of a stressful day I just didn’t have it in me to take many photos. Plus by the time we ate dinner and arrived to our rooms, it was dark. And we left first thing the next morning to try to beat the crowds to Machu Picchu. All of this is to say I did not end up taking photos of the beautiful hotel.

But we did have some time after our tour of Machu Picchu to do a little bird watching – the Inkaterra is home to dozens of hummingbirds!

Despite getting to the line for the bus by 8:15am, there was quite a queue already formed. But the line moved fast, and I think we only waited for maybe twenty minutes. And I was too excited to care! We were going to see Machu Picchu!

Our bus ride up the long and winding Hiram Bingham Highway took us right to the entrance of Machu Picchu and we were the only ones there! Just kidding. Everyone else in the world was there, too. But still…Machu Picchu!

After waiting in that line and getting our tickets scanned…

…we walked up a path and turned the corner to see this!

Group photo with one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, check! We went on to tour the grounds and the various structures, and we learned about the religious, ceremonial, and agricultural aspects of each area. I’m especially fascinated by the astronomical features of the Inca sites. The Incas worshiped the sun, and they aligned their structures to tie into the sun’s movement on significant ceremonial dates. Eddie pointed out several features of Machu Picchu that illustrate how the Incas honored the sun.

Oh, and there were also llamas!

Shortly before Chris and I left for Peru, we heard the news about changes to the rules for tourists at Machu Picchu which became effective just a few days before we were set to arrive. Basically instead of allowing visitors to roam freely around the site, a specific set of paths has been set, and entrance must be accompanied by a guide. Not knowing in advance how the rules would work, I worried that the new restrictions would keep me from getting the one photo I wanted – the postcard view from the top near Watchman’s Hut.

Our tour did stick to a specific path, only in one direction, and guards were posted throughout to keep tourists from straying off that route. We had to exit Machu Picchu and re-enter in order to climb up to Watchman’s Hut and we did so without Eddie, but for some reason that was allowed with no issues. If I remember correctly, you are allowed to re-enter Machu Picchu two times as long as it was within your ticketed timeslot, but I’m not exactly sure why we didn’t need a guide to go up to the hut.

We ended up having to choose between this and the Huayna Picchu hike though, because we only had time to do one or the other. I’m a slow hiker as it is, and I think I would have taken even longer on HP with the steepness. I also really (really really) wanted to see the Watchman’s Hut view. So Huayna Picchu is on the list for next time! I’m glad we chose to climb up to Watchman’s Hut because the view is spectacular and I did get the shot I wanted (even if the lighting wasn’t quite perfect), plus some fun pictures of us.

Side note: I should mention that I failed to wear bug spray at Machu Picchu even though I knew it was recommended and I even brought it with me. I’m all smiles in the photos from that day, but what I didn’t know at the time was that I would end up with a dozen of the reddest, itchiest bites I’ve ever endured, and that even as I’m writing this blog post two months later, I still have marks on my legs! I implore you to wear bug spray!

I feel like this would be a fine place to end our story in Peru, but transportation woes continued to be an issue for us as we attempted to make our way back to Cusco. The trains were shut down during our day in Aguas Calientes since the tracks were still being dismantled by the protesters. At least this time we were able to linger over a delicious lunch in the Inkaterra hotel instead of at the train station. We enjoyed the comforts (and WiFi) of the lobby while we awaited our train.

We waited all afternoon with no news until all of a sudden our window of opportunity arose and we rushed to the train station. This was another time on our trip that I was incredibly thankful to have a guide. If Chris and I had visited Machu Picchu on our own, we might not have even reached Aguas Calientes, or if we had, we could have gotten stranded there. Eddie managed to arrange our train transfer back to Ollantaytambo, and I suspect he had to work some magic to expedite things for us. We breezed by throngs of weary travelers who seemed surprised and perhaps a little disgruntled that we were on the next train out. Again, I don’t know what went on behind the scenes to make that happen and I was happy Eddie expertly handled it for us. We breathed a sigh of relief when we were seated on the train and it actually departed.

Upon arriving at Ollantaytambo, trying to exit the train station was somewhat of a mob scene (see blurry iPhone snap below). Hundreds of people were pressed against the fences yelling and shouting, trying to get in, possibly after having been delayed all day or maybe even from the day before. Our group had to wedge ourselves out of the gate and through the crowds, trying to keep a close eye on each other. Cars and vans lined every inch of the roads with drivers attempting to locate their passengers amidst the confusion. They, too, had waited all day for clients or family/friends who were unable to reach the station on time if at all.

We located our van in the chaos and piled in for the long ride back to Cusco in which our driver expertly navigated the back roads to avoid potential protester road blocks. We reached Cusco late in the evening and deposited each of the trekkers at their respective hotels. Chris and I said goodbyes to our newfound friends, with whom we formed bonds over adventure, new experiences, and the wonders of Inca history, and retired to our room for the night. (Actually we ended up going to grab Subway sandwiches at about 10:30pm, and then we hit the hay.)

Even with the drama we encountered with getting to and from the citadel, Machu Picchu certainly did make for a superb grand finale to our week. Mountain Lodges of Peru calls this trek a “seven-day journey through the rich history, living culture and magnificent landscape of Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas,” and I can’t think of a better way to spend a week in Peru. I loved every minute of it…minus the bug bites.

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Chris and I are playing a virtual game of Travel Snafu Bingo. We have marked off the squares for the ordinary travel misfortunes like lost luggage, food poisoning, and canceled flights, but we’ve also checked off tropical storms, hurricanes, a volcano eruption, a virus outbreak, a parasite that required cryosurgery, and a couple of other mishaps. After our trip to Peru, we get to cross off local protests/strikes! (Note to the Universe: I am in no way trying to jinx ourselves or ask for additional troubles to occur.)

And I’m certainly not complaining – we have been incredibly fortunate to weather the storms and setbacks safely and have avoided any true disasters during our adventures, knock on wood. We have also learned some valuable lessons and life skills along the way! (Always wear bug spray in Central America.)

When we arrived in Peru to the rumblings of a teachers’ strike in Cusco, we didn’t think it would really affect our travel all that much. But as details unfolded and as the strike grew in intensity, we learned that the impact to travel might be quite significant since large groups of protesters were blocking streets and train tracks in and out of the region. Sure enough, as we arrived by van outside of Ollantaytambo on Day Six, we were stopped in the road before we reached our destination in town.

With beautiful weather on our side and our destination only a mile away, we were able to simply hop off the van and successfully carry all of our bags and belongings on our backs and hoof it up the hill into town. From there, we made our way over to the day’s archaeological site – the Sun Temple ruins of Ollantaytambo.

Apparently climbing that hill into town was just a warm-up for the steps of the Sun Temple. More evidence of how fit those Inca people must have been!

We explored the ruins and enjoyed views of the town from various points on top of the temple, which we learned was also used as a fortress to where Manco Inca retreated during the Spanish conquistador siege of Cusco. Stopping to take photos of the town also served as an excuse to catch my breath after several flights of stairs. Ollantaytambo sits around 9160 feet and wasn’t the highest part of our trek of course, but it’s still enough elevation to make one huff and puff a little after 200 or so steps.

Chris is taller than the average Inca.

After touring the ruins, we climbed back down and headed straight for the railway station in order to catch our 11:15am train to Aguas Calientes. The only problem was…the trains had all stopped running. Protesters sitting on the tracks that day managed to successfully block all trains coming in and out of Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu.

So our patient and hopeful group crossed our fingers, piled our bags in the covered shelter area of the train station, and we waited for news on the train service. We ate our boxed lunches, drank the complimentary coffee, and shared sympathetic smiles with other stranded travelers all worried about the prospect of not being able to reach Machu Picchu.

Over the next several hours, hundreds of additional passengers joined us on the platform to wait for the Little Engine That Could even though it couldn’t. A group of school children performed cheerful songs and dances in the grassy area behind the shelter. All of this was going on while our faithful guide, Eddie, paced the tracks and stayed on his cell phone to keep informed about the current situation.

He found out from his sources that no trains were able to run, and that some trains were stopped along the railway with passengers on board. We heard reports of the protesters ripping up parts of the train tracks and becoming violent, including throwing objects, rocking cars, and starting fires, which is one of the reasons why it wasn’t ever feasible for us to walk the 20-ish miles along the tracks to Machu Picchu.

Thankfully we also eventually received news that the Cusco police arrived to the scene and were able to step in to remove some of the demonstrations blocking the tracks. Track repair happened at an impressive rate, trains slowly began to move again, and after over six hours at the station we finally boarded a train! We were lucky to be the first group in line for the next train and to arrive safe and sound (albeit much later than expected) to Aguas Calientes. We read heartbreaking stories on social media of people who were completely cut off from reaching Machu Picchu, or who were stranded without accommodations.

The demonstration drama actually continued to be an issue for us on Day Seven and that blog post is next, but spoiler alert: we totally got to see Machu Picchu, the Big Finale to our Sacred Valley adventure!