Im pleased to say that I had an absolutely incredible Inca Jungle tour and it really exceeded my expectations!
On Sunday morning I waited for my pickup at 7am - after checking out I wanted to go to the bathroom so I left my bags next to someone who was sitting outside and asked if he could watch them for a minute. When I came back he told me in Hebrew that I looked familiar and we realized that we met on my first week of my trip in the first hostel I stayed in two months ago in Buenos Aires. Even though the company told me to be ready for the pickup at 7am, they didn't come until after 8 so I spent the time chatting with this guy and catching up on the past two months. It was a really nice and friendly exchange!
After a few hour drive, the first leg of the excursion was a two and a half hour bike ride. It was literally one of the most fun things I've done so far on this trip! We were driven up to the very top of a hill and outfitted with some major protective gear (shin and knee protectors, heavy-duty jacket, reflective jacket, helmet and gloves). Aside from providing protection, the extra layers also provided warmth which was necessary because it was quite cold - for the first hour of the ride we were basically in a cloud. Firstly, the surroundings were gorgeous! A long open road surrounded by green mountains with low set clouds allowing peaks of rays of sun shine through. For most of the ride we didn't even have to peddle because gravity just took us. Speeding down the road was exhilarating!! It wasn't steep enough to be specifically dangerous but it was steep enough to be really exciting! We were a group of about 25 people (mas o menos) and yet there were times when I found myself with no one close in front of me and no one close behind me and I felt at one with nature and the open road!
Our next activity was rafting. Maybe because we were such a big group
we were a bit delayed staying on schedule so we only arrived at the rafting site at about 430pm. Because it's getting to be winter in the southern hemisphere it gets dark quite early and frankly I thought the rafting would be quite a waste and pretty rushed... it ended up being a super fun experience and literally one of the funniest experiences I've had on this trip! Basically half of our trip's group turned out to be Israeli... just our van for the day was completely filled with Israelis (myself included! But how awkward would it have been for someone who didn't speak Hebrew...). Not everyone chose to do the rafting but I was put in a raft with just Israelis and a local Peruvian guide. He spoke to us almost only in Hebrew the whole time... "יאללה! קדימה! אחת, שתיים, אחת שתיים - תעצור!" ("Let's go! Forward! One, two, one, two - stop!). It was such a funny reality!
My last rafting experience in Mendoza, Argentina was completely in Spanish - this time almost solely in Hebrew... I wonder if I'll ever raft in English? In addition to the company, the rapids were also a lot of fun and exciting! It was classified as level 3 and in truth the dim light and the sunset made for a beautiful setting! We also stopped at one point towards the end and played a game as a group with the oars while on a sandy bank. It had us all running in circles and falling around like drunks. Anytime someone "got out" of the game they had to go jump in the river and if they needed any help making it in, the rafting guides were there to help ; ) I actually made it to the final three and despite not winning I still had a great time. In truth, this day of the trip got us off to a fantastic start to what proved to be an incredible trip and I have to say I think it was the most fun day I've had on this entire south American adventure.
The next day can be classified as a day of a ton of hiking. There is a comedian named Demitry Martin who says "hiking is just walking where it's OK to pee... sometimes old people hike by mistake..." I would say that proved true to us but I think because it was so hot and we sweat a lot from physical exertion, I actually didn't pee at all the whole day (sorry for the overshare but it's true!) We left at 7am and were basically on the move until about 6:30pm. We walked up along the side of a mountain, crossed the river by bridge, learned more about the Inca culture, hiked part of the original Inca trail and saw some absolutely breathtaking views all while walking side by side and getting to know one another in the group. The end of the day brought us to a natural hot-spring pool which was full of very white gringo (foreigners) bodies. I actually opted not to go in because I didn't feel like traveling while wet afterwards but it was nice to have a break after so much walking. We had the option to take a local bus back from the hot-springs or to hike for another hour. Only myself and one other guy wanted to walk so we had a private short excursion with one of the guides. It was almost pitch black so there wasn't much to see but it was fun to walk into the local town. We got there a bit before the rest of the group since we left before them so when we checked into the next Hostel, we had some time to spare. On our way walking to check out the local main square (keep in mind this is a tiny little place where the local square was about a 3 minute walking from the edge of the town) we were approached by these two young local children. They were so excited to play with us and were even using the other guy as a jungle-gym because he was really tall. It was a cute opportunity to connect with some locals even though they were very young children and it's amazing that we could connect despite our lack of a mutual language... I guess that's how it is with kids! That night we all went out to the one local "club" which didn't host any locals, rather tourists from all the different groups that were staying in the town. It was actually a lot of fun and a further bonding experience for all of us!
Our next day started out with some serious adventure - zip-lining! I can now add that to my list of adventurous activities that scare me but I've faced anyway. We had all together 5 lines to zip along and after the first one when my fear was palpable, it just got more and more fun! The scenery was incredible crossing from one side of the mountain to the other, sometimes at speeds of up to almost 100 kilometers an hour! The last line afforded us the opportunity to go Superman style - on our bellies.. and so I did that too! The harness was anything but comfortable (and flattering for that matter) but I was happy for the protection. In truth one of the reasons that I was so scared - even moreso than regular - was because about a month ago there was an Israeli boy who died from the zip-lining on this same trip to Machupicchu (although not Necessarily this company - I don't know). I can't say for certain what happened but word on the street was that it was not because of faulty equipment... the fact that there were many Israelis around and everyone was talking about it actually made me feel more comforted. I'm really happy I did it because it was fun, exhilarating and just a gorgeous experience! There was a moment during the Superman run when one guy ended up hanging almost upside down and couldn't right himself up and had to be "rescued" - some people were less than graceful, often awkwardly swimming through the air in the Superman run, but this guy took the cake. Other than the fact that it actually looked quite terrifying (which he later confirmed was how he felt), it provided some comic relief for those of us standing on the side.
After we all finished our zip-lining adventure, were had another few hour walk to get to Aguas Calientes - the landing point for heading up to Machu Picchu. It's a small very touristy town that is rather expensive. The only reason there are any locals there is to cash in on tourism. I don't say that as a complaint rather it described the lack of local culture and the majorly inflated prices of everything. We had a relatively early night because the next morning those of us that were climbing up the mountain (an over 1700 stairs climb - depending on pace taking about an hour) instead of taking the bus (a $12usd cost taking about 20 minutes) were already on the road at 4:35 am. The climbing was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done. Aside from the fact that it was hard in and of itself, my muscles were tired from the previous 3 days of biking, Hiking, and general physical activity. I was also still pretty congested from remnants of a cold from the week before making breathing that much more difficult. And these steps - oh gosh these steps... there were very few non-step places meaning it was almost always a vertical climb and some of them required hand-on-knee arm assistance. Of course it was pitch black when we started the climb and slowly along the way the Sunday started to creep out giving at least an enjoyable view during the difficult exertion. At one point it even started to drizzle which was actually received with a smile because I was dripping sweat from every pore in my body. By the end, the only thing that was keeping me going and not taking a million breaks was knowing I had to be by the top at a certain time for our group tour to begin. When I first laid eyes on the very last step it was a joy felt throughout the body! It was such a relief and despite the exhaustion and physical ache, I was very proud of myself. There wasn't much resting time at the top because all the tours were getting started so I quickly shoved some sustenance in my mouth to try and replenish energy and we began learning about how Machu Picchu was rediscovered by an American in the early 1900's. It's really quite a sight up there. What the Incas were able to build with limited supplies and difficult conditions is applause-worthy. They were very connected with the sun and the moon and created incredible systems for knowing what month it wasband when the solstices and equinoxes took place - all from the positions of the sun and the moon from different angles. It was nice to walk around and relive the history. There were also some llamas walking around which made for a cute picture and authentic feel.
I've said it before - I'm a cheesy tourist so checking off Machu Picchu from my list was exciting. After the tour we had the rest of the day to do as we pleased. I walked around for a bit more, ate some lunch but I felt exhausted. I didn't have the energy to really explore every nook and cranny nor did I feel it necessary. So after a couple of hours I went back down the mountain - once again by foot. Obviously the climb down was easier than the climb up, but it was still challenging and was a number on the knees. It only took about 35 minutes to descend but when I finally got to the bottom my legs were actually trembling. Just alongside the river at that point there were a bunch of benches and so I lay down and actually took a restful nap, out in the sun, for about an hour and a half. It was exactly what I needed to give my legs a break and put some more sleep in my body. One of the girls who I had met over the course of the trip saw me when she came down and said I looked like I was dead and completely worn out. That nap was the best thing I could have done for myself because I really felt rejuvenated afterwards.
We all had either train tickets or bus tickets back at different parts of the day which would bring our adventure to a close. My train ticket was at 6:35pm along with a whole lot of other people and it took us to a station about an hour and a half outside of Cuzco. When you get off the train you have to find your name among a sea of people holding up signs to collect all the travelers and bring them by van back to Cuzco. It was A really funny scene and left a lot of room for confusion and mixup. Thank God I found my ride and made it safely back to Cuzco at around 11pm and went to check back in to the same hostel for the 3rd time since I arrived.
It was hard coming back to the cold climate of Cuzco after having been out in the warm sun for the previous couple of days. I had no energy to shower and knowing I had only one night to stay there I allowed myself to sleep in all my clothing and shower in the morning. Today, after checking out I quickly went into town and enjoyed an hour long full body massage! The prices are unbeatable here (around $8usd) and it was actually quite good! My body had taken a beating and it welcomed a relaxing massage, or as the locals call it to attract tourists "masache."
I'm now a plane heading to Lima for the weekend where I will spend Shabbat and Shavuot. I'm getting quite used to writing on my phone - something I initially thought was a nuisance but now I realize it let's me write when I have the time and in chunks so that I can compile it together when time allows and when I have Wi-Fi.
I'm looking forward to some good food (some dairy - yum!) And some much needed rest. Peru is coming to an end for me and I have less than 4 weeks left in South America... crazy! Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom, chag sameach and a very happy weekend!
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