Earlier this month I did perhaps the coolest thing I will have done in Peru, and I have had many cool experiences, so that's not a low bar!
When I first arrived in Chalhuanca, I had already had plans to visit all the sites around Cusco–Machu Picchu, Qorikancha, Saqsayhuaman, but when telling all this to one of my new co-workers they came to a sudden realization, telling me, "You need to go to Choquequirao!" After looking up this famous Incan site on Google, I decided I needed to go to Choquequirao.
That all happened back in the beginning of August, and the months have since flown by, so before I knew it, I had already begun planning the four day, 33 mile trek to get to Choquequirao. Then suddenly I was off in a colectivo heading to the trailhead at Capuliyoq to sleep for the night.
Day One:
My two friends and I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to start the first day of trekking, with the plan to hike down one side of a mountain and up the opposing one. With nothing but a headlamp that sometimes flickered on and off, I started off on the trail and quickly arrived to a mirador where I was able to take in the pitch dark view. In general, the descent was pretty uninteresting and straight forward. I would walk a few kilometers, take an occasional rest and snack on my apples and alpaca jerky.
