After about three hours, we arrived at the Apurímac River that was just a thin distant ribbon that morning and took a dip before starting the climb.
The ascent was difficult, to say the least. We started heading up the mountain at around 11:00 a.m. and after sweating and taking frequent breaks for an hour, I realized we were only an eighth of the way to the end. After six hours in total, plenty of pretzels and candy, and frequent rests along endless switchbacks, I arrived at my destination for the night, Marampata. Because I was exhuasted from hiking about 20 kilometers of distance and 2 kilometers in elevation, I devoured my pollo saltado and passed out in my triangular cabin overlooking the valley.
Day Two:
The second day we slept in a little bit and decided to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to hike the final distance to Choquequirao. The short two hour hike between Marampata and the archeological park wasn't awful, other than the occasional steep uphill and groups of mules who blocked the path. Finally, we emerged from the thick cloud forest out on to a series of massive terraces that directed us further into the Incan city until we arrived at the main plaza. Choquequirao, described as the sister ruins to Machu Picchu, is a massive array of stone buildings and terraces that are thought to comprise one of the last sites of Incan resistence during Spanish colonialization. 70% of the site is estimated to be still hidden by earth and vegetation. What makes Choquequirao unique is that in spite of its massive area with many restored buildings, for the most part, it's a ghost town.
