Top of the mountain: A hike to Machu Picchu (Part 1)

By Simon J. Lau

Let the explorations begin! We arrived in Peru today. I left for Machu Picchu with my father yesterday evening and after 16 grueling hours of travel and two connecting flights, we finally made it into Cuzco this afternoon.

This also happens to be my first international trip since renewing my passport last year. It is always exciting to visit a new country, but it is even nicer to finally break in a new passport. Let us hope that this is the beginning of many more international trips in the near future!

As for our first day in Peru, we checked into Pariwana, a centrally located hostel in downtown Cuzco. We are 2.5 blocks from Plaza de Armas, the main plaza in the city, and within walking distance of many of the iconic churches and landmarks in the area. The area kind of reminds me of my travels to Macau and Puerto Vallarta. It reminds me of Macau because of the many colonial-style buildings that still remain, and it reminds me of Puerto Vallarta because of the many stray dogs. Kidding aside, there are many stray dogs that wander each city block. Unlike other cities, however, these strays appear fairly well-adjusted and well-fed.

In addition to visiting the city center, we also enjoyed our first Peruvian meal at La Cusquenita. La Cusquenita, a Peruvian buffet, was recommended to us by two store associates at NorthFace. I am not sure if NorthFace was the best place for authentic food recommendations, but at least we got to sample a little bit of everything on our first night. My favorite was the dessert table, which I visited on three times. This place also had live entertainment that included traditional Peruvian song and dance. They put on a good show and it was a great way to start our time in Peru.

Tomorrow, as we continue to acclimate to the high altitude, we will be taking a 12-hour tour of several historic sites in and around the region. I will have more on that when it happens. Then Saturday we wake up early to start our hike through the mountains!

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