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It was another 3am day in order to take a plane and get to Cuzco by 7:30am.We then took a bus up to a point where we then biked almost 22 miles down to the town of Santa Maria.Our guide, Johann, was only 18 years old but very experienced. The bikes were brand new & rode well but my right hand hurt from holding the back break almost constantly during our downhill ride.Along the way we saw some amazing scenery, crossed over some little streams which proceeded to get us wet, saw some beautiful campesinos, etc.We also stopped at an Incan ruin & learned about the festival of the sun - inti raymi that took place there.Also the word hackuchis - let's go in Quetchua!All in all it was a beautiful ride but we forgot to put bug spray on and I got eaten alive -Peruvian mosquitoes are lethal - they actually left open blood dots on my legs!Little did I know that they would still itch a week later!!!!We got to Santa Maria for dinner and sleeping.Dinner was good but the place had cold showers - yikes!
For Day 2, our 14 mile hike, we were joined by a Dutch couple, a guy Tom from England, and 2 Mexican girls who were aunt & niece. We got woken up at 5:30am for a banana chocolate crepe-type pancake for breakfast - delicious!!The hike was great but the group went faster than I would have liked & it was hard to take pictures and catch up.We learned about the 4 major plants of Peru - coca, café, achiote and I forgot the other one.We saw some coca leaves & learned about them.Also, we learned about the achiote which they use to give sauces and things a red color & also for face paint - Johann painted our faces w/ it - Alie first!It was pretty cool but then when we passed a little waterfall to wash our face it turned our whole face orange!!!Our walk went along a steep mountain and we went down a part of the traditional Inca trail.Before starting that part Johann told us that the mountain spirits were called apus and that the natives did a tribute to the different apus by blowing on coca leaves and chanting to the different apus around us asking for protection on our trip.Afterwards we chewed the 3 coca leaves.It was pretty cool but the coca leaves (dried) tasted pretty gross!(During other parts of the trip Johann gave us more info. like that Inca actually meant King.The real name of the people was Quechua, which was their culture & their language.There were only 3 great Incas (Kings) the last 3 during which time their empire was expanded north to Ecuador & south to Chile & Argentina & they built Machu Pichu & many other great temples/cities.Their grandeur only lasted less than 100 years though @1435 - 1531.Before the Spanish arrived there was a big civil war between the 2 brothers for the crown & then w/ the Spanish & the help of warring nations the empire was destroyed.)The trail was really beautiful & when we took a rest break before lunch there was a family there w/ some kind of beaver looking animal called a picuro or something like that.It drank whatever you gave it from a Gatorade bottle!!!There was also a cute little monkey on a leash and a coati on a leash.We finally got to the hot springs and spent an hour there.They were OK, but not great.Afterwards, we walked the last hour to Santa Teresa in the dark with some drizzle - luckily Tom & one of the Mexicans had flashlights!The place we stayed had a shared bathroom w/ no soap or toilet paper - the lack of soap & toilet paper in bathrooms were really starting to grate on me…and that night my stomach started to hurt…sigh…
On day 3 I woke up from the rooster, my itching mosquito bites and the need to shower.After my freezing cold shower & breakfast we walked through some beautiful scenery, past a guy planting coca, to a hydroelectric plant for lunch.Unfortunately from the plant to Aguas Calientes it rained the entire time!!We had to walk the whole way along railroad tracks which was not fun having to watch every step compounded w/ the apparent eggbeater going off in my stomach.LWe finally got to take a HOT shower in Aguas Calientes which was good cause it was freezing there.
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