Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, & Cusco, Peru

Greetings!

Last week was spring break, which I obviously NEEDED. Me and some friends chose a red-eye flight to Cusco and fell in love with the city immediately. The city was the center of the Inca Empire and is beautifully carved of stone. The people were sincere and friendly, and we met some amazing adventurers from around the world. However, the markets and artisans were definitely the highlight. I spent about 3 days wandering the streets looking at all of the hand-made hats and alpaca sweaters that Cusco is famous  for. I also bought an incredible warrior mask and chess set that has the conquistadors versus the Incas. It was extremely fun negotiating prices for everything in soles (2.66 soles per dollar) and finding out I got things for cheaper than my friends. 

On the 11th, we departed for the 4 day, 3 night Inca Trail. It was incredible to learn the history and significance of the trail before we arrive at the Big Kahuna, Machu Picchu. We were in a group of 14 with 3 guides that did a great job of explaining the history. The Inca Trail was filled with ruins from temples that priests and noble people used to purify themselves along their pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. Upon the Spanish arrival in 1532, the Inca demolished the bridges and parts of trails leading to Machu Picchu in order to protect their most sacred place. In effect, it was abandoned from 1534 until 1911 when a Yale professor encountered the Lost City of the Inca. 

Everyone in the group had an incredible time and fell in love with Peru. The Peruvians are much more proud of their Incan heritage than Ecuadorians, which made for an exceptional cultural experience. If you go to South America, don't overlook Cusco!

Estaban accentuating the Gringo tourist look with his new adventure hat

Cloud Hopping

Not a bad spot to set up shop

Plans for the day

Adventurer of the Year photoshoot

Onward!

So metaphorical

 The Goon Squad hard at work with a self-timing camera. 

It's too bad nobody could be accredited with taking this artistic photograph. 

Each ruin worshipped a god.

 The 3 main gods are the sun, the water, and the earth. 

The 3 rules are don't lie, don't be lazy, and don't steal.

The 3 animals are the condor (balance), the puma (strength), and the serpent (knowledge).

The 3 working systems are family, community, and empire. 

Each of these is represented by a corner on the Incan cross. 

P   a    n   o   r   a   m   i   c

On the final day our group woke up at 3:30AM to be the first on the trail to see the Big Kahuna.

The benefit, was that we got to see the ruins without anyone clouding up our pictures.

By the way, this picture deep, real deep. Take a moment to reflect if you need to. 

The Big Kahuna

Feliz Cumpleaños to my Godson on March 23!

And finally, what you've all been asking for...

I've gotten many questions from fans around the world wondering when my adventure calendar will come out. Well, the proposed launch date is 2020. 

Here is photo 2/12:

March 2020, Incan Ruin, Inca Trail

And now, off to the Galapagos for 3 weeks!

The first week is a cruise around the islands on a chartered boat!!!!