We went on a GAdventures tour through the southern part of Peru and it was awesome. After getting some churros (con chocolate, crema, and dulce de leche) in Lima, we flew to Cusco to begin our acclimation to the high altitude. A good way of checking if you have altitude sickness is to drink a pisco sour once you are in Cusco and see if you immediately become intoxicated. If so, drink as much coca tea as possible because it really helps a lot (whether this is a placebo effect or actual effect, I have no idea). Once in Cusco, we had a delicious meal of lomo saltado (sauteed beef with vegetables and fried potatoes) at ChiCha. The beef was very tender and the mushrooms were a nice surprise. We also had a chance to walk to San Pedro market, which was filled with cool things to see (many different types of potatoes, cheese, butcher stands, and fruit markets).
The next day, GAdventures brought us to Ccaccaccollo to visit a weaving community and see how alpaca textiles are made. The products at this community seemed much better than what we found in Cusco so we bought loads of scarves and sweaters. We spent the night in Ollantaytambo before heading to Km 82 to begin our trek.
The four days on the Inca Trail were amazing. Our guides and porters were so friendly and knowledgeable and warm. The cooks even managed to bake us a delicious cake with no oven and an altitude of 3600m. The scenery is fantastic; one gets to walk through high mountains as well as cloud forest. We also got to see a few llamas and small Inca sites along the way. And of course, Macchu Picchu at the end is really a once in a lifetime experience. We went on the trek during rainy season but I think the clouds gave everything a touch of mystery that would not have been there otherwise.
The last part of our trip was at the Tambopata Reserve near Puerto Maldonado. We saw quite a few animals and insects on our hikes but not nearly as many animals as in Borneo. The food at the GAdventure Lodge was outstanding and it was a relaxing way to end the trip.
