Cuzco to Salkantay Lodge

Trip Start Sep 27, 2010
1
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15
Trip End Oct 09, 2010


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Flag of Peru  , Cusco,
Thursday, September 30, 2010

We rose at 5:30, packed our things, and had breakfast at the hotel. Raul met our group at 7:00, and we loaded our gear into the van for a drive west into the mountains and our first trailhead. As we drove out of the Cuzco valley, we could again see some of the extreme poverty of the area. However, we noticed that the children on their way to school, many of them wearing school uniforms, were scrubbed clean and seemed to be well fed, a testament to the value that the people put on improving their lot and a hope for a better future. Beyond Cuzco valley, we drove through rural farmland where the hard working people were starting their day and more school children rushed to catch their buses. We stopped to visit the Inca ruin of Tarawasi outside the town of Limatambo. About 45 minutes beyond, we turned off the highway to the north onto an unpaved road to the village of Mollepata where we had a coffee break at a home where guinea pigs were being raised. We drove on to the trailhead on a dirt road that became narrower as we climbed until it was not much more than a trail itself
Leaving Cuzco
Leaving Cuzco
. My gps showed an elevation at the trailhead of 11,000 feet.

The hike to our first lodge was described in our itinerary as five miles. However, the gps showed over nine miles to an elevation of 12,000 feet - a much greater challenge than I had imagined. Much of the trail followed an aqueduct, which provided irrigation water from the mountain glaciers to the farmland.  At the end of the hike, the south side of Salkantay peak came into view partially shrouded in clouds and with a huge glacial ice flow covering much of its face. On the plain in front of us was Salkantay Lodge, our home for the next two nights. Its stucco walls and thatched roof blended in well with the suroundings. The rustic exterior belied a luxurious interior, and we were greeted by staff with warm washcloths and a cup of mint tea. Our room was equally luxurious with a balcony and a view of Salkantay peak. We settled in and the went to the lounge area for a glass of wine. We had dinner as a group - a three course meal that was equal to many fine restaurants. Dessert was a chocolate cake with passion fruit sauce and two sparkling candles in honor of Jay's 67th birthday. Exhausted, we went to bed right after dinner, and had lights out by 8:30.
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