Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
Wow, those are really wonderful photos! My wife and I will go to Peru in the first half of September. This is an excellent introduction. Thanks so much for posting this.
A few questions about your trip:
1. Given the high altitude, did you find yourselves very winded in walking around Cusco? Did the altitude limit what you felt you could do there?
2. If so, did the coca tea help much?
3. What were your favorite and least favorite places to visit in the Sacred Valley?
4. Same question for Cusco itself: favorite and least favorite?
5. That climb up to Huyana Piccu does indeed look steep! About how long would you say it took you to climb to the top? And at about what pace were you going compared to most other folks - slow, average or fast?
Thanks for any information you can provide!
1. I myself didn't. I exercise quite regularly and I'm 19 so that may have something to do with it. My mom however did occasionally run out of breath.
2. Honestly, I don't think it did. Locals swear by it but I noticed nothing.
3. I'd say my favorite was Ollantaytambo. It was the first place we actually saw ruins at. Lots of hiking up and down as well.
4. Cusco is great. My favorite part was Sacsayhuaman, its just unbelievable. The city itself is fairly small so walking around you can find lots of things to do.
5. The climb was indeed very steep, and at many times there's nothing to hold onto. If you're afraid of heights, don't go. I made it up in 48 minutes (I timed it) and was the 3rd of maybe 100 or so people to get up there so I'd say I was going fairly fast. The majority of people take about 1.5 or 2 hours to get up.
Hoep this helps you. If you have any questions or anything before you go just PM me!