Hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: An unforgettable journey
Celebrating a life achievement with another once-in-a-lifetime achievement.
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Peru marked my 30th country to visit in my life, and it was remarkable. I had a life goal to be listed in Forbes 30 Under 30. Just kidding, I was more interested in traveling to 30 countries before I turned 30: Issued my own acknowledgment for 30 (countries) Under 30. Because why not? Life needs to be fun. And this year, I had a chance to accomplish it. Woohoo!
“Go big or go home,” say people who are trying to achieve their goals. So did I. Why didn’t I take a risk and craft an unforgettable journey, a story I could tell?
It was on September 10, 2022, when I sat in an airport lounge and still couldn’t believe I was going to Peru. The past couple of weeks had been crazy for me; from traveling to different places non-stop (yeah, my life was basically in my luggage) until had an accident that resulted in bed-resting. I fell on my scooter and hit my back. The moment I got onto the airplane, I still doubted myself I could do the four days-hike to Machu Picchu. But hey, I only live once, so I’d live my life.
The four days three nights hike.
I’m pretty much a spontaneous traveler. I barely make an itinerary before I travel; I just buy flight tickets and go. But with this trip, I had to plan since the permits to the Inca Trail were limited — only 500 people per day, and it sold out about three months prior. Thankfully, I did a little bit of research and found out about Alpaca Expeditions which helped me with my adventure to Machu Picchu happen.
Pre-Hike
It’s really important to acclimate, and don’t ever underestimate this. Although I spent two days in Cusco to acclimate as recommended, I still had altitude sickness a couple of times during the hike — yeah, it was real. There were times that I found it hard to breathe since the oxygen level was thin, and I had headaches and vomiting. Advil was my best friend.
I was nervous the day before the hike because this was my first big hike in a different part of the world with a different climate. I’m used to doing day hikes but not spending days in the…
