Peru was the final stop on our trip. Standing on any street corner in Peru, you are likely to see either a church, evidence of the heavy-handed Spanish colonization or some element of Incan architecture and engineering (be it a drainage ditch, a monolithic, earthquake-proof wall or something else). As a local tour guide we met in Cusco recommended, “You can see churches everywhere, but in Peru you should visit Inca sites to really understand this place.”  For the most part, we stuck to the Inca and pre-Inca sites.  Even after being in Peru several weeks, there was still more to learn about how a culture that didn't really rule more than a couple centuries managed to build such amazing, enormous structures and create a single cohesive culture from many unique cultures in a terrain that is so extreme. 

We have seen so many amazing sites over the past year that its hard to describe Machu Picchu, the pinnacle of Incan civilization, as the incredible, distinct place that it is. However, my lack of creativity in words does not reflect a lack of appreciation.  The setting, a mountaintop surrounded by jagged peaks, is really the source of the amazement.  As a largely intact city built six centuries ago, the condition of it is very impressive.  The truly remarkable thing is how the Inca managed to build such a beautiful city without modern technology.  Most people would struggle to just walk the hundreds of steps from the river basin to the top of the city, never mind haul stones and tools up the mountain. Even though we were struggling to breath and protect ourselves from the sun, we decided to hike the extra two hours to the top of Machu Picchu Mountain, which was brutal on all of us. There were steep steps the whole way. Luckily, when we got to the top, the thick clouds had just cleared for a breathtaking, bird's eye view. Unfortunately, the top closed and we had just a few minutes to catch our breath before hiking back down.   

Dingy hostels, while comfortable enough, get old. Sometimes we were able to find some interesting accommodations beyond your normal hostel that were cultural experiences in and of themselves. These places were usually upgrades from the normal hostel or AirBnB. One such unusual place was the Propeller Island Hotel in Berlin, where each room was a work of conceptual contemporary art (click here to read our previous blog post all about Propeller Island). The others were vastly different from each other and a welcome change from the usual hostelworld.com slog. 

Ryokan - Pax Yoshino - Hakone, Japan

One of our favorite experiences was staying at a traditional Japanese inn called a Ryokan. True Ryokans are very luxurious (read:expensive) but we were able to find an affordable one in the hills of the area near Mt. Fuji. It has the feel of a spa, and most people chose to wear traditional robes around the building (provided in the rooms) which is quite an interesting site to behold. One of the special elements of most ryokans is the onsen, or thermal bath. Similar to other traditional baths, this one was particularly nice because it was outdoors. The water was almost too hot to stand for our allotted hour but luckily the outside temp was refreshingly cool. Before bedtime, the staff came in to lay out our pallet-style beds, which were much more comfortable than expected. Breakfast was one of the best spreads I've ever seen, but unfortunately, we couldn't figure out what almost anything was. I eagerly poured myself a cup from a hot carafe only to bring it up to my mouth and inhale the distinct smell of soy sauce. Only later did I find the coffee pot. From start to finish of our one night in the ryokan, we felt immersed in the beauty of Japanese culture.

Cave Hotel - Canyon View Hotel—Goreme (Cappadocia),Turkey

The idea of sleeping in a cave, bathing in a cave and breathing in a cave sounded claustrophobic to me.  However, staying in so-called “Cave Hotels” is one of the quintessential experiences when visiting Cappadocia in Turkey.  The bizarre landscape and unique rock formations have been used as dwellings for local people, especially monks seeking solitude, for millennia. How could we miss this experience? Beautifully carved into the natural rock and enhanced with modern features, our cave hotel was charming and run by a lovely family. The room was actually quite spacious and to ease my claustrophobia, there was even a decent-sized window. Our room had at one time been used a pigeon room of a monastery (ironic since I despise pigeons) and retained the pigeon perches carved into the walls.  Not my favorite detail about the place, but an interesting part of a room with a real history!

Treehouse - Ten103 - Koh Ta Kiev, Cambodia 

From one natural setting to another, the treehouse we slept in was by far our most rustic accommodation of the trip.  The bed was draped with mosquito netting that was for more than just decoration.  It was less of a house and more of a platform in the treetops with a roof. It overlooked a small bay and a mangrove forest and the only word that fits to describe the view is paradise. The island was minimally populated and there was no electricity or running water, which is my idea of true luxury in some ways.  Luckily, there was a bar with surprisingly great food and umbrella drinks. Who needs WiFi in such a situation? This was also the island where we could see the bioluminescent plankton and there was an organic Absinthe distillery in a make shift cabin footsteps away. The only real problems with a treehouse are climbing up the ladder in the dark (headlamp was handy!) and nighttime bathroom trips (bottles are handy!).

After a bus and train ride into Machu Picchu town, we were excited to stretch our legs and explore the area as Jed, my brother Dan, who came to visit us, and I set off to go see a waterfall by walking along the train tracks. Now before anyone thinks we are reckless and crazy, it must be known that the guy at our hotel told us to follow the train tracks. Maybe he didn’t mean it so literally, but as we headed off, straddling the rail, we met another threesome that further confirmed what the hotel guy told us: this was the path to the waterfall.

While chit chatting with our new friends, we pondered whether these train tracks were still in use.  We figured they must be abandoned tracks, but quickly realized we were mistaken when a large train came speeding past us and we had to jump up against the rock wall face to our side to avoid being hit.  It was not long after that we came to a long, dark, narrow tunnel. since a train had just passed us two minutes before the tunnel, we rationalized that surely another one would not pass so soon after. We stopped just before entering the tunnel to discuss. We could barely see the opening on the other side. It was difficult to gauge how long it was and the track curved right after the tunnel so you couldn't see past the opening. If we were going to go through, we would have to do it as quickly as possible. 

As the train cleared the tunnel, we hastily walked back into the tunnel to make sure the others were OK.  Fortunately, all the others started running back through towards us. There was a very, very close call though.  Like something straight out of a movie, apparently the girl of the group was just about to clear the exit when she tripped badly right as the train was about to enter the tunnel.  A hero friend of hers ran over and picked her up and pulled her out of the entrance within seconds of the train arriving.  

Knowing my brother, I assumed this terrifying incident would not deter him from wanting to continue down the tracks. He told us that another tunnel, one that curved around the side of the mountain making it impossible to see the end, was not far ahead of the tunnel we had just escaped from. The whole incident had sufficiently spooked us all, so we all turned back and headed to town. Luckily, we found an alternate path that skipped this harrowing stretch of rail, and eventually found our way to the waterfall. Unfortunately, it was absolutely pouring rain on us the whole way there and back. With no umbrellas, our clothes and shoes were wet for days.  Although highly memorable, the waterfall was probably not worth the terror or soak, and it left us exhausted before embarking on the real reason we were there in the first place, to see Machu Picchu.

We didn't know much about the Salar De Uyuni and the sights in that region because descriptions were vague but enthusiastic. So despite the crazy adventure to even get to the start of it, we concluded it must be worth it.  We mustered up the strength to take another long bus ride and overnight train to the small town of Tupizia to start a 4 day tour, the only real option for independent travelers to see it. 

The trip got started early on day 1 and we were placed with a another couple, from the Netherlands, for the duration of the trip (a last minute switch occurred when our original pair came down with the standard “Bolivian Stomach Bug”). As we began, I started to feel uneasy as the mud roads and sheer drop offs had my pulse racing. The scenery was worth it though; desert landscape with red rock faces reminiscent of Arizona or Utah in the foreground and snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. This is the area made famous in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!   After visiting an ancient abandoned town, we got as high as 16,000 feet (4855 meters) before settling down for the night in very basic accommodations (one bathroom for 20+ people).

It seemed like we had already packed in a full day, but we still had one place left to visit; one of the strangest natural phenomenons I have seen. You could see the red color from a distance as we pulled up and it became jaw dropping when we stopped in front of the massive, red lake. And I don't mean just a little red tint, it was pure, blood-red. The color apparently comes from the billions of algae in the water. Although the lake is quite expansive, it is very shallow and so you can see the colored algae shining through. In the morning, the algae are not colored, but the sunlight powers them and by the end of the day they are bright red, giving the lake its truly unique color. There is also a mountain in the background and thousands of flamingos in the water to enhance the beauty of the landscape even more. Truly a rare and wonderful site . 

Day 3

After an eventful second day, and the main event tomorrow, this was a bit more of a relaxing day through still some nice mountain scenery. We stopped at some more lakes, inlcuding a “black lake” (but the effect of the coloring here was quite lackluster compared to the red and green lakes we had seen previously) and saw some interesting petrified rocks that had some unique shapes due to erosion. 

Day 4

We woke up before sunrise to get into the Salar De Uyuni on our last day. What exactly is the Salar de Uyuni? It is a massive salt flat that was created when an ancient ocean dried up and left behind the salty earth. It is 100 meters (330 feet) deep of pure salt and it stretches as far as the eye can see (it took hours to drive through it all). The pure white surface and mountains in the backdrop makes it seem like you are in some sort of glacier, but the warm temperatures snap you back to reality. In the winter season, the shallow water surface and white ground causes a spectacular reflection of the sky that is one of the craziest things I've seen...in pictures. Unfortunately, we were there in dry season but the scenery is still incredible. The dry salt forms a unique pattern on the ground and the expansive white landscape is still amazing   

One of the most fun things to do in the salar is to take some “loco” photos, as our guide called them. They are photos that make you or other objects look very small (see above).  There is no photo editing tricks with these...they are all done with perspective. Since the salar is so flat and pretty featureless, you can really play with perspective, tricking your brain a bit.

After a quick stop at a random train “graveyard,” our four day trip was over. Besides the salar, we didn't know quite what to expect on these four days. It was nice being surprised along the way. It is quite the pain to make it to the south of Bolivia, but if you are in the country, you definitely have to make the journey; it was one of the highlights of our trip.  

Going to Ecuador was really just a stopover to get from Central America to South America but we allowed about two weeks there. Most people who visit head straight for the Galapagos but we stuck to the middle of the country with beautiful mountainous scenery and small, lively towns. Everything we did in Ecuador was low key. No volcano boarding or climbing mountains or wonders of the world. Nonetheless, we had some of our most authentic and satisfying travel there, while enjoying the natural beauty of the country.  


Small Town Charm

Latacunga is not exactly a nice town.  Most of it is dirty and polluted. There's not much for a traveler outside of a nice town square and a handful of picturesque parks. Like many other times in our year abroad, we read about and ventured to some dinky museum to find it inexplicably closed. What I really liked about this place were the lovely people at our hostel and a friendly cafe owner that went out of her way to make sure we knew the town was special. She also happened to sell the best chocolate bars we'd had in a long time. Our hostel/motel was run by a family that greeted us warmly at every turn. They insisted on giving us Ecuador bracelets to remember them by on our last morning as we sat at their kitchen table sharing breakfast. Nothing big, but it just made me like the place.