06/22/2026
Day three has come and gone.. tomorrow we head into the true wilderness (without cellphone service!) so future posts may be delayed, but please enjoy tonight’s entry from our latest journalist…
Today, we embarked on a journey of knowledge and adventure. In the early hours of the morning, we hopped onto a bus to take us to the PeruRail in Aguas Calientes. When we arrived at the base of Machu Picchu, we saw the sun crawling out into the expansive mountains. These weren’t the green mountains of Urubamba, these were the rock mountains of the Inca. Little rays of light trickled down the grey mountain dappling the green base below. In this early morning, we started our hike up to the historical ruins of Machu Picchu surrounded by its little brother Huanya Picchu. Along with our tour guide Victor, we ascended to the viewing platform, which offers looks of the ruins, and we listened to a lecture about the history of the sacred plateau. Upon seeing Machu Picchu, I felt a sense of awe by witnessing one of the seven world wonders. We had studied it in AP World, which led to a personal connection between my school studies and my curiosity for ancient Incan civilization (I really liked that unit a lot!).
After countless photos and memories, we began our descent, either by walking or by bus. Either way, we all made it back down. After a long (and warm) ride back to Urubamba. We kicked off the evening with group hackey sack and reggae. Upon the conclusion of the night, we had an excellent discussion circle, where we explored the different types of travelers and celebrated our trip to Machu Picchu, as well as prepared for our journey into the vast unknown (to us) of the High-Andean communities.
Today, I learned that by embracing different methods of travel, you can have the most in-depth and culturally informative travel experience!
Awaiting the next trek,
Walker B.
