Choqueqirao Day 4

Day 4: Hike from Chiquiska (2000 m / 6531 ft) to Mirador Capuliyoc (3000 m / 9842 ft) and then to Cachora (2900 m / 9514 ft).

Leo managed to eat a little breakfast--they had made us a chocolate cake and then we headed up to the top.  It was much cooler--it had stormed even harder that night.  And we went at a very leisurely pace--trying to drag it out longer.  I took a lot of pictures again.

A cat found our tent quite cozy.

This place had the worst bathroom facilities.  To flush the toilet you poured a bucket of water in and then you could hear it run off down the mountain just a few feet away.  And if leaned at all the whole toilet would tip because those rocks didn't hold it down at all.

It was a really great morning.  Because of the heavy fog the first day, we were seeing all this for the first time, which was cool.  And the trail was a much more respectable switchback instead of a straight up climb like the other "switchbacks" had been.  



We survived! Barely.  They were supposed to drive us out to the same little town we ate breakfast at the first day and have lunch there.  Leo and I both felt nauseous at the thought and asked them to take us straight home to Cusco.  I think Rosalio was really worried we were upset or didn't enjoy it, but it was just that Leo felt so sick, and I wanted to get things arranged for going to Machu Picchu the next day and we needed to hopefully pick up our lost luggage at the airport, so getting back earlier would be nice.  On the bus home, Leo threw up again and he slept almost the whole four hours.  I slept a little and then just watched the countryside.  And the road--we stopped and waited for a rockslide to stop.  That doesn't inspire much confidence in your safety.  But we made it and our luggage had arrived and we met Cesar who became our taxi driver for the rest of our time in Cusco.  He was super nice.  Just exuded honesty.  I really liked him and so did Leo.

And that my friends, is an Andean condor in flight.  They are MASSIVE.

What all the towns and Cusco look like.  (Colombia is much more colorful.)  Oh and I read everywhere that the mosquitos are terrible and I did get 6 or 7 mosquito bites but what was far worse was that I got 8 midge bites.  They were terribly itchy and lasted way longer than mosquito bites.  Just if you were wondering.