Getting used to the altitude is recommended before heading on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. The best place for that is Cusco, located at an altitude of 3,400 meters. Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the former capital of the Inca Empire. It is known for its stunning Inca architecture, cobbled streets, and vibrant culture. So I decided to take three nights at Cusco before walking the Inca trail, and damn: that height kicked me 🙂
Even after some weeks now, I am still not 100% sure if I would have done walking the Inca Trail with knowing what I will experience. It was beautiful (and more beautiful than Machu Picchu itself) but also suffering, pain, sweat, and sleepless or short nights. But please, make your own picture!
What? Does it never rain in Lima? A city close to the ocean? Or is it just a phrase? Let’s take the statement as a cliffhanger that you read the whole article 🙂
Before heading to Cusco for the ultimate Inka Experience, I had four days in Lima, the capital of Peru. And I am amazed. In regards to big cities, that is the (so far) most beautiful I have seen on my world trip. It is clean, it is green, the people are friendly, you always feel safe, the food is good, and and and…
As plans during a world trip frequently change, the chance of a short stopover in Rio de Janeiro came out of nowhere. My goal was at least to see the big 5 of Rio!
My first four weeks have been over fast, and so is my time in Buenos Aires.
You might wonder why I stayed that long in one place. As you might have seen with my other posts (Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, and Iguazu), I used Buenos Aires as a hub to experience amazing things during the weekends. During the week, I still had to work a couple of days remotely. As this time is finally over, my real sabbatical is about to start.
…or maybe you should try this at home, as abroad it’s a big challenge!
To be very clear, Visa did everything right to help me; my local bank (DKB Berlin) messed it up more than once… and I am screwed.
If you travel to Argentina, everyone might ask you to eat as much steak as possible, as the meat might be excellent down here… First of all, yes, they are all right. The meat is fantastic, and it’s, compared to Europe, very cheap.
But there is more Argentina is offering, and I must mention other things about food, so let’s talk aside from the meat.
Yes, I had a shower (ok, let’s call it more storm) in the most enormous shower in the world: the Iguazu Falls. At peak, 7 Million liters per second of water are going down the 275 waterfalls. It was “only” 2.5 million liters per second during my time, but walking by this immense power feels hilarious. So why not take a boat ride into this? Yes, exactly, so I took two of them!
Tons of reasons? Why tons? Because of the most beautiful and calm creatures in the world: Whales! But read here also about my time with the penguins, many Lamas, Sea Lions, and one Amarillo.
Have you ever heard about the blue dollar? It’s something special in Argentina. It is a way to safe a lot of money.