Day 4 could have been the longest hiking day of the trip, but we decided to mix it up and take the zip line and hot springs detour.

We still had an early start, but instead of putting on a pack and walking, we hopped in a van and made an amazing drive through the valley along the most dangerous looking road I’ve ever seen. We were often 12 inches from the edge of a drop-off of what appeared to be 1000+ feet, straight into a raging river. Woohoo! Or driver was an expert though, and navigated with ease while we listened to Despacito.

Our first stop was at a coffee farm.

We saw where two different kinds of coffee were growing, Arabica and Robusta (I think). Then we learned about the whole process for how they peel the beans and get them ready to make coffee. I won’t make you read all of that. It was interesting though.

Then it was time for roasting. Michele did a great job getting a solid roast on the beans for us.

The coffee experience was not something we had planned, but it was really cool to see. Next,  we headed to the zipline.

Now, when I hear zip line, I wasn’t that excited. I’ve been in Costa Rica and in Mexico, and while it was fun, it was very controlled and orderly. You always had to ride down the line the same way, usually with your hand on the line as a brake.

Not in Peru.

This was all really fun. They didn’t care if you had a phone in your hand while you rode or anything. Every line, we tried a different way to ride.

On the last and longest, we did the “super condor” or superman, where you go head-first, facing down over the valley.

It was awesome! I don’t think I will ever zip line again because I can’t imagine any experience living up to this one.

There are more zip line stories to tell but I’ll save those for another day. Next, we headed off to a hot spring a little ways down the road.

There were three pools, each with different temperatures. Our crew enjoyed hanging out and relaxing for an hour or two. They also sold beer, which is always a winner. The Americans and Germans were happy!

In the afternoon, we did a 6 mile hike to Aguas Calientes, which is the touristy, gateway town to Machu Picchu. It was nearly all flat, and I really enjoyed the scenery along the way.

It is possible to take a train to Aguas Calientes… but its expensive, and what’s the fun in that?

We stayed in a hotel in the town. It was pretty nice — the shower wasn’t great and the hot water went in and out, but it was something. The group met for a nice dinner before disbanding to crash. We had — go figure — another early morning ahead of us. Tomorrow would be the day we reached Machu Picchu.

But not everyone wants to go home and go to bed early. That included me, Coop, and our German friends. We went out for some beers and played Jenga until around midnight.

 

At least I packed before we went to dinner… so I was ready for the early start at 3:30am. Yes. 3:30.