5 Exciting Cities to Search for Your Soul in Your 20s

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There are so many possibilities outside the small tin can.
If you are an avid traveler you might be constantly thinking about moving out of ordinary and find new place to reach your goals.
I’ve been on my soul search myself and have to say this journey of life has been awesome so far.

Over the course of 10 years I have traveled and lived in various cities which brought me to realization that “why” is more important than “where.” …Why? Because it is your motivation, desire, and curiosity that cultivate each day’s exploration. Moving is a task that you create on your own and try again and again as long as you are alive. It’s sort of like finding home while you’re running full speed.

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Sometimes I get this urge to take a wheel and drive to faraway places to see something that I cannot quite see from where I stand.

One definite gain of living in new places is chance to connect with new people that are unique to its location. For this reason, home can be anywhere and everywhere as long as your heart is open for change. This is definitely my main motivation when starting my new life in new location.

Today, I’d like to talk about 5 great cities that I’ve lived in (so far).
All of these places have unique charm and are meaningful places in my 20s. You should totally visit and maybe live there to see what I mean!

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(1) Boston

Boston is all out college city. This city is historical and has four seasons to keep you keen on changes. Great music venues like Middle East Downstairs (as well as Upstairs) and Paradise Rock Club are major staples for ever so active music scenes.

Boston is full of young spirits and technology’s spearheads. I’ve spent my early 20s in Boston as film student, and the impact it had on my artistically receptive years was intense. Boston is kind of like mellow out version of NYC that is still busy city but academic ambiance is definitely winning over the chaotic aspect of urban living. New England has some of the most beautiful seasonal changes in color as well as great outdoor destinations like White Mountains and Cape Cod that appeal to travelers and settlers alike.

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(2) Los Angeles

L.A. is out of control in so many unique ways. It’s so massive and essentially everything in the world is here. People say New York is where the axis of the world is, but hell L.A. is whole different beast in entirely different skin.

Once you lived in L.A. (or registered a car in California) you will never complain about all those stale lifestyle in your previous country home again. Just like every other transplants you will definitely go through some love and hate relationship with L.A. at certain point of residency just to remind yourself why you liked this place so much.  K-Town and late night snacks, that’s the excuse you need to survive through this behemoth of city.

I’ve spent about 3 years in L.A. before getting tired of never ceasing traffic and Hollywood mindsets but never once doubted this city’s glamorous appeal. L.A. has pretty awesome downtown where artists roam around 24-7, beautiful observatory beyond the smog (Griffith Observatory) and of course, BEACH! L.A. is the heart of American culture and there really is no other place to compare.

I am also fond of cities surrounding L.A. county such as Pasadena, Long Beach (and other Beaches), and Santa Barbara.
Although transportation is ALWAYS an issue in L.A., sometimes long drive with rolled down window and incessant ray of sunshine is not a bad thing. Ok, I admit it – I fucking love L.A.

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(3) London

Let’s take this list outside of North American continent – across the “pond” there lies Great Britain and the capitol city of Old England. London is the most cosmopolitan city that I’ve ever visited and lived in. I think NYC is quite cosmopolitan, but not comparable to London’s cultural and historical depth. Immigrants from European countries that dwell in London may speak English language in general, but soon you will learn they are mostly world travelers who are on journey to discover new direction in life. Everything in London is cool, from fashion to street arts and open air Shakespearean theatres to punk rock music. Many people say weather is always an issue, but nothing beats the warm night “out” in pub chugging pints with good circle of mates.

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London is historical city and because of this you may find yourself overwhelmed by cultural difference as American. You might feel Londoners are reserved and “uptight” compared to outspoken Americans. Coming from America, I quite enjoyed the opposite tangent of this cool progressive city. I can easily understand how Jimi Hendrix was adored here more than he was in NYC the years prior to his move. If it’s hip, Brits would know it first.

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(4) San Francisco

San Francisco is one of those cities that I wish I’d spent my early 20s and college life in if it was not for Boston. Neighboring Berkeley and Oakland are easily the coolest cities in United States where many young startup minds and small businesses are blooming with fresh ideas. San Francisco is also close to beautiful lush of nature just across Golden Gate Bridge: Muir Woods, Point Reyes, Mt. Tam, and Stinson Beach. These are major appeal to outdoor enthusiast like myself. Work in tech company on weekdays, and relax in redwood forests on weekends 🙂

I am actually living in San Francisco right now, and yes the increasing rent and high cost of living here is insane. If you are planning to find the apartment in San Francisco, GOOD LUCK… but it is worth the hassle (be sure to read my article on my favorite neighborhood that is Sunset District…it might help you finding the perfect place to move). San Francisco is the city of most eateries per capita, meaning you will have endless selection for great restaurants and the taste palette is always expanding! Call this city foodies’ heaven.


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(5) Tokyo

Many of my friends ask me “what is your favorite place that you lived in?” I normally answer either San Francisco or London (because they are my personal favorites) but I cannot ignore the fact how exciting every day life in Japanese metropolis was. Tokyo is a city that never sleeps (it really doesn’t) and there is never ending effort for improvement and convenience to make people’s lives slightly more easier in otherwise sardine-packed city life. Tokyo is very much like London in a sense historical and cultural aspects of country can be seen everywhere in the gash of gentrification.

If you ever traveled to Japan you know how “respect” plays huge role in Japanese culture. Living in Tokyo for few years even as English teacher or translator can give you deeper looks at foundation of technology and craftsmanship this country is well-known for. I might be biased because Tokyo is my true hometown, but this is the most livable city.

 

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Art District in Downtown L.A. with typical ironic graffiti art.

…So there goes my subjective thoughts on 5 cities that I’ve lived in.
As mentioned above, making connection with people is the key in every point of relocation. I would say Meetup is always good place to start the network once you moved to the new city.

Remember to stay true to your roots, and always share good stories with good people around you. The world is waiting for your smile.

Epic Trekking: Choquequirao to Machu Picchu in 8 Days

If you ever wanted to visit Machu Picchu, there is no better time to go than today. Although it is one of the most popular sites among the New World’s 7 Wonder, Machu Picchu is totally do-able and quite easy to get to if you have enough budget and time to work with.

Here’s few things to consider at the beginning stage of trip planning:

  • Busiest time of the year is between April-November (during dry season), and beyond December until March you should expect rain season (makes trekking much challenging and unpredictable).
  • Inca Trail closes on February (Machu Picchu will remain open).
  • You cannot hike Inca Trail and other trails around Machu Picchu on your own. Certified tour guide must be hired in advance. I HIGHLY recommend X-Treme Tourbulencia (explained further down in this article).
  • Huayna Picchu is alternative trekking route from Machu Picchu that thrusts in the direct back drop of Inca site. You will hike for about 45 minutes to get to the summit. There is also another trail behind Huayna Picchu that descends to Templo de la Luna which is total Indiana Jones experience to adventure through. Entry to Huayna Picchu area requires permit. Make sure to book this option with your tour company!
  • Nearest town from Machu Picchu is Aguas Calientes. Unless you’re doing Inca Trail, you have option to reach Machu Picchu from this town via shuttle bus or by foot. Most visitors take train from Ollantaytambo or Hidroelectrica Station (which I did) to get to Aguas Calientes.  Due to its accessibility, Aguas Calientes is always busy and packed. Most tours include hotel accommodation in this town with fixed price.
  • Determine your physical ability. What level of difficulty are you looking for the tour? Trekking course I am sharing in this post is 8-Days trekking with strenuous difficulty. This trek may not be something for everyone, but if you are fit and want to soak in as much nature as possible I cannot recommend anything else 🙂

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A view of Andes from Huayhuacalle. This was view from the very first lodging point of 8 days expedition to Machu Picchu.

        The Beginning of Trip Planning

When I was just starting on planning my Peru trip, I really had no information in my hands. I knew some of my friends had visited there couple of years ago, but it was during the high season (August) and condition of weather and circumstance was different from my time of visit. My plan was to do epic trek in late November, which is usually at the brink of rain season.

I also decided against the “traditional” travel route that guidebooks recommend starting from Lima down towards Ica then to Arequipa→Puno→Cusco finally ending up in Machu Picchu. Instead I decided to fly directly from Lima to Cusco, which is 11,000 ft. above sea-level and spent two nights there for altitude acclimatization before embarking on trekking tour.
Here’s activity tips in Cusco that I highly recommend checking out before/after Machu Picchu.

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Iconic view of Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu Mountain in the background.

BOOST UP your Machu Picchu fantasies

First thing to do: Go to your local used book store and thumb through few pages of novels and biographies of man named Hiram Bingham III. Bingham is American explorer who brought the mystery of Machu Picchu back to the US in early 20th Century and later remembered as the “character model” of Indiana Jones.

My absolute recommendation for you is Turn Right at Machu Picchu by the New York Times journalist Mark Adams. This book is basically a humorous documentation of Mark (the author) going to Peru and following the paths of Hiram Bingham. While the book is filled with witty adventure stories that shimmer with inspiration for epic Peruvian trip, it also gives reader a good insight on lesser known Inca temples and artifacts.

For example, the existence of Machu Picchu’s sister temple Choquequirao was first introduced to me through this book. I am so glad that I’ve read this book because it gave me knowledge of historical context and basic timelines of events that took place around Machu Picchu before going on the tour. Information on this book added more colors to the whole trekking experience. HIGHLY recommended book to read before the trip planning.

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Group photo took somewhere between Lucumabamba and Llactapata on Day 7.

My personal experience with X-Treme Tourbulencia

I decided to book my tour with X-Treme Tourbulencia based on great customer reviews and responsive customer service center (massive shout out to Miranda who helped me tremendously to get my perfect adventure itinerary!) I think many people usually try to find the tour based on what they want, but I went the opposite direction and started my search by eliminating what I don’t want:

  • Don’t want to get huddled by tourists and stand in foot traffic.
  • Don’t want to do typical hikes that everyone does.
  • Don’t want to miss out on the real Peruvian experience.

What I wanted was rebellious hike. Punk rock hike.

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We visited Choquequirao–Machu Picchu’s sister–on Day 3 of trekking.

Choquequirao was my major point of interest for the tour.
Especially, after learning about the construction project to build cable car access to this Inca site; I couldn’t resist my desire to visit the ruin before it gets “ruined” by foreseeable tourist traffic. Fortunately, X-Treme Tourbulencia had several options for trek that included visit to Choquequirao!

The tour I signed up Choquequirao Trek to Machu Picchu 8 Days was perfect option for my dream trip. Although at first I signed up as solo (which the company gratefully accommodated by the way) X-Treme Tourbulencia gave me option to merge with other 2 awesome wanderlusts to make the trek something even more enjoyable. If you have particular point of interest for Inca sites, I would suggest consulting with the company for advise.


Watch: Choquequirao to Machu Picchu Epic 8 Days Trekking.

Things I really enjoyed about X-Treme Tourbulencia was its quality assurance. When I landed in Cusco, I made a visit to the office located right by the Plaza de Armas and was given detailed orientation on how each day of 8 day trek will be like (weather, elevation change, lodging situation etc). During the orientation, Jaime–our tour guide who spoke fluent English–asked me about dietary restriction and equipment checklist (by the way, majority of important items are included in the tour; all you really need to bring aside from clothing was sleeping bag and hiking sticks that you can buy in Sacred Valley for mere 7 soles). It was VERY nice to know the overall picture of trekking before start.

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Jaime, out tour guide, aka The Dude navigating the group through dramatic cliff along Yanama Pass on Day 4.

The Trek

My 8 days trek started from Cachora Town located far northwest of Cusco and made the way across Andes through Apurimac River via Chiquisca then to Choquequirao. First three days were incessant incline/decline through arid mountains which is typical of western side of Andes. From Day 5 we started to see a climate change as we passed the peak of Yanama Pass to enter the east side of Andes. Fortunately, El Nino effect put the weather in our favor despite the usual rain season; we have not run into serious rain that deter our trekking experience.

Here’s my epic 8 day journey broken down into photo summary:

DAY 1
(Cachora Town to Huayhuacalle)

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(Down to Chiquisca and crossed Apurimac River to climb to the Marmanpata campsite)  010

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Having a special chicha (made from fermented sugar cane) at Chiquisca.
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Crossing the bridge to the other side of Apurimac River.
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“Playa” is generally known as personally owned home property offered for lodging.

DAY 3
(Choquequirao! Beautiful riverside lunch and Spartan mode to reach Maizal above clouds)

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Rambo, the watchdog of our pack.
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Impressive ruin near Choquequirao.
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Milton contemplating.
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Sneak peak of Choquequirao through the stone gate.
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Weather was quite dry but mountains were lush in green.
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Inca “cabinets” on the walls of Choquequirao. Unlike Machu Picchu, the site is quite remote from civilization and therefore least restoration effort can be seen.
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Underneath Choquequirao, there lies the Sector of Llamas (Llama City).
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Making the way down to the Llama City.
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Pretty steep way down.
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There it is. I can see the llama!
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Jaime telling us not to slip because that won’t be fun.
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It is mind boggling to imagine how Incas transported such amount of stones to build the terraces along the sheer cliffs of mountains. Ancient civilization is wacked. Look how finely aligned those llamas are!

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Leaving Choquequirao, what you see is the plateau where historians believe sacrificial ceremony took place during the Inca times. It is now used as heliport.

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We saw more terraces on the way down to Rio Silvestre.
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We are going down, but going right back up on that zigzag up ahead.
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Eufracio, our tour chef, chopping up vegetables for quinoa soup. It was so nice to have him with us!
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We had nice lunch by the river and resume our hike up to Maizal (9,842 ft). It was brutal hike but the view was breathtaking.

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It took about 2 hours to reach Maizal campsite from the river. When I get to the entrance the sunset has started to change the color of sky.
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Eufrasio undoing the carriages from the horse.
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This baby was one of the hardest working members of the porter team!
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Beautiful family of horseman setting up tents for us at Maizal campsite.
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A view from Maizal campsite. Heavenly.

DAY 4
(Maizal to San Juan Pass via silver mines to Yanama)

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Tour breakfast generally consisted of rice, potato, and bread. A serious carbohydrates trio.
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Silver mine in San Juan Pass. Jaime told us the story of “Mookie” a Peruvian folklore involving man-eating dwarf living in the mines. Not the story about getting the cookie.
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Gravels and remnant of mining rocks. We found fair amount of silver grains to take as souvenir.
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A view from the highest peak of this tour before descending to Yanama.
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A tiny settlement of Yanama.
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Jaime and Rambo.

DAY 5
(Yanama Pass to Ccollpapampa)

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The morning begins as Eufrasio starts the cooking.
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Cake for the breakfast! Day 5 started pretty big!
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There was a hut in the middle of hills on Yanama Pass. I wondered who would live there.
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This waterfall along the Yanama Pass was just so majestic and breathtakingly beautiful. One of the highlights of the tour.
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Jaime giving information about people’s lives in Andes.
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Horses in the peaceful Yanama landscape.
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Volcanic eruption? Landscape started to show difference from previous arid mountains as we get closer to the eastern side of Andes.
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Trail just goes on and on…
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After the brutal incline we finally made it to the other side of Andes at 15,321 ft. Here we found somewhat comfortable seats of rocks and swigged a celebratory champagne. Getting closer to Machu Picchu.
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Lunch break along the river.
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Closer to the nightfall we made it to Ccollpapampa campsite. There was a drizzle and a little bit of lightning that night. This was the final check point for the horseman and his family. We bade farewell and had a dinner talking about Inca construction and our rather stale ordinary lives in the US.

DAY 6
(Merged with Salkantay Trekkers and continued to Lucmabamba)

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Making the way for ducklings. One Day 6, our trail has merged with Salkantay Trek route.
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Peruvian turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
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Off trailed and had some fun with cable carriage across the two mountains.
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This is fruits of granadilla native to Peru. Exterior of this orange-like fruit was coated with crunchy shell, and as you break it open the soft jello interior appeared like pomegranate.
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Milton and waterfall along the trail that leads to the next “playa” (visitors’ lodge).
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Heavy water passing through the gash.
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Banana tree in Lucmabamba.
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This is organic banana!
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Arabica coffee beans — Our lodging sector Lucmabamba was a coffee farm operated by the host, Freddy. Freddy gave us comprehensive tour around the farm and showed us the coffee crafting process.
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This is a machine that Freddy used to separate the beans from pulps. Pulp composites are used for natural fertilizer.
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Coffee beans are deposited on the pool floor.
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Coffee beans are left in the pool to dry. Once the moisture is completely gone, we are ready for the next step — roasting.
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Coffee beans are roasted in the clay pot over open fire. Some sugar may be added for magic touch.
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Roasted beans are ground into coarse grains using very industrial coffee grinder.
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Freddy’s original pour over. Banter included.
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A very strong Peruvian blend.

 DAY 7
(Llactapata and Hidroelectrica Train Station to Aguas Calientes)

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Starbucks is everywhere. Found this one on Inca Trail!
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On Day 7 we hiked the part of Inca Trail to make our ways up to Llactapata, another important Inca site.
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Passing through the gate of Llactapata.
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Llactapata.
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Once we descent about 2km of downhill, a pretty yellow bridge appeared in our sight telling us the goal is getting closer!
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Urubamba River.

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Getting the passport checked, we made it to the Hidroelectrica Train Station.

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Ben and Milton enjoying the comfort seats of human civilization.
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People of Aguas Calientes.
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Awesome statue of Aguas Calientes.
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A dog of Aguas Calientes.

DAY 8
(The Machu Picchu)

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Waking up at 4am: Power was all out in the Aguas Calientes town due to rain storm. I used my torchlight to find my way to the restaurant for quick breakfast and met up with Jaime to join the waiting line to board on 5am shuttle to Machu Picchu National Park.
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Great morning, Machu Picchu!
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Huayna Picchu thrusting into heaven behind the morning haze.

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Llama everywhere.
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A view of Machu Picchu from the Huyana Picchu side facing towards Templo del Sol (The Sun Temple) and Inca Trail that connects from Intipunku (The Sun Gate).
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Huayna Picchu entrance is regulated by permit system. X-Treme Tourbulencia provided optional booking of Huyana Picchu just for $10. Once you have the permit issued, just show up at the entrance gate at designated time and start the epic journey!
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Everything looks so small from up here — Huayna Picchu.

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After the Huayna Picchu, we decided to make Gran Cavern (Moon Temple) loop. The trek from the summit of Huayna Picchu down to Gran Cavern was quite adventurous with Indiana Jones style stone steps and wooden ladders to pass through.

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Ben discovering moss-covered temple near Gran Cavern.

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I hope you enjoyed this photo collection.
If you are avid hiker and willing to spend as much time in the mountain as possible, I highly recommend to add Choquequirao as part of your journey plan. It would be a big detour to get to Machu Picchu, but the beauty of the sister ruin is definitely a sight to be seen.

Please contact X-Treme Tourbulencia if you have any questions or need recommendation on tour based on your time availability. They are very nice and will definitely point you to the right direction.
Machu Picchu is not the only place to visit in this side of Peru!

Happy trails!