15
Location: Lares Trek
The last day of the hike started like all of the others did, we were woken up to the extremely nice camping staff offering us warm tea. Then, we were given time to get ready and were called for breakfast. We were given omelets and bacon that were so good everyone asked for seconds. We then said goodbye and thanks to our camping staff. Then, we got on a shuttle and went to an archaeological site on top of a large hill. It was an Inca city that separated the jungle from Cuzco. As we toured around, we noticed that there were no doors on the houses. Our guide, William, gave us many interesting facts about the site. From the archaeological site, we set off on our hike. The hike was easy compared to the other days, mostly because it was a downhill hike. We stopped at a very scenic place to have a snack and lunch. For lunch, we had a ham and cheese sandwich, chicken sandwich, an orange, a granola bar, a chocolate bar, and a juice box. After lunch, we continued on the hike down the mountain. Stopping occasionally to take a picture or take in the view, William continued to tell us the history and cultures of civilizations around us. When we finally got to Ollantaytambo, we stopped at one of the traditional Inca houses. William described to us what a day in the life would have looked like for the Incas. There was a family still living there, and there were many guinea pigs running around. Afterward, we continued on our last fifteen minutes of our four-day hike. We all got extremely excited when we recognized where we were and realized that we were mere minutes away. When we got to the hotel, we all took showers and had free time until the other group got back from their community service. During free time, we went and got snacks and went to a cafe. Afterward, we got ice cream. Then we went back to the hotel and watched a movie until the other group got back. When the other group got back, we were all elated to be reunited. For dinner, we got takeout and had pizza. We all caught up, and then we had a forum about our highs and lows of our last four days. The forum went late, and we were all exhausted, so we went straight to bed. Although I missed being able to look up at the stars so clearly at night like on the hike, I was excited to sleep in a bed again.