Finally, the Big Reveal of our New Home

Plus first impressions of Peru and Machu Picchu

Those of you following us on Instagram will know that we just arrived home from an exciting adventure in Peru. This was a landmark trip for us for a few reasons. 

After four years of travelling slowly with massive suitcases and two small dogs, everything was different this time round. We spent just a couple weeks in Peru instead of a couple months; we travelled light with carry on only. Most importantly, this was a human-only adventure; we left the dogs behind at home. 

Don’t tell this to the poodles but it was a very liberating experience and I’m anticipating more dog-free, carry-on travel in the future.

Creature comforts on the Salkantay trail

We spent a week in Cusco to help us fully acclimatise before our big trek to Machu Picchu. Cusco is a truly beautiful city; the historic centre has a colonial overlay on impressive Inca foundations and the entire area is surrounded by green mountains. 

It also happens to be at a very high elevation and we needed to be proactive about battling any signs of altitude sickness. We drank lots of water, avoided alcohol, kept to a relaxed pace and imbibed a few cups of coca tea everyday (it turned out to be a perfect substitute for coffee). 

With all our preparation, we felt in fighting form by the time our trek began. We chose the Salkantay route, which involved a challenging crossing of the Salkantay pass (an elevation of 4,630 metres or 15,000 feet) and then trekking a few days further through the steamy cloud forest.

This was a lodge-to-lodge trek, which was a far cry from the Inca Trail camping experience that we originally considered. While we can manage a tent for a night or two, we were more than happy to enjoy the spectacular landscape from a hot tub and then head into the lodge for a gourmet meal and a glass of wine. 

Elbow-to-elbow at Machu Picchu

Of course, the exclusivity of our experience melted away as soon as we got in line for the 7am admission to Machu Picchu. 

It turns out that visiting Machu Picchu is a highly regimented experience with time limits and a prescribed walking circuit. We even received an official receipt when we spent 2 soles to use the washroom before heading into the site (that’s 54 cents USD — steep by Peruvian standards).

Fortunately, the beauty of the site and its spectacular location made up for the crowds and the line ups. We were part of a slow moving herd in the beginning but the site was large enough that tour groups could space themselves out for a few quiet moments here and there.

If you’re looking for all the details about our trip — practical tips, highs, lows and, of course, what it all cost — we’ll have a comprehensive blog post coming to you next month. In the meantime, you check out our stories on Instagram. 

A proper look inside our new home

Before we skipped off to Peru, we put the finishing touches on our new home. There was some urgency to this task as we had lined up housesitters to take care of our home and dogs — our first-ever use of Trusted Housesitters — and we needed to provide them with a reasonably functional home. We’ve lived in too many under-equipped, under-decorated Airbnbs to inflict the same on others.     

The weeks before our trip were a flurry of hunting for second-hand bargains, filling online shopping carts, drilling holes for curtain rods and few minor arguments about the necessity of throw pillows (my position: they’re an essential, like cutlery or towels 😉). 

The final result is a place we’re thrilled to call home, an exciting change after four years of short-term rentals. 

We’ve shared glimpses of our new home on Instagram but we finally have the complete reveal. Click here to take a look. 

Golden rules of travel

If you’re hungry for more tips, check out this story by Conde Nast Traveler. A group of well-travelled retirees (us included) share their best advice for surviving the ups and downs of life on the road.

See you on the road,

Stephanie & Gillian