On our third day, we met Francis. During our first meeting, while sipping on coca tea, he asked us how we were acclimating and how we would feel about a mini hike around Sacsaywaman and down an Inca Trail through the Cusco. Since the group was feeling pretty good, he advised that we continue to minimize alcohol consumption and eating heavy foods until after our hike to Machu Picchu to avoid stomach problems. His advice was very effective; all of us enjoyed a smooth hike through the Andes to Machu Picchu.
On our fourth day, Francis took us to a local market, on an off-road ride through the countryside and through a small town called Maras on our way to the salt pans. In Maras, Francis told us that the plastic bags on a stick outside some homes meant that the household has prepared corn beer and is available for purchase. He spoke to the woman of the house, Juana, and we were able to take a rare tour of their courtyard home.
The grandmother was eager to show off her cow and goats grazing in the tiny courtyard. The grandfather waved me into their kitchen that had guinea pigs scuttling around on the dirt floor. This was an extremely unexpected treat to see a functioning Peruvian Andes home.
On the fifth day, we began our 4 day hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Francis offered anthropological insights about Inca life based on the landscape we were walking through. He led us off the main trail so that we could visit additional ruins. We were free to explore the trail on our own and at our own paces while Francis ran up and down the passes to let the teams ahead know which fork to take and down to the last teams to make sure they were doing ok.
It was sad to leave Francis. He was entertaining, knowledgable and exciting and I'm sure, made the trip 500 times better than it would have been with any other guide.
