Inside the dimly lit dining tent, the other 20 hikers rubbed their hands together, huddled up underneath their jackets while the wind blew briskly outside. We`d finished a grueling 7-hour climb that literally had us scaling the Andes Mountains earlier that day, and we greedily drank steaming vegetable broth from metal saucers, exchanging our experiences of reaching Warmihu�usca Pass (in Quechua, literally “where the woman dies” due to the rock formations visible near at the top), at an altitude of 4,200 meters.

Fernando and Vera — a Brazilian couple, each of them about 60 years old — were celebrating their 20-something anniversary on that second night of the 4-day Inka Trail. Hanna, a middle-aged Belgian woman perpetually wearing a colorful Bolivian hat and best described as a traveling hippie, had already been journeying across South America for nine months. For Emily and Sam, from Australia, it was their fourth month on the road. An Englishman named Mike was doing a 6-month internship in Lima, the capital city, and was taking a short break from his work.

Argentina. Chile. Brazil. England. Holland. Belgium. Uruguay. Australia. Canada. France.

Since arriving in Cusco, I�ve met people from around the world. On the hike alone, nine nationalities were represented, a motley assortment of adventurous and global citizens. For me, meeting so many different kinds of people is the most valuable aspect of going to other countries.

That we could experience the Quechua culture together on the hike to Machu Picchu is intercultural exchange at its best. There`s something to be said for the collective effort of scaling mountains in a foreign place, the end goal being to see and learn about an ancient city from a culture far removed from any of our previous life experience.

That said, I don�t think anyone was expecting the trip to be so intense.

This part of the hike had left most of us exhausted. Couple that with frigid temperatures, thin mattresses, slippery slopes due to the rainy season, etcetera, etcetera, and you have all the adverse conditions necessary for making strong bonds in a short span of time.

The hike itself was nothing short of amazing. The 4-day Inka Trail is the one of same roads originally used by the Quechua people during their peregrination, or religious journey, to Machu Picchu. Characterized by seemingly endless flights of stairs and unreal views of expansive landscapes from atop gigantic mountains, it was more than anything I could`ve expected, especially because the trail is so unforgiving: It requires real effort on the part of the tourist to appreciate the Inka culture in this way.

Near La Puerta del Sol (“Door of the Sun”), on the fourth day of the hike, I clambered up the final flight of stairs that would finally allow me to glimpse the city. Veiled by wisps of rising mist, the stone walls and buildings on the mountain below me constituted one of the most impressive sights I�ve seen in my life.

Words and pictures fail to capture what it�s like to be there. Understanding the nearly vertical climb at certain points of the hike up Huayna Picchu — the 2.720-meter mountain that rises over Machu Picchu — and the sense of vertigo that comes along with it, and standing at the top of a precipice inches away from a death-dealing plummet: You can`t get that unless you actually look down and see the drop in front of your feet.

Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world for good reason. It`s extraordinary.

Afterward, having taken the bus from the top of the mountain to the nearby tourist town of Aguas Calientes (“hot waters”), all the hikers gathered at the hot springs to relax after the long trek. The smiling faces of the rambunctious Argentines, the calm and collected Brazilians, the pop culture-oriented Australians — they seemed like those of old friends at that point.

There is so much left to describe about this trip that led us through some of the most impressive sights of Peru, namely the conditions of the porters who guided us, carried most of the camping equipment and cooked our food. They do this — really, really hard work — for a pittance compared to what I can earn in the States serving coffee at Dunkin� Donuts. But that�s the way the world works.

Sure, I can befriend people similarly privileged citizens from countries around the world, all the while learning a lot about different cultures. But no matter what, as valuable, wonderful and incredible as it is, it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Location: Cusco, Peru