Bolivian Inca Trail hike Day 1

 I and two hostel mates took a self-guided trek to Maragua Crater using public transportation from Sucre to the starting point at the chapel of Chataquila, descending via the Inca Trail to Chaunaca, and then walked alone the road to Managua, and stayed in a hostel for the night. This is a well-preserved, cobble-stoned path with impressive views. The term "Inca trails" is used to describe the extensive road network of the Inca Empire that connected their territories across Peru, Bolivia, and other Andean regions. The famous Inca network of roads runs through Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru and is almost 30,000 kilometers long. These trails were used for communication, troop movement, and transporting goods, and today, they are popular for trekking and experiencing ancient ruins.

We took a taxi to a mini bus spot a bus (you can find the exact location on Google Maps as "Bus Chataquila/Potolo"). Three buses between 6-9 am and moves whenever full. We got off Chataquila to start the trek. 

From Chataquila, we began the famous Inca Trail in n Bolivia (a beautiful, easy 2-hr path with stunning views). We tried to find food in Chaunaca but unsuccessful. We continued along the path to reach Managua (4-hr it's recommended to use Maps.Me). We hiked faster than maps.me estimates.

We showered, had vegetarian dinner and Muña tea for the night, and set to have breakfast the next morning. I pre-hydrated three cups of Muña tea. It is a lesser known but equally important herb of the Andes is the muña leaf. Muña is an herb that grows in the cold highlands and has a pleasant minty smell that entices travelers along the trekking routes. Traditionally muña leaves were used to repel insects, preserve food, and to make a soothing, delicious tea. However, this herb has a number of health benefits and medicinal properties that make it ideal for travelers. Muña’s main benefit is digestive. It can help to ease stomach spasms, indigestion, diarrhea, colic and many other gastric issues. For that reason, muña is an excellent alternative to its more controversial coca counterpart for treating some symptoms of altitude sickness. Moreover, there are no known health effects of muña and this herb is believed to be safe for human consumption.