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Published: March 16th 2009
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We are clean! We are actually clean! Our mud coated boots have been yanked from our feet, as have our sweat soaked socks and clothes, which will probably never be fit to be worn again. The grease has been washed from our hair, and the layers of grime have been removed, and the aches and pains that come with three and a half days of constant hiking have been eased away by the magic of an oh-so-wonderful heated shower. The first shower in four days. Needless to say, the first stage of our Peruvian Adventure - the Inca Trail - was a smelly affair. Was it worth it? Was it worth the thousands and thousands of steps, the smells, the disgusting excuse for toilets, the trudging through mud and donkey dung, the shifting from extreme heat to torrential rain, the altitude sickness, and all that comes with the 45km hike up to Machu Picchu? Absolutely.
We knew that the Inca Trail was going to be hard work, and so when we arrived into Lima after that horrendous flight, we did nothing but relax. The city reminds me a lot of Barcelona - the laidback atmosphere, the palm tree lined boulevards,
the glorious sunshine, every street streaked with bright colours and populated by fruit vendors. The two days we had there went by in a flash, and then ridiculously early on day 3, we left the hotel to catch the plane to Cusco. Naturally the plane was delayed by 5 hours; apparently, part of the engine had fallen off. Always reassuring. But we did eventually arrive, alive, into Cusco, where we had the rest of the day to explore. If Lima is reminiscent of Barcelona, then Cusco reminds me of the smaller Spanish towns, like Old Pals, with narrow cobbled alleys and little colonial churches on every corner. It stands at 3000 metres above sea level, and the high altitude meant that we were out of breath a lot, but we wandered slowly around the town, enjoying the sunshine (and then waiting under cover when it rained).
From Cusco we headed to the Sacred Valley of the Incasm going via a local village, populated as much by llamas and alpacas, as by people. The women there use the llama and alpaca wool to make the hats and ponchos we associate with Peru; I splurged and bought a pair of gloves
from them, my last pair still probably lying forlornly on Tokyo subway somewhere. And then we went down into the Sacred Valley, passing by some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The snow-capped mountains loomed over us as we wound our way along the lush green valley floor, heading for ancient Incan sites. The first we came to was covered with beautiful wildflowers, and the second, Ollantaytambo, was perched high on narrow sun-kissed terraces in the hills. That night we stayed in a hostel in the little village of Ollantaytambo, possibly my favourite village in the world. The main square, from which you can see the surrounding the Andean mountains and hear the flow of the river, is full of friendly locals and huge sunflowers. What a relief to find somewhere in the world untouched by American commercialisation; there wasn´t a KFC in sight!
The following fateful morning heralded the beginning of the Inca Trail, and so, equipped with sunblock, mosquito spray, lots of water and the compulsory walking sticks, we made our way to the first check point. They stamped our passports, waved us through, and thus the three and a half day hike began.
I would like to say that it went smoothly, but naturally out of the 16 people in our group, I was the only one to suffer from full blown altitude sickness. Within a couple of hours, I was throwing up all over the Inca Trail, feeling very sorry for myself. I was taken to see a doctor in the middle of the Andes, who wanted to give me an IV drip to re-hydrate me. I was having none of that; we had come all this way to do the Inca Trail, and we were going to do it!! So I took the 5 different tablets the doctor gave me, and off we went again. We took it very slowly, and after a few hours, I felt fine. Whether it was the tablets, or I had simply grown accustomed to the high altitude, I don´t know, I´m just relieved that we didn´t turn back!
We camped for that night at Wayllabamba, and then up at 5 o´clock the next morning for the uphill hike to Dead Woman´s Pass, standing at 4200 metres. I have never walked up so many steps in my life and by the time we reached the
summit my legs were in complete agony. We had a ten minute break at the peak and then it was back down the other side to spend the night camping at Paqaymayo. It was the worst campsite because it was a ten minute hike clambering over rocks and across a very precarious looking wooden bridge to reach the hole in the floor they called a toilet. But it was also the best campsite because the night sky was so incredibly clear; I have never seen so many stars! And when we awoke in the morning, we were above the clouds, looking down on the Andes. The next day was mainly downhill, which Mark found quite difficult (although, of course, he still managed to stay miles ahead of everyone!), but I found it a lot easier. We hiked up to Runkuraqay High Pass and down again to Winaywayna, the vegetation becoming more and more alien as we skirted the Amazon Rainforest. That night was our last night of camping, and we rose at 4 o´clock to be one of the first groups to reach Machu Picchu. As we hiked, the sun rose over the Andes, the sky turning pink, and by
the time we reached the Sun Gate, giving us our first view of mystical Machu Picchu, it was light. We looked down on it for ages, taking a lot of photographs of course, and then we began the descent. The clouds had fully cleared by the time we reached the ruins, and we could see the famous Waynapicchu Mountain looming over Machu Picchu. The other Incan sites we have visited were mainly destroyed by the Spanish, but Machu Picchu, hidden by trees and nestled in the hills, remained undiscovered when the Spanish arrived, so many of the buildings were still intact. And the site is huge; we were exploring it for four hours! We had finally reached our destination and it was definitely worth it; Machu Picchu really couldn´t disappoint even the most jaded of travellers. But the Inca Trail in itself was also worth it; passing glaciers, camping next to waterfalls, exploring ruins covered with wildflowers, and so much more! That it was such hard work made it all the more worth it; the sense of achievement at the end cannot be beaten.
Once we had exhausted Machu Picchu, we got the bus to Aguas Calientes, and from
there got the train back to Cusco, where we showered and actually slept in real beds; it was wonderful! But we both feel a little bitter for having been thrust back into civilization; we miss the majesty of the mountains and peace that comes with being so secluded. It is definitely a good job, then, that we are heading into the Amazon Rainforest for a few days tomorrow!
Somebody wants the computer now, so I´ll have to add photographs later!
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Deborah
non-member comment
stunning
That looks like it was absolutely amazing - that's something you'll remember for ever. You must be so fit now! Good to hear from you again as well, was beginning to wonder if you'd survived. Good luck in the amazon (is that in Brazil, or still in Peru?)