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Published: April 4th 2007
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Hello everybody, probably not a very exciting report (I know, hard to imagine) as we´ve just got back from Machupicchu, which as it turns out is pretty cool. Quite big as well, and a complete pain in the arse to get to. Which explains why it was only found about a hundred years or so ago.
Anyway
Think i didnt finish the last entry on Ollaytentambo (this is not how you spell it), which was an incan site in the sacred valley. Had a look around there for a bit with Jeremy (our guide for the Inca trail as well as that day), and then went to check into hotel and buy supplies for the hike the next day, before going to a restaurant for the roughest spaghetti carbonara I´ve ever had. I should mention that since coming back from the jungle, nothing has been solid, if you see what I mean. This was problematic as the toilets on the Inca trail are not renowned for their frequency or cleanliness. Went to bed very early and didnt feel well at all.
The Inca Trail
Day one
Up at 6.20. Didnt feel well. Had breakfast ,
got on bus, noticed it was raining a bit. Bus to start of trail with a duffel bag (7kg) and my day bag (very light), where we met the 18 porters that were carrying our stuff. Actually felt a bit sick when these guys in sandals that cost 50p in the market were wrapping up our bags, tents, food, plates, etc into packs that weighed about 30kg each, before more or less sprinting up the mountain to get the kitchen tent and our dining tent set up (complete with tablecloths, chairs, proper cutlery, bowls for us to wash our hands in, and a seperate guy whose job was to offer us paper towels after we had finished washing. The first day was really quite an easy walk, notable for a few things
1 The two course dinner (fresh soup with fresh coriander, veg etc followed by trout fillet in sauce with aromatic rice and veg) was ridiculous
2 We were very high up and I felt unfit
3 Corina the german was really ·"$%·"ing annoying and complained all the time.
4 I felt a bit sick
5 Colin, team Norway and I were getting on
famously.
6 The porters were very fit and strong and made us feel continually guilty by attending to our every whim. Was very unsettling. For a while. Got used to it eventually.
Got to the campsite (amazing view) where we were served afternoon tea, crackers and popcorn in the dining tent whilst our inflateable matresses were blown up by the porters who had already set up our tents. We then nonced around for a while and had a beer before we were called in for our steak dinner, followed by the best nights sleep in the world that started at about 9. Still not solid.
DAy 2
Got up to the sound of a porter making a cup of coca tea at the door of my tent which I drank in my sleeping bag. Got up, packed bag for me and bag for porters, then had breakfast of filled pancakes. Unbelievable.
Got introduced to the porters after that, was very strange when one of them said he was 45 and his job was carrying our personal duffel bags, a bit different to what we were all doing there.
Today was the hard day
of walking, and Colins stomach had unfortunately given way to nastiness, so team norway and I were left to lead the charge up to dead womans pass. Taking a lot of photos with my shiny new brilliant camera. Was quite hard work, however the two others had been in the army for a while and I´m really cool, so we could go pretty quickly and were at the top soon. View was good. After this uphill bit, wqhich finshed at 4200m above sea level (this is very high) was a down bit to the lunch tent (soup and potato cakes and chicken and rice, pretty good for the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere) where we were very early, so sunbathed for a while. hot.
After lñunch it pissed it down, lots. This was annoying, however my rucksack was brilliant, and the waterproof trousers I picked up for 4 pounds were a triumph. Reached campsite where the porters had already set up tents and made tea.still raining so team norway and i hid in a tent and played cards for a bit. The smell of 3 damp unwashed smelly guys in the very small tent was
interesting. Stopped raining longenough to run to tent for dinner, but not long enough to dry anything. There were lots of angry people that night, particularly Corina the complainey german who didnt like the rain, and thought that the walk was too far. Someone asked if she thought Machu Picchu should be closer to the village we started from. She agreed.
Another good sleep, then woke to good weather and quite an easy days walk, which finished with a brief ten minutes of enthusiasm when oestein and i ran down the finalhill to the campsite, which had a shower and crucially a bar. THis entertained us for the remainder of the evening, until dinner after which we gave the porters their tips and said thanks, as they were off very early the next morning to catch a train back to the village, which was all very odd, as they were very pleased with the money, and was quite hard thanking them properly.
Day 4 involved a 4oclock start after a really bad nights sleep- we were lower down that night, so it was warmer and lots more oxygen, so was hot and awake. Annoying. Was very tired in
morning, and then about a 2 hour walk to get to a very misty machu picchu, but watching the mist clear was unreal, photos dont really do it justice, but was very cool. Was really good tour by Jeremy our guide as well. incas were pretty switched on really... everythings to do with where the sun rises and the summer and winter solstices and stuff.
Had greasy lunch and then down to the nearby village to get train and have a pizza. Was really really really tired by this point, however the minibus journey after the train proved to be quite good air guitar fun, and the momentum lasted for long enough to see us showered and changed in the very cheap pub next to the hotel watching the local team play boca (argentinian side) and win 3-0, which meant lots of people out that night.
Headed to another bar to meet tom, which was surreal but really good to catch up, he´s having a great time by the sounds of things, showed more enthusiasm for unearthing incan walls than I expected, got the impression its a really good trip. The rest of the evening passed in a haze, however it was one of the best nights out ive had for absolutely ages. Got home around 9. had a sleep. Was tired.
HOWEVER, had to check out the hotel at 10. disaster. Hunted down bacon and egg breakfast, before getting on a flight (had minor boarding pass crisis on the way) to Arequipa. I had no idea where this was, or what was going to happen there. The good thing (or maybe bad thing) about this part of the trip is that I don´t have to think. At all. Ever. Taxis are booked, beds are booked, and I just do what im told. Good sometimes but bad at others... Felt sick a lot on flight.
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Andrew + Mary
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Hi Matthew Picchu!
Exhausted just reading your blog - must be an age thing! You seem to be covering every inch of South America and eating continually! Sounds like Macchu Picchu was fantastic and looking forward to seeing your pix. Amazing that you + Tom managed to meet up for a beer in Cusco - you always said you would![The Church Green may be simpler next time!] Enjoy rest of Mattatour, Love M+A[and of course,Matt!]x