Inca Trail

Once we got us all together, people got used to the high altitude, and we walked up, down, and all around Cusco we headed out to start the 4 day Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu. We were up at 5am to catch the bus to our first stop, breakfast and shopping. It was a last minute place to grab any extra things you might need...walking sticks, manchos, chocolate, water, cough drops......(of course after all the planning Ellen had a terrible cold and had no voice on the first day)

We started the hike with 16 hikers, one guide, 20 porters, and one cook. The first day (with just a little rain) was a pretty easy hike with a few stops for stories (our guide, Jose, was a wonderful story teller) and ruins. The porters beat us to every stop with tents set up and water ready for us to wash our hands. We ate lunch all together in a big blue tent with soup to start every meal of couse. By the end of the day we arrived at our camp site. Everyone found a tent and washed up for tea before dinner. We were suprised by a birthday cake to celebrate one of the austrailian´s birthdays.

Day 2 we were up before the sun and greeted with warm water and pancakes. This was by far the hardest day with a 900meter climb to Dead Woman´s Pass. The views on this day were spectacular. Unfortunetly, the 4 girls from Austrailia, who had just arrived to Peru left on the second day, because one of them was quite ill and had to be carried out. So by day 2 we were down to 12 hikers. (An Austrailian couple on their honeymoon, 3 sweedish girls, a couple from London).

Day 3 was a short morning stroll (as we were told) granted it was a lot of up and down. Thankfully, it was only a half day, because both Kate and Ellen were feeling a little under the weather. Our camp for the 3rd day had hot showers, beer, and an indoor eating area. Ellen spent the afternoon sleeping, while the rest went to view some more ruins. We had a nice dinner with lots of loud entertainment from another group glad to find their beer. Our cook suprised Linda with a fantastic Birthday Cake!! With tonight being our last night with the porters we had a very nice departing ceremony to thank them all for their amazing efforts. Off to bed early for an early rise to see Machu Picchu.

Up at 4am to grab breakfast and start our final journey to Machu Picchu. We arrived to find the ruins coverd by a fog that quickly lifted: (the period has stopped working on the keyboard): Jose gave a great tour and half way through a few people; including Tim; left to climb the Young Mountain:

Ater touring the sites we headed out for one last meal and to catch the bus back to Cusco: TIM; LINDA AND RON GRABBED SOME INDIAN WITH A COUPLE OTHERS WHILE KATE AND ELLEN HEADED OFF TO BED FOR SOME RECOVERY: ON SUNDAY MORNING LINDA AND ELLEN WENT OUT FOR A LOVELY MASSAGE; WHILE TIM HUNG OUT WITH ONE OF THE PORTERS; AND RON AND KATE HUNG OUT:

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