Inca Trail (Day 4)

---

Day 53 is day 4 of the Inca Trail and a special day to remember being our wedding anniversary as well. However a 3.30 am wake-up tea quickly brought us down to earth. Another reasonable sleep in warmer conditions however I awoke to still very stiff muscles & some effects from the dehydration. We set off with great expectations at 4.10am, torch lights & breakfast snack in hand only to line up with a number of other groups at a nearby control point and await for the 5.30 am opening of the track. The delay is understandable as the last 6 kms is narrow with some steep drop off points yet some people think they need to reach the Sun Gate first & try to rush or make dangerous passing moves. Fortunately we did not see any of that any my trip was very slow as I could feel every leg muscle whether stepping up or down.

While it's nice to get to the Sun Gate early, where if the weather is kind you can watch the ruins of Machu Picchu below as the sun emerges from the mist it's still going to be pretty special just for the sense of achievement. The end of the wet season is also the wrong time of year for a bright sunny view & sure enough when we arrived the clouds were drifting in & out but to my mind this adds to the mystery of the site.

Hugo advised that the iconic shot that most people associate with Machu Picchu with the two towering mountains (Machu & Huayna Picchu) in the background was not taken from the Sun Gate but further down so after soaking up the scene we continued down the track which was still an hours trek to the main entrance all the way seeing different views on the site.

While it's thought Machu Picchu was built around 1440 as a country retreat for Incan nobility, there is evidence this had been a sacred Incan site for much longer. We entered the site at 7.30 am to try & beat some of the crowd arriving by train or staying in hotels below. Hugo gave us a two hour tour explaining the importance of the many temples, palaces and living quarters taking endless photo opportunities. We then had several more hours wandering around the site before tiredness and sore legs got the better of us.

We took a short bus ride down to Agus Calientes for a celebratory group lunch & cerveza before a long afternoon return trip to Cuzco. First we had a very relaxing train trip from Agus Calientes to Ollantaytambo. The view down below was the mighty Urubamba River below with whitewater endlessly rushing down over rocks to form the headwaters of the Amazon River while above was towering mountain views through the glass roof carriage. We changed at Ollantaytambo for a 2 hr bus trip back to Cuzco. A long day but very satisfying end for weary bodies and an overwhelming sense of achievement.

---

Comments

[Steve]

Fantastic photos!
Marvellous scenery! Hope your legs have recovered...