Salkantay to Machu Picchu

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Mollipata Day 1

We woke up at 4am Monday morning excited and tired. We really weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into. The only thing we knew was that we would be gone for 5 days and be hiking the Salkantay pass to Macchu Pichu. The combi sized bus arrived from around the dark corner and we rushed downstairs to find that the gate was locked. Not knowing if we could wake the landlord, we decided to climb the wall and jump over. As I was straddling the wall with bags in hand, the still dormant tenant came outside. Of course she was startled to see a strange, tall man on top of her wall in the dark of the morning. I don’t think the shock wore off for several minutes, because she just stood there as we were trying to figure out how to escape. She finally unlocked the gate as I jumped over into the van where the first tour mates to be met were Denmark (Damon) and Australia (Mark). Both seemed like nice guys as we all immediately broke into conversation and were laughing at Marks jokes. He actually reminded us in his tones and wording of Dave, our TEFL mate. When on the tour bus, we were startled by a Scandinavian guy, who turned out to be English (), that was making no sense and never completed a sentence. Later we found out that he was still piss drunk from the night before. The trip was long and as usual I could not sleep. When we made it to the town we all prepared out bags for the porters and had our bread and tea breakfast. English was not happy at all that it was so minimal. The rest of us tried to mingle and figure each other out. We had Bennie and Anna (Israel), Boni (India/German/USA), Ben (London), Blevin (New Zealand), Lesca and Barbara (Germany), Martin (Chile/Germany), and (Willie Wonka).
We started the hike by stopping at a local vendor to purchase coca leaves and an alkaloid rock. The alkaloid speeds up the effects of the coca leaves, but also was found to give nasty ulcers. The walk was nice and easy for the most part, and the views were constantly amazing of mountains and greenery. We made stopped along the way when there were beverage stands, and then made it to lunch as the sun came out. Everyone in the group instantly bonded and we realized we couldn’t have asked for better people to be with for 5 days. All of us brought something different and quirky to the group, including the guides Jimmy and Yuri (Melvin). Oreos were quickly established as the treats for trade as the path became more inclined. Lunch was a great sight for we had been passed by the porters a long time before. Welcome to the Peruvian diet everyone! Soup, rice with meat, and an odd dessert will be presented twice a day. No need to worry about what’s in it since no one flagged for the vegetarian option.
As usual, after lunch the showers were foreseeable as we could then see the Umantani Mountain in the distance. The rain jackets and watertight bags came in handy as we sloshed down the path. Rainbows were present as were hard breaths. We finally made it down the mountain which we presupposed predicted the end was near. Surrounded by mountains, streams, and a constant view of Umantani, we made it to the camp site, happy to be able to change clothes and relax. We broke out the rum to share along with wine gums and other treats. Day one was complete and we awaited our meals and tea time as we now had a view of both Umantani and Salkantay. Popcorn, an amazing surprise, was served with tea, coffee, or coco, and to no surprise dinner consisted of rice meat and soup. The Israelis had brought a portable speaker system which was put to good use during the meal as Australia sat in as acting DJ, mixing tunes for the global group. Jimmy pretty much suggested that we all go to bed following dinner, since we had to hike for ten hours on Tuesday, the longest and toughest of the trip. Day one was complete and we were all looking forward to the following day.

Salkantay Day 2

I woke up around 530 on day two trying to catch the sunrise. We were so deep in the mountains that the peaks were never actually eclipsed until later that day. I was able to get pretty good pics of the damp ground and low fog. There was also a sneak peak of sunlight available through the pass we had come through on day one, and the Salkantay and Umantani were tall enough to capture great lighting. After tea and pancakes, we gathered out belongings and set off onto the cold, moist path. The legs struggled to warm up to the immediate hike up a winding path, and the lungs fought to stay asleep. This was my favorite morning on the trip by far. As we passed through the lush green valley the body's connection with this land became apparent as the only sounds were of boots sloshing and the numerous runoffs rushing from the mountains. We made it to the first stopping point at the start of an arduous uphill battle to the Salkantay pass. Jimmie decided we needed a group picture here since the mountain would be covered by clouds by the time we made it up. We all gratefully accepted the rest as we gathered our rock offering from the base of the mountain to take to the top. Salkantay means 'wild mountain' and it is a custom to take an offering of thanks to the gods. I tried to search its peaks for a path or sane way up but began to understand why there have only been 3 attempts of conquer. From our stopping point, the path looked as if it went straight up the mountain side, which worried me. As we started the ascension we were glad to see that it was more of a zigzag course. We finally made it to the top of this point, where we had an excellent view of the valley below, and could see with amazement how far we had already come. The walk through the pass was tiresome as the air thinned even more and we ascended to 4600 meters, over 15253 feet. During the walk I could hear the ice from the peaks cracking and passed shelters than had been made under enormous boulders. At the highest point on the trek we felt as though we had been parachuted in from a different universe. The land has been chipped and ground to dark rubble for millenniums. The scene of rock offerings was powerfully moving as I chose a safe spot for mine with a good of the ascent. After we took our group pictures and breathed in the life of the gods we made our way down the easiest part of the trek. It was completely down hill from here as we made our long journey down to another valley to lunch. This path was more desolate and surrounded by larger boulders of lighter sediment. We ascended through clouds and ancient stone walls still used for corralling livestock. We came to a fantastic point with an immediate drop off to where the valley flattened a bit. This was truly a serene location for those in front of the pack. Boulders randomly scattered the land, and the clouds could be watched moving up toward us. This was a great view of how the weather rapidly changed while following the paths between the mountains. We made out way down again to the shelter that held the aroma of soup with chicken and papas. At the bottom, the climate had changed to a definite rain forecast. The terrace was filled with streams and red rocks. We made it into the hut just before the rain came. Jimmy predicted that it should stop within 15 minutes after lunch; to my amazement it did on the spot. We were thankful we didn't have to walk in the cold rain yet. The next dissension would lead us through a more lush and growing environment. It would also lead us on a 5 hour trek in the rain and mud. By the time we made it to camp, my body was telling me it needed to stop or would give up. This weather would lead me on a 4 day quest to recuperate after our return to Cusco. Luckily I had worn my impermeable pants that day, but still could not escape the wetness as they did not allow sweat from my body to escape or dry. The camp was a welcome site in a small community of homes amongst mules, chickens, and cows. That night we welcomed the only dry, dark shelter for dinner. Popcorn and flatbread was quickly consumed. The tired empty looks on everyone's faces told the story of the days journey. The rain continued throughout the night, but would stop when we started day 3.

Celba Day 3

Day three would lead us through more jungle as we followed the Salkantay river to Santa Teresa. Thankfully this day would only lead us on a 6 hr walk on easy paths and slight inclines. We passed over many bridges and saw many waterfalls. More concession huts were seen as well, and more chances to consumer local fruits were taken. The grenadine was eaten, which was a small tangerine looking fruit. The second layer was a matrix of white foam which safely protected the slim covered seeds. This was also called passion fruit and apparently is dangerous to pick from trees during this part of the year since it rains so much. After our last stopping point, we made our way through a coffee bean forest and were able to chew on them down the hill. There is such a drastic difference between the natural bean and the taste of coffee. Banana trees were everywhere as well, which looked like the communities had very abundant food sources. At the bottom of the hill awaited our bus. I was actually shocked to think of riding in a vehicle at this point, but welcomed the break for my knee. The bus took us to the next town down a single lane pass which included a great view from the right side of an immediate drop off to the rushing river 50 meters below. The cooks had prepared pasta for us and the store supplied great wine for the willing. That was quite a treat to the body. The blood stung and came to a tranquil state. After lunch we said goodbye to the porters and rode to Santa Teresa. This was the first point in the trip that we would be around an actual town and supplies. The camp was on top of the hill with a great overlook of the town below, and we were all enthralled to have a monkey running around. Everyone raced to grab there cameras as it ran in and out of the bus. The clouds had cleared here so we were able to dry our clothes on the lines that would act as trip lines later that night. It was warming to finally be dry as we hopped in the bus one more time to journey down the mountain to the hot springs. On the way through town we picked up a 140 song Bob Marley CD. This would be one of the most memorable times for us all as we joyously sang songs of life and freedom and rolled down the road with great sunlight, scenery, and rum. The hot springs were amazing. It looked as though there had been a lot of new construction for the stone paths. It felt like an oasis in the Caribbean. There were three pools of varying temperatures and an ice cold waterfall for the loco. The water was so clear and had a comfortable pebbled bottom. We formed swimming races in which Denmark was the winner, and let the tired bodies soak in the medicinal waters. We returned to camp during the darkness on one more ride of Marley melodies mixed with rum. Dinner introduced Peruvian pizza, pasta, greens, soup, and sausage to the group, mixed with drinks from the bar below. The monkey joined us and made many swift passes on the table to gather handfuls of sugar or popcorn. The fire brought us all together with the community for one big fiesta, then we were all led to the local disco by Jimmy with promises we would be able to wake up later in the morning. Limbo was played, bottles were purchased, and our personal choreographer was finally able to show off his skills to MJ. I'm not sure when we returned to the camp the next morning, but we certainly were disgruntled when Jimmy came banging on our tents at 730 that morning.

Santa Teresa Day 4

The sky was quickly painted with a deep solid blue. After a breakfast of pancakes we set off through the town to the river crossing. I have a great photo of where Australia's day started wrong. Drinking beer to cure a hangover on a day of solid sun turned out to be a nightmare. To help cure Ben's fear of heights, Jimmie accompanied him on a trolley ride across the river. We could see the remnants of Old Santa Teresa in the river bed. Years ago, there was an flood that totally whipped out the town. The new and improved Santa Teresa was now built on the hill above. Our first hike led us up the stone stairs through the fruit forest to a great waterfall filled with mosquitoes. We passed limo, lime, banana, avocado, and other fruit trees up the trail. The rest of the trek was on a dirt road that would lead us past the dam and to the train tracks. After having a lunch and enduring the repeat of Dire Straights every 35 seconds after an uprising over Wino musica de Peru, we set off on the most annoying part of the trip. We walked on railroad tracks for 4 hours. I will say they are clearly not made in a pattern conducive to the stride of a 6'4" man, especially one with one gimp leg. It was a pretty interesting walk though through the jungle which led to the base of Machu Picchu in Aguas Calientes. The town was a welcome sight as we were all anxious to see the great city of the Incas. After a dinner of soup and chicken we searched for ice cream and were off to bed for our early departure of 4am.

MACHU PICCHU FINAL DAY

We made it up for another 4am hike, although this time we were able to stretch our legs out on even ground for the first mile after purchasing coffee/bread from a moving vendor. My knee wasn't exactly excited about stairs for yet another day, so I wasn't exactly excited to learn we were to walk up thousands of stone stairs to the entrance of Machu Picchu. I broke out the walking stick and made it up only 20 min after the last of our group. After making it to this point, I didn't feel I could allow myself to punk out there. There is a dirt road leading to the top for those who want to take the very comfortable buses, but as you'll notice from the photo, the 1.5hr hike is quite the view. To walk to the path of the incas and to understand how difficult it was to carry supplies up the mountain was quite the experience. At the top we all traveled through the park to the Winu Picchu line, so they could each could get one of 400 tickets allowed each day. There are 2 time slots available for the hike. I think the last opened at 1045am, the first at 845am? Ben, due to his fear of heights, stayed with me, and we explored the rest of the main park, took the typical pics. After a tour, our guides said their goodbyes as they were to start another trek 2 days later. (A side story for all who have seen Commando. If you have or haven't indulged in peak time movies by the California Govenor, this will probably be a "had to have been there" story. We had a Chilean born German who sounded identical to the Guv-nah. The ongoing joke was he needed to carry a log and say "Take me to the choppa" as Arnold does in the beginning of Commando. You should have seen the excited looks on everyones faces when a group of men walked by the group carrying logs on top of Machu Picchu. Australia and Chile immediately took one log from the astonished men, who happily played along. "Take me to the choppa" was recorded on everyones cam. and onlookers were confused as we all broke out in hysteria.) We all went back out of the main entrance to grab some extremely overpriced food. I must say the pizza and sandwiches were the best value, although the pizza was s./15 for a slice, and sandwich s./18. Both were enormous and packed with food and were able to hit the spot after a s./5 cup of coffee. At that point our bodies outweighed our practicality. The group left to make their final hike up and Ben and I began our ascent up to the top of the agricultural area to awe over the view of the living area below (the classic view). I'm really not sure how long we sat there and took in the scenary, but we had the perfect spot on the corner that completed out 5 day movement over mountains, through valleys and jungle, along rivers, and with help of coca, the ancient power plant. We took our time down, consuming every angle of this magnificent structure, that humbles and commands respect. Luckily India had lent me one of his bus passes, so I was able to make it back down the mountian in comfort. Ben and I found a corner cafe and attempted to fill the black hole occupying our stomachs. Group by group we caught our companions and traded stories as we waited on our train. Tom and I returned to the hostal to gather our bags, and entered an open market close to the restaurant where we found halloween masks that we would use later that night in Cusco. I chose the all so popular Spiderman and others ranged to creepy clowns. One group we had met on the mountain relayed rumors of a Panda that was in a random local place. We asked vendors as we weaved our way through markets, but the bubble was burst when the hotel in which it resides told us we couldn't enter unless we had a room there. As we left with heads hung low, an employee informed us that it even an actual panda, but a small mountain bear that resembles a panda. We gathered the rest and boarded the train back to Ollantaytambo, where we almost missed our bus back to Cusco, as we amazingly could not find it amongst the 50 other random buses in the pking lot. Consciously knowing we would not have to hike another day, our bodies finally gave up. The ride started off with humor and stories, but quickly fell silent. Trip over.

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Comments

[DAD]

THIS IS SO AWESOME, I WISH I WAS THERE TO SEE IT

[Chris and Nikki]

Cool picture, I'm hoping to visit Machu Picchu next year.