Take our breath away

After 4 days in Lima, we finally landed in Cusco - the ancient Inca capital and home to the magnificent Machu Picchu mountains. Here you feel that you are amongst Quechans as opposed to Peruanos. Old Cusco stands at 3,310 m above sea level and boy did we feel it as soon as we roamed around the streets gasping for air as we looked at the old Inca stonework and remains.

Over the next 3 days we tried to acclimatise, walking very slowly, sleeping a lot and we even paid a visit to the local medic centre to cure an upset stomach and a sore back.

On 20th September we eagerly waited for our 4.30am pick up to start a 5 day/4 night trek covering some 70 kms. After 2 hours in a cramped bus full of 20 something travellers we met our 11 member group, 2 guides, porters, 3 cooks and horses - our only companions for the next 4 nights. At 2,700 metres above seal level we then set off for our first day of the trek - a 9 hour walk passing green pastures then a steep climbed of arid land before we sat down for one of our first 3 course lunches!!. Believe it or not we ate better on this trip than we did the week before. That night we set camp at the bottom of a snowy capped mountain of Salkantay. What a wake up call for me - first day and we climbed close to 1000 m in one day. Needless to say I was one of the last ones to arrive at camp. Over the next 3 days, the walk got harder before it got better.

Day 2 was a killer, yet another 1000 m climb : we reached approx 4,700 m above sea level by lunch time. I needed a horse to help me climb. There were moments when I felt that my heart was going to explode from the lack of oxygen and my legs were going to give way. On day 3 our efforts were rewarded, when after another 3 hours of walk, we arrived at a medicinal hot spring bath and had our first proper wash surrounded by the majestic mountains before setting down for another delicious 3 course lunch.

Our 4th day of the trek was a lot easier as we walked down leisurely through the jungle, passing Quechan villages, learning about the different flora and fauna: potatoes, avocado, chilies, yucca, orchids, passion fruit, you name it. That afternoon, as we headed to Aguas Calientes, the majestic Machu Picchu mountains loomed over us. One feels so insignificant and small compared to these amazing mountains. No words can describe the feeling I felt when I walked along the train tracks looking upwards to the back of the Machu and Wayna Picchu mountains before finally reaching the village of Aguas Calientes - the bottom of Machu Picchu.

The grand finale of our trek was a 4.30am breakfast before heading off on a 1.5 hour steep climb to Machu Picchu at 6.30am so we could watch sunrise at Machu Picchu. Im proud to say that I made it in 1 hour and the 2nd girl to reach the doors of old Inca village of Machu Picchu.. yeah!!

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