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Published: August 17th 2006
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We arrived in Cusco with partying in mind! Cusco was once the Inca capital and is also now the biggest party town in South America. We enjoyed a night out in Mama Africas and tried the local cuisine which was (Tess) really nice. We had a BBQ of beef, chicken, sausage and salad etc. Most things here are served with either rice or fries and carne seems to be the meal du jour, every day! Mama Africas was fun although a slightly dingy bar with the tiniest balcony. It was full of people from all different origins and made for a good night out nonetheless.
Before our Inca trail we spent a day visiting some of the nearby ruins. We visited the Sacred Valley, the Incan fortress of Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuaman and Pisac. We also met all the different varieties of llama and watched the locals weaving the wool into socks, hats, scarfs and gloves! Very warm (Louise I have picked you up some Alpaca leg warmers for Winter! I am sure with your arm warmers you will be very toasty) .
Before starting our Inca trail trek we had a night in Doris´s House at Ollantaytambo which was very
comfy.
Day 1 - We were collected by bus at 8am to drive to the start of the trail. We had our 5kg bags with us and passed these over to the porters who were (bless them!) to carry our belongings, cookers, gas, tents, food and water to camp each day!! (seriously impressive). We were really impressed by the views from the trail and knew the trek was going to be well worth it from this point onwards. Today´s climb was a fairly easy ascent (although we were soon to discover the Peruvians idea of a hill...!!) We made a few stops along the way where we could chew a few more cocoa leaves to give us a boost and help with the altitude and stock up on water. Lunch was pretty amazing and we enjoyed a 3 course meal to our disbelief! The porters were really incredible. Each day they would run on ahead and ensure our lunch, dinner and camp was set up for our arrival. This was slightly disconcerting when you are struggling up a hill and 5 porters run past, in sandals and carrying a cooker!! The weight each porter carries has been limited to
25kgs but in previous years there were no restrictions. The porters are usually farmers who work the inca trail for extra cash. It is a good wage for a few days work as far as they are concerned but we still found it slightly bemusing to be waited on and thought they were spectacular and should be paid more! Camp was set up for our arrival and we watched the boys (and one girl!) enjoy a game of footy with the porters and guides before another HUGE dinner.
Day 2 - Today was a challenge! Although the scenery was breathtaking, even the fittest in the group found day 2 a struggle. The majority of the day is a steep uphill climb and although broken up by a few pitt stops, a hard slog. The altitude affects the energy levels and you find breathing really difficult. Also, because the trail is so tough at this stage, you do find yourself very much climbing at your own pace and both of us spent much of this part of the trail alone, watching porters running past! The feeling at the top of this climb was one of serious accomplishment though and well
worth it. Once at the top you begin a descent which seems never-ending but on arrival at camp, another lavish dinner awaits so things never seem too tough! (as you can see it never really felt like we were roughing it!...We didn´t even have to put up our own tents so it was quite relaxing in the evenings compared with what we were used to).
Day 3 - We were up at 6am for a hearty breakfast and some cocoa tea. After an hour ascent we found ourselves at another inca ruin landmark and then continued on for what felt like an eternity down some steps to lunch. Day 3 was the most culturally rich day as we saw more inca ruins and paths etc and it was much more mystical and exciting than the previous days. We really felt we were beginning to feel how magical Machu Picchu really is. There were tunnels and interesting climbs along the way. We were all really beginning to ache by this point and the blisters we accummulated on the first 2 days were really settling in. Spirits were high though as the scenery was brilliant and we knew we were only
a day away from reaching the crescendo!
Day 4 - Our alarms went off at 3.45am and we packed our bags, had some pancakes (weird eating breakfast at this hour!) and drank as much cocoa tea as possible to ease us into the journey. The climb was steeper than we thought it would be and began in the dark. On reaching the sun gate, after climbing some of the steepest steps on the trail so far, we all fell down onto the rocks to watch the mist disappear over the ruins. We could now see Machu Picchu! A chocolate bar later we continued on...It was amazing to see the ruins in all their glory! WOW.
The next few hours we learnt about the history of the ruins; how Machu Picchu was thought to have been a royal estate and religious retreat and how only the elite in Inca society would have visited. Also, because Cusco was the nearby Inca capital, porters would carry messages from the city to Machu Picchu regularly and the path served as, not only a pilgrimage, but a source of information. The sun shone down on us and the mountainous backdrop took our breath away.
We were also pretty pleased to have finally finished the trek and looked forward to a good wash! Our hiking boots were well worn in and our thermals had served us well!
Luckily, you receive a free bus ticket from Machu Picchu to the base of the mountains (Agua Calientas - hot springs). The funniest part of this descent was the little boy (pictured below) that was racing with the bus down the mountainside! As we hairpinned he always turned up at the next corner. I imagine this little fella to be the fittest boy in Peru! He arrived on the bus at the base fully charged and screaming! It was hilarious. He must have been running at such pace and sliding or skidding down the slopes that nearly everyone felt he had earned a wee tip upon arrival! Very funny.
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Sue
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Wow ..... what an awesome place to visit! You look like you are having a wonderful time. See you in not very long.... Party time!!!!!! Cheers and beers! ... Sister Sue xxxxxxxxx