Journey to Machu Picchu: Cusco, Salkantay Trek and much more

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As I landed in Cusco, I found myself 3450 meters above sea level, in a place that was really cold! It was so cold and rainy outside that I actually spent the majority of my first day seeking shelter in an Italian Pizzeria and in an internet cafe. However, I did manage to make it to my orientation session for the Salkantay Trek, where I was informed that I would be trekking through snow and that I needed mittens, a tuque, sleeping bag, walking stick etc. Therefore, I spent a lot of my second day in Cusco in the markets searching for all the supplies required for my trek. I had fun taking a bus to the local markets to haggle for a jacket and track pants! It was also much warmer on day 2, which made walking around much more bearable. My wake up call for the Salkantay trek was at 4:30 the next day, but I was didn´t mind as I was really excited....4 days of trekking....and the chance to visit Machu Picchu...what more could someone ask for!

Day 1 -The bus came and picked me up and we were on our way to our first stop which was
Mollepata. It was there that we had our breakfast before being driven to the start of
our trek which was Cruzpata. Our group was 11 people, mainly Americans, with 1 Brit and a
family of 3 from Sherbrooke, Quebec. The first day was pretty easy as it was an 11K trek that was pretty flat. However our first camp site (Soraypampa) was pretty high in altitude
(3850m) so it was really cold. Even though I was wearing ski socks, two pairs of pants and a sweater and jacket, I still had a hard time falling asleep due to the cold and only slept about 3 hours. However, the view at night was pretty awesome, as it was a clear night, so you could see so many stars above all the mountains. In addition, even though the weather was cold and there were no showers and/or toilets, the fact that we had two chefs who cooked 4 course meals for us and horses to carry our gear helped to make the experience more bearable😉

Day 2-They say that day 2 is supposed to be the hardest, and they don´t lie. The fist 4.5 hours are spent going uphill and climbing from 3850M to 4600M. I must admit that I lost my breath on numerous occassions and couldn´t feel my fingers at times, but the feeling of reaching 4600M and seeing the view of Salkantay was definitely worth it. When we reached this point we did a little ceremony to offer rocks/coca leaves to Pachamama (mother earth) to thank her for our safe journey to date. We then took a lot of pictures before beginning our 1.5 hour decent to our lunch spot. I was definitely tired and at my, ¨are we there yet¨ stage...as walking downhill on stones is really hard on my toes. However, after a good lunch and a little nap in the grass, I was in better shape for the afternoon....which ended up being another 3 hour downhill walk. In all it was a 23 hour journey, and one of the hardest physical challenges I have ever undertaken....but it was really amazing to be done day 2! I went to sleep at 9 and slept until my 6 am wake up call....obviously I must have been pretty tired!

Day 3-It´s kind of funny because after 23km, nothing seems quite as tough. Therefore the 13km trek to Sahuayaco on Thursday morning was a walk in the park, especially since it was mostly flat. When we arrived at our destination we had lunch and took a bus/train to Aguas Calientes, which is a city near Machu Picchu. It was great when we finally arrived because I got to have a shower. We also had a nice group dinner before getting to bed. The next day we had to get up at 3:30, to get tickets to climb Huayna Picchu. Although anyone can buy tickets to Macchu Picchu, they only let 400 people climb Huayna Picchu, and it has some of the best aerial views of the city.

Day 4-So my wake up all never happened, so I am really lucky that I had set my alarm. I actually had to wake up the desk clerk to get him to open the door for me...go figure. However, I was able to meet my group at around 4 and we walked to he bridge. At the bridge we had to wait as it only opens at 4:45. but there were already over 100 people ahead of us. They say it is a race to the top, but there isn´t much place to pass, as it is essentially a route of 1142 steps. It was gruelling, but with the help of head lamps and the motivation of the group we all got to the top and got tickets for climbing Huayna Picchu! After that we toured Machu Picchu with our tour guide and learned numerous facts about the Inca civiliation/Machu Picchu:

-The Inca Architecture was very strong and was able for the most part to withstand 3 earthquakes because it was never straight edged but rather made in a pyramid style (13 degrees on the top and 17 degrees on the bottom). Also the stones were generallly concave at the edges, which also helped increase the structures resilience
-Machu Picchu was likely a Univeristy, although it had originally been thought of as only a place of worship
-There were three types of terraces (lawns) at Machu Picchu; 1 for agriculture, 1 for aesthethics (gardens) and another for erosion
-The city is shaped like a condor
-At it´s height, the Inca Civilzation comprised of parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia Argentina and Chile
...I learned a lot more but will try to spare you all the details😊

During our visit we also saw the President of Peru who was also visitng the site....probably because the day before had been 100 years since Machu Picchu had been discovered.

Then it was time to climb Huayna Picchu! This was another approx. 1000 stairs, but we took our time and the views were out of this world! I was really happy with the way the day had gone and was happy to spend the rest of the day taking it easy in Aguas Calientes

After Machu Picchu I did a small trek to an outdoor botanical gardens and saw some interesing bird and flowers, before heading back to Cusco. In Cusco I climbed to see Sassawaman (other ruins) and the Jesus at the top of the City. However, apart from that I just got things in order....as tonight I am off to Copacobana, Bolivia.

Hasta Pronto,
Caitlin

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