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Published: November 25th 2007
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Peru
Machu Picchu I arrived at 6am into a cold, grey Lima. I was to learn that Lima was always in a constant state of grey. Being mid October I assumed it would be warmer in this southern hemisphere country. Despìte hearing horror stories of people being robbed and kidnapped at gun point in Peruvian taxi's I took one from the airport to my couch surfing destination. After my driver showed uncertainty of where the street was I feared I was being hustled. But after stopping to ask several police officers on the side of the road and going to a police station in the area of my host to ask for directions, and no one knowing where the street was my mind was changed to thinking they were just all idiots. To much relief we finally arrived to the right address.
Being worn out from travelling between three continents in a short period of time I didn't do a whole lot in Lima. I walked around the centre which had a couple of nice plazas and also walked through the botanical gardens. I got to see the Pacific Ocean again which is always nice.
The streets of Lima are absolute mayhem. They are
Peru
Lima filled with self made taxi's ducking and weaving with no regard for any description of road rule. There are so many taxi's here because the process of becoming a taxi driver is to spend a few soles on a sticker that says taxi and put it on your car.
I also had a couple of not so late nights out in Lima. Overall it's not a particularly nice city and three nights here was plenty.
I took the short plane ride to Cusco - the gateway to Machu Picchu. In contrast to Lima, Cusco is an attractive little town. Although full of tourists it's charm remains. I stayed here in a great hostel which was built from an old abandoned church. After being completely buggered walking up the steps to the hostel I realised Cusco must be above sea level. It sits at 3400 metres. All the Inca Trail tours were sold out for the next month so I booked a Salkantay Mountain tour which also finished at Machu Picchu. I found it to be a blessing in disguise as I spoke to people who had done both tours and regarded the Salkantay tour a much more fulfilling experience.
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Lima It was a nice feeling to finally be in a country where the Australian dollar is stronger. My first night in Cusco I had a dinner which cost me $1.15 Australian. With the assistance of high altitude drinking my first night in Cusco ended up being a reasonably big one.
My second day in Cusco was spent acquiring items I would need for my trek such as a beanie, gloves and walking boots. My second night in Cusco was restricted to three hours sleep as we were picked up by our tour guides at 3am.
There were ten other people on the tour and it was made all the better that they were fantastic people and everyone got along great. After 7 months of burgers and beer I was concerned about my fitness levels for the next 5 days, but to my suprise I managed ok without discouraging thoughts. We started with breakfast in a little village about a two hour drive from Cusco. My breakfast time this year has usually been about 2pm so I ate as much as I could stomach at 6 in the morning. I took one last dump before the trek started as the
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Lima - Watching the soccer through the shop window facilities for the next few days would be a hole in the ground.
Our starting point was at an altitude of 3100 metres. We eagerly started the uphill climb and entered "get to know you" chats accompanied by heavy panting. The scenery was spectacular from the get-go. Our first much needed break was after about 45 minutes where our guide told us some information about the area and it's history. The landscape of the first day was grass covered mountains and farmlands. Travelling with us for 4 of the 5 days was a chef who prepared some of the best food I have ever had. It was 5 star all the way. Soup, entree and several main courses. The horsemen travelling with us were amazing. We would leave from one camp site and they would stay behind and pack up after us, then arrive at the next camp site ahead of us and have everything set up by the time we arrived. Our first night was the coldest of the trek as we camped on the flats close to the mountains. I slept in two pairs of socks, shorts underneath my jeans, three shirts, a jumper, a jacket, a
Peru
Cusco beanie and gloves inside my sleeping bag.
We were told to expect the second day to be the hardest. After the exhaustion of the first day and waking to aching muscles and forming blisters this was not a welcome thought. Like every day of the trek it was an early start. We woke each day between 4am and 6am. Before lunch we would climb to the highest point on the trek - 4600 metres. This was on a pass by Salkantay Mountain, the peak of which is 6271 metres. On this day we walked 18kms of the total 60kms of the trek.
On the third day the environment turned from mountains to jungle. It was the start of the rain season so there was mud and water to avoid along the track although we were lucky that the heavens stayed closed for most of the tour. We followed alongside the river and passed several waterfalls, some with interesting makeshift bridges. Our reward for all our hard work over the past three days was a trip to some natural hot springs. It was a great feeling to get into hot water after not showering for three days. The hot
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Cusco springs were situated by the river and at the base of beautiful mountains. A perfect view for relaxing.
Day four was reasonably flat as we closed in on Machu Picchu. We continued to follow alongside the river in between towering cliffs of earth. We had lunch next to a small train station and were given the option to either take the train or walk to the town of Aguas Calientes, which would be base camp for Machu Picchu. Being the hardcore trekkers that we were, we decided to walk. Although it was a flat route we were walking along the train tracks themselves which were laid out extremely unevenly, making it a suprisingly difficult part of the trek.
We arrived to Aguas Calientes where we stayed the night in a hotel - pure luxury ! More than sleeping in a bed I was looking forward to a nice hot shower. Unfortunately the water came out at less than a dribble so I would have to wait till the following night for such relief.
Again it was an early rise to get to Machu Picchu before the crowds. Often the view of Machu Picchu can be hidden in
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Cusco clouds so waking to a clear sky got me excited for the day. After a bus ride up the winding road we arrived to a partly cloudy Machu Picchu around 7am. I was filled with awe as soon as I saw it. The clouds clinging to the mountains added to the mysterious atmosphere of the place. Our guide took us around for the first two hours of the day telling us all he knew of Machu Picchu. It is an amazing place and I felt very pleased with myself that I made it there. When our guide said his farewells we then climbed to the top of Wayna Picchu, the high point behind Machu Picchu. I was mistaken when I thought there was no more hard work to be done on the tour. The steps to Wayna Picchu are extremely steep and it was a fatiguing half an hour ascent. It was well worth the effort for an extraordinary view in all directions. We sat on rocks at the highest point and made the most of the vista. Coming back down from Wayna Picchu had it's own difficulties. As the steps were steep and uncertain it was taken with much
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The first morning of a long trek caution.
By the time we arrived back to Machu Picchu it was chockablock with people. After one last look around we made our way back to Aguas Calientes to catch the afternoon train and then bus to Cusco.
Upon arriving back to my hostel I had a ridiculously long shower and started getting organised for my morning flights, first to Lima then onto Buenos Aires.
My time in Peru was short but it was an unforgettable experience. A true highlight of my journey.
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Neen
non-member comment
Love the mountain shots and river crossing. Nice work!