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Published: December 11th 2007
Day 9 Monday 3rd December 2007 Cusco, Peru
Following on from the night out in Lima, I quickly packed and went down for breakfast which was served at 3.30am. At the hotel another two couples had arrived to join us. They were Jahn (from Norway) and Joy (originally from Thailand) who now lived in the States and Jung and Lee who were Korean. The coach picked us up at 4.00am and we headed for the airport for our 6.00am flight up to Cusco. We headed straight for the hotel and a pre-trek meeting and were introduced to our guide Cesar. Following the meeting me and my new roommate Nick crashed out for about 3 hours before having a quick look around Cusco and doing a bit of last minute shopping for the trek. We went back to the hotel and had dinner before calling it a night and heading for bed.
Day 10 Tuesday 4th December 2007 Cusco, Peru.
We woke at 7.00am for breakfast before the 8.30 start. We were all taken by minibus up over the hills toward the sacred valley stopping at a small village where the local women were dyeing and
weaving textiles. From there we headed into the sacred valley and up to an Incan site near Pisac (very impressive) before heading into Pisac to have a look round the market. We then headed through the sacred valley to Ollantaytambo stopping on the way for lunch. We checked into the hotel at about 4.00pm before having a tour of the town by Cesar who is very passionate about everything Incan. We had some light dinner and a couple of beers and headed back to the hotel at about 8.30pm in anticipation of an early start the next day.
Day 11 Wednesday 5th December 2007 The Inca Trail (Day 1)
We were up at 5.30 to have the last shower for a few days and a light breakfast before climbing the ruins that overlooked Ollantaytambo then we headed by minibus to KM 82, the start of the Inca Trail. The mood was very upbeat as we started the trek with a picture in front of the infamous KM 82 sign and getting a stamp in our passports just to prove we had been there. The hike was only 12km today and there were only a couple of
small steep climbs taking us from 2,700 meters to 3,000 meters. The scenery was breathtaking and I don’t think you can ever do it justice with a camera. We stopped for lunch at 1.30pm where the porters had set up a kitchen tent and we all sat round a big table and were treated to trout for lunch with all the trimmings, restaurant quality! We hiked for another couple of hours to our camp for the night at Wayllabamba. We arrived there to be greeted by the wonderful porters who had pitched all the tents including the kitchen tent which following our lunch had been packed away and carried (25Kg each!) at an incredible pace in only sandals to the new site and reassembled all before we arrived. These guys really are supermen!
We were treated to another great meal before the sun went down to reveal an amazing night sky (no light pollution here) I have never seen so many stars and I even caught sight of some shooting stars. Brilliant! There is not much more to do at night so we all went to bed in anticipation of the 1,200 meter climb up to the summit of Dead
Woman’s Pass the next morning.
Day 12 Thursday 6th December 2007 The Inca Trail (Day 2)
We were woken at 4.30am with Cocoa Tea. (it helps with the altitude!) We left the porters to pack up the site and headed off up Dead Woman’s Pass. To say it was tough would be an understatement. The terrain is very rough and rocky, the steps range from big to massive and the altitude leaves you gasping for breath. I had to stop every few minutes to catch my breath and calm the heart rate. We had started the day at 3,000 meters and stopped for breakfast at 3,500 meters. So, following breakfast it was just another 700 meters to go which seemed to take forever. We finally arrived at the top to be greeted by some incredible views and we spent about 45 minutes catching our breath and taking photo’s. Just in case you didn’t catch it, that’s 4,200 meters or 13,779 feet in old money! WOW!
The next task was to descend 600 meters to our camp for the night, that’s where the trouble started. We had only been going down the steep rocky path for about
ten minutes when I went over on my ankle, I could tell straight away that it was a bad. The pain was intense and it started to swell like a balloon. I carried on using two sticks and hobbled down to the camp. I thought it was the end of the Inca Trail for me and I was very upset and felt sick with the pain. Cesar was talking about the porters carrying me on a stretcher but I did really want to carry on but I just couldn’t see how. One of the porters had a look at it and massaged some funny smelling Andean potions in and then strapped it in bandages. I could do no more but wait for the morning.
Day 13 Friday 7th December 2007 The Inca Trail (Day 3)
The moment of truth, we were woken at 4.00am and my ankle was re-strapped, the swelling had amazingly almost gone and when I tried to walk it was painful but bearable. The first task of the day was a 300 meter climb to the top of Runkuraqay High Pass. I was slow but managed it incredibly well. The weather was great
and the views of two mountain ranges were beautiful. We kept going and visited the ruins at Sayacmarca before a long walk to the top of the third pass at 3,900 meters called Phuyupatamarca where there were more Incan ruins. It was all downhill after that for 1,000 meters to the final camp at Winaywayna. I had managed it, 16 Km on a badly twisted ankle over some of the roughest and steep terrain the Andes has to offer. To say I was happy would be an understatement.
We walked down through the camp to see the very impressive ruins at Winaywayna. Me Nick, Kaynan and Tamara sat on the terraces for ages just taking it all in, incredible! We then headed for the HOT showers; I don’t think I have ever needed one more! I took the strapping off my ankle to reveal some very impressive bruising and everyone (including me) was amazed that I had been able to make it through the day.
Dinner was followed by a collection for the amazing porters who had done a Stirling job. We headed down to the bar for a couple of beers before bed in anticipation of the big day
ahead.
Day 14 Saturday 8th December 2007 The Inca Trail (Day 4) Machu Picchu
It had been raining all night and we woke at 4.00am to low cloud and a generally miserable day, weather wise. This was more than compensated for by the mood in the camp. We waited at the checkpoint and then briskly hiked the last 6 Km to the Sun Gate. The view was......... Cloud! Never mind, we walked down to the hill overlooking Machu Picchu in anticipation of the postcard picture but the cloud was still there. Every so often it thinned and you could catch glimpses of this fantastic Incan site below but it never looked like clearing completely. We all walked down to the checkpoint to get our tickets and passports stamped and then grabbed a hot drink in the cafe. The heavens then opened and we were stranded in the cafe for the next two hours until it stopped. Cesar then took us on a walking tour of the site which was excellent. The size and scale of the place is mind blowing and the quality of the stonework is centuries ahead of its time. Most of the group
then headed off up Wayna Picchu however I just couldn’t summon up the energy and my ankle was feeling the abuse of the last few days so I just sat and looked, open jawed at it all.
We stayed at Machu Picchu until 3.00pm and then caught the scary bus down to Aguas Calientes where we grabbed some lunch/dinner before catching the train to Ollantaytambo and then minibus back to Cusco. It was a quick shower and out for a night on the town to celebrate our achievement. I got totally lost trying to find the hotel and finally made it back there for sunrise only to find that Tamara had gone missing. It was her birthday (happy birthday sweet) and she was a little bit worse for wear! Me, Nick and Kaynan headed back down to the Plaza to look for her but to no avail. I eventually got to bed for about 6.00am leaving Kaynan trying to phone the police.
Day 15 Sunday 9th December 2007 Cusco, Peru.
I woke at 12.00pm and hurriedly packed my bag in anticipation of my flight down to Lima which was at 2.50pm. Tamara had been found at
the police station, don’t ask. The flight was followed by a 9 hour stopover in Lima airport waiting for my flight to Los Angeles.
Cusco and Inca Trail Summary
The Trip was made by a brilliant set of people whose attitude was excellent and a guide who became one of us, porters whose energy was infectious. My thanks to you all. The Inca Trail was spectacular, I have never seen such beautiful Scenery and the engineering that went in to making the trail is mind blowing. The ruins are awesome and for me Winaywayna was amazing and Machu Picchu was just Incredible. If you are ever thinking of going to see Machu Picchu, do it the right way, do the trail.
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David Smith
non-member comment
My god this stage takes my breath away mate. This must be the type of experience you were thinking of when you decided to go on this adventure. Anyway you are not the only one starting a new adventure. On a much smaller scale I leave Allied Bakeries in Jan 2007 to begnin my life as a consultant. Anyway keep living the dream mate and I wait with great anticipation for the next leg of your epic journey