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Published: September 24th 2007
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Inca trail
Here with are, note porters carrying load Blog Machu Picchu
DAY ONE:
After a late night packing our duffle bag and buying last minute socks and ponchos etc we set off in a bus to Ollantaytambo where we all bought a walking stick and water. We then drove onto Km 82 which is the starting point for the Inca Trail. We carried only our day pack, snacks and water whilst the porters carried our duffle bags, tents, portable kitchen, food etc. They are amazing. We needed to go through a check point where our passports were checked and stamped. To start we crossed a suspension bridge which we called the Golden Gate of Machu Picchu. Tim was surprised how hot it was, as we were all set up for cold weather. Day one was a pleasant walk, starting at 2,600m finishing at the first camp site, Huayllabamba being 3,000 metres high. After 2 hours of walking we reached our first rest stop at Huillca Raccay which is a ruin site. Looking over the edge of the cliff we saw more ruins and they were quite extensive. Our guide, Reuben, explained heaps about the Incas and the Spanish conquers. Really interesting history. We continued our walk
Inca Trail
Suzanne and Sarah on the Inca Trail
to our lunch stop. The porters had arrived before us and had set up a lunch tent, little basins to wash our hands in. This is when we realised how spoilt we were going to be. Lunch was amazing, 2 courses and delicious. The girls played by a stream with little seed boats they found. After lunch, we continued our walk to our campsite where again, everything was ready for us and everything was first class, except maybe the toilets but we were camping after all.
DAY TWO
Huayllabamba (3,000m) to Pacaymayu, our second camp site (3,500m)
Day two we were told is the toughest and I found it quite hard at one point near the first pass, Dead Woman’s Pass at 4,200m. Fortunately it wasn’t quite as hot as day one and we walked for quite a while in the shade. We were puffing a bit because of the altitude but the kids didn’t seem to have a problem and Rachel was with the lead walkers reaching the saddle about 40 minutes before us, whilst Sarah stayed with us and wouldn’t stop chatting. We had to tell her to go and talk to someone else as
we didn’t have the breath to answer her constant chatter. We saw llamas, ducks and local people living along the trek and selling stuff to trekkers. After the pass it was a long descent to the 2nd camp site, with many many steps. Rachel and Tim went for a little trek whilst most of us chilled out. Sarah and I played cards with others and Tim and Rachel came back and had seen a hummingbird and found more ruins and walked along some original Inca paths.
DAY THREE
Pacaymayu to Winaywayna
We climbed a steep climb up to the ruins at Runkuraqay (3780m). A little passed that site we climbed further to another pass and on the top were lots of little piles of rocks stacked on top of each other. The porters do these as a little offering to Pacchumama (Mother Earth). Sarah and Rach too did one and made a wish. We had a snack and continued our longest walking day. Lots of up and down, along original Incan
laid trail including a tunnel under a huge rock. The trek for most of the way was supported by extensive retaining walls. We passed more ruins,
top of dead womans pass
Made it to the top of the hardest day. Yahoo Sayaquarka and Phuyupatamarka. Absolutely fantastic. We saw more ruins still along the way but didn’t visit them all. A very long and steep downhill climb to Winaywayna, out third campsite. We reached this site at 5.00 about an hour after Sarah, who was there with the porters on her own. She did well and got our tents organised. We visited more ruins there, really really impressive. The ruins got better and better. The houses were built so that each house had water running through it. The water still runs through the ruins today. Also extensive terraces at this site. We were able to have a shower and charge our camera batteries at this camp site which was great. Still wearing the dirty clothes. We had a little farewell to the porters and gave them their tips as this was the last night of camp. They left our duffle bags at a restaurant at Aguas Calientes, the tourist town at the base of Machu Picchu.
Day 4
Machu Picchu!
Today was a very early start to be at the entrance gate for permit checking at 5.30am, got up at 4.00am. Then a 2 hour walk amongst semi- rainforest, with
heaps of fuchsia, orchids, bromeliads and succulents and mosses. Finally a bit of a climb to the Sun Gate where most classic photos of Machu Picchu are taken. A little bit hazy and cloudy but still spectacular. As we climbed down towards Machu Picchu, the ruins were revealed clearly. It was fantastic to reach the site after 3 full days of walking. The ruins were huge compared to those we had seen along the way. We had a 2 hour guided tour with our guide Reuben. We spent the next couple of hours exploring the site on our own. Tim, Sarah and Rachel decided they had not had enough exercise and decided to climb Winay Picchu, the small, actually rather large, mountain overlooking Machu Picchu from the other direction. I decided against this additional climb and be satisfied with their pictures. Upon their return, they had a great view and a good time. Very steep and discovered yet more ruins at the top of Winay Picchu. We caught a terrifying bus ride back down the hill to Aguas Calientes to meet our group, have lunch and pick up our duffle bags. After that we caught train back to Cusco. What
a fantastic trip.
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Rosie
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Just read your diary of your travels. Its great to follow your adventures. Katherine enjoys receiving Rachels emails. Looking forward to the next installment.