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Hola!!
* = Helen´s contribution!
Hope everyone is well. We´ve just finished the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and apart from some tight calves and a few blisters we´re in good shape.
The trek was fantastic. Last Monday we met with Pachumama (Mother Earth) Explorers who were to be our guides and porters for the four days. We were all given our duffle bags to fill with up to 7kgs of gear which we would need for the trek and the whole route was explained to us.
On tuesday morning we were up early for the bus trip to Km 82 where the walk began. The first day was pretty relaxed with us just having a hike through the valley to the first camp site * there was a couple of steep bits to get us going a bit, so not quite as easy peasy for me as Craig makes out! *. It was there however that we realised just what job the porters carried out. While our guides walked with us and explained about the trail and surroundings, the porters were the real stars of the show. We had 18 porters who between them carried our
gear, their gear, food, cutlery, tents, water, gas, tables, stools etc. These guys were amazing. Every time we reached camp our tents would be up and our bags laid out for us. The food tent would have been put up and the tables set with a fancy table cloth and cutlery. Richard, our chef would also have been busy in the cook tent preparing a huge three course lunch or dinner which was all perfectly presented. One night he even made a table decoration of a Condor out of aubergine and a carrot!
* we did feel pretty guilty about them doing so much for us and a snotty group of old British ramblers commented on how we should be ashamed of ourselves and how crap we were at walking - nice! Good old friendly Brits! However, the porters do get good tips and it provides a lot of jobs so I keep telling myself it was a good thing!*
All this was impressive enough but the porters left after we did in the morning and reached our lunch stop or camp site before us. They did all this carrying all the equipment and running the Inca Trail,
somtimes only wearing a pair of sandles! It was pretty humbling for us gringo´s as most of us were in hiking gear and only carrying a small day pack so it just proved how soft we were. Anytime our legs felt a wee bit tired we just had to look at the porters for a bit of inspiration. Just to make it even more impressive was the fact that these guys did the trek up to five times per month.
Day two was the big day our guides had been telling us about. Climbing 1200m whilst already at altitude was the aim so we left at 6.45am for the trek up "Dead Woman´s Pass." Up hill for three hours *4 and a half gruelling hours for me!*, passing the local Andean people and their Llamas and Alpacas until we finally reached the top at 4215m where we were well rewarded with a great view over two valleys. The down hill walk to our campsite was in many ways tougher as it was pretty steep but we made it. * nope, I was majorly relieved to start going downhill at this point!*
It was a high campsite that night
so out came the thermals and whilst they helped, it was still baltic! I slept ok but still woke a few times and looked over enviously to Helen who was all cosy in my sleeping bag! She´s a bit of a cold fish so we did a swap on the sleeping bags, an agreement I soon regretted! *bless him!*
Anyway, day three and the scenery really changed as we walked through areas of rain forest and saw plenty of old Inca ruins. They were clever folks the Incas to have built such cities and terraces on the side of mountains. They also conquered huge areas from Ecuador to Chile and Argentina and all this within 100 years. We reached our campsite and after the usual huge feast we headed for bed. Day four would be a 4am start to reach Machu Picchu for the sun rise so we were in bed pretty sharpish.
Up early for the torchlight walk to the sun gate, high above the Lost City of The Incas. * I had pretty jelly legs by this point and was keen to just get there and sit down! *. We reached there at about 6.30am and got our first view of Machu Picchu. It was just as we had imagined with the stone city high in the valley and the mountains behind. We made it down into the city to be greeted by the llamas who were grazing there. It was great to be there so early as we got in before all the tourists who took the bus up *lazy sods!*. We had a tour round and it became clear just how organised and clever the Incas were. There was an agricultural sector, a main plaza, the Incas house, reading rooms, storage rooms and an astrological sector. We were told that whilst Cusco was capital of the Inca empire, Machu Picchu was the secret city where only the noble people could go. Unfortunately it was never finished as it was abandoned prior to the Spanish invading.
I think most of the group felt pretty lucky to get there and appreciated it all the more having done the trail. The fact that there is a city there which held about 600 people is pretty cool as the setting is spectacular with the city set high in the mountains, tucked away from anywhere else. It was a good day out. A bit tired but happy, we made it back to Cusco for a big feed and a comfy bed!
* It´s now the day after and I feel about 100 years old with aching bones! I´m off for a massage and a good day of chilling out before we head off towards Lake Titicaca. I´m pleased with myself for doing it and was happy that I got through it in reasonably good health!*
Hope everyone is well
Craig & Helenxx
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