Camino Inka

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This was a while ago now - I started the Inca Trail a few days after my last blog entry, on September 19th, still suffering from the remenants of food poisoning but keen to get on with it.

I turned up to the briefing the night before only to be told that we were leaving that night as there were bus strikes planned for the next day (typical South American answer to anything is to have a good old protest), so had to pack very quickly and spent the night sleeping on a football pitch near the trailhead.

The first day of hiking was a gentle-ish introduction to what would follow. We followed of the Rio Urumbamba for a few miles and then turned down another valley taking the sacred Inca route rather than the direct route which can get you to Machu Picchu in 6 hours.

The second day was where things got interesting... we had to summit the highest pass on the trail, know as Dead Woman Pass. Dissapointingly this is not because of any grizzly deaths occuring, but because of the shape of the rocks at the top. Things started well with the climb... I got into a rythmn and was enjoying the scenery and the company. But at our break for morning tea I had a sudden and severe wave of nausea... something that had been hanging around in the background for a while. I managed to take a ciprofloxicin (antibiotic for stomach problems) and hold it down, but no tea and biscuits for me. It was pretty difficult to don the rucksack again but after a couple more hours of breathless climbing I finally reached the top and was feeling extremely knackered but a lot better stomach-wise. I put my stomach issues doen to the antimalarials I was taking and decided to quit them and take the risk. Good decision as my appetite came back the very next day and I was able to enjoy the impressive and delicious food that our chef was liberally plying us with. No malaria yet...

The third day on the trail was a day I'll never forget. We had two passes to cross. The first had fascinating Inca ruins on both sides. We paused at these for Carlos (our excellent guide) to disseminate the theories on the purposes of the ruins and how they fitted in with what is known about Inca culture. What always amazes me about the Incas is how relatively recent they were around - the 1400s. Until the Spanish invaders arrived and forced the Incas into submission, South America was hundreds of years behind Europe in terms of development. Clibing the second pass of the day I witnessed perhaps the most perfect scenery I've ever seen. The path was at an altitude region known as high jungle - tropical plants and bright flowers lined the path, but all around high snow-capped mountains towered dramatically on the horizon. It was truely beautiful and tranquil. I loved it.

The forth day invloved an early rise for the last short stretch to Machu Picchu. The perfect weather that we'd enjoyed on the trek so far (hikers the previous week had experienced lots of rain and even snow!) finally faltered and it was a foggy start. Not perfect for the enegmatic view of Machu Picchu with the sun rising over it, but actually the drifting fog added a certain mystery to the ancient city. Machu Picchu was only rediscovered in 1915 and it is amazing that such a substantial and once-so-important place could be forgotten and lost.

Wow.

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Photos

The return of the cowboy hat
Note the Inca terracing and ruins in the background

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Blossom
This view was from day 2 on the trail, looking towards the aptly named Dead Woman Pass

Climbing... lots of climbing
It was a tough 5 hour climb up to Dead Womans Pass, not least because I was the only one hard enough to carry my own rucksack and I wasnt very well.

At the top
We made it eventually, and the ciprofloxicin I'd taken had sorted out my stomach nicely. The altitude meant that the last mile or so to the summit was covered in shot slow bursts of maybe 20 or 30 steps before needing another break.

Camping
Setting up camp on day 2

Offering
Our guide Carlos building a small pile of stones as an offering to the Inca gods begging them to look after us on the trail.

Lots of Inca ruins
Day 3 is dubbed 'the unforgetable day' (after day one 'the warm up' and day 2 'the challenge') and it truely was due to fascinating ruins and some of the most perfect landscapes I've ever seen.

More climbing
Going up, the walking sticks were worth their weight in gold. Going downhill they were just something else to trip over.

Pavement
Much of the trail on day 3 was paved by the original Inca stonework.

Great food on the trail
This was camping in style. Notice the cucumber carved lovingly into a penguin. The chef really took care of us.

Day 4
The 2 hour trek from camp to Machu Picchu required an early rise at 4.30am so that we could get to the Sun Gate in time "to watch the sun rise over Machu Picchu"...

There's something in the fog
Unfortunately, once we got to the Sun Gate, it was difficult to see much of anything. After a few inticing glimpses of what could only be identified as "something", we moved on to Machu Picchu itself hoping the fog would clear in due course.

Machu Picchu
The fog did eventually start to clear and all of a sudden we knew where we were, with the classic Machu Picchu view slowly emerging in front of us.

Wyna Picchu
The mountain in the background in Wyna Picchu, which those resourceful Incas also conquered by building a small settlement right at the top. This is incredible as the path to the top is a dizzying experience to climb, almost vertical in places.

The view from Wyna Picchu
This is quite literally at the very top and I'm sitting down and holding on for dear life as I'm surrounded by nothing but air and it is a long way down on every side. You can just make out Machu Picchu behind me.