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Published: December 20th 2005
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Cusco form Sacsayhuaman
View of Plaza de Armas - our hotel was very central, on the right hand side of the smaller square with all the trees. Back in Cusco, having completed the Inca Trail without too much trauma - hurrah!
The day before we started the trail we went to some other Inca ruins just outside Cusco, called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced Sexy Woman!!) - some more examples of the amazing stonework the Incas were famous for, and great views of Cusco too. Then off to small nearby town called Pisac where there are more Inca ruins in the surrounding hills - had a bit of a walk (practice for the Inca Trail) then down into the town to visit the markets. Had Empanadas for lunch from one of the stalls (recommended and made fresh!) - kind of like a cornish pasty but more bread than pastry. Cheese, tomato and onion on the inside - yum! And only 1 sol each (about 15p). Wandering around the town saw many examples of houses selling Chicha, the local maize beer. If a house has some available they put out a stick with a red or blue plastic bag tied to it. And if they have bread to sell they put out a stick with a basket on it!
Later on visited a local house where they make Chicha and
got to try some. I was assured they didn´t make it using the really traditional old methods, which involved the women chewing the maize and then spitting it out and leaving it to ferment.... mmmm. Sorry if you are eating while reading this!! Anyway, the chicha we tried had strawberries added to it and was very nice! The chicha house also introduced us to a traditional game they play here, called Sapo. You can see a picute of it here and learn all about it!
Sapo frog game It´s like a cross between darts and bar billiards - they should have known to introduce such a thing to a bunch of brits who spend lots of time in pubs playing such things - they had to drag us away in the end ;-)
Stayed at a local house in Ollantaytambo, near the start of the Inca Trail - a lady called Doris which doesn´t sound very Peruvian to me but she had a Sapo game in her garden so we played by torchlight after dinner!
Got up early in Ollantaytambo to buy a stick for the trail (which I was very glad of, especially on the down sections,
sooo many steps!). Then to the start of the trail where you can actually get your passport stamped, how bizarre is that? You can actually get 5 along the course of the trail, I got 4 as one of the control points was closed on Sunday. The final one has a little picture of Machu Picchu in the middle of it! Fairly easy going on the first day, and the trail was a lot quieter than I expected which was nice. I guess it is low season but I still expected there to be lots of other people. But mostly I just saw people from our group and often only 1 or 2 of us in sight. Arrived at camp quite early, so there was a game of footie with the porters!! Yes, a football pitch, way up in the mountains! Camp facilities amazing, we got lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, all served inside a huge tent with tables (even tablecloths!!) and for 34 people. These porters and cooks really do an fantastic job.
2nd day, up at 7am, but helped by the fact that the porters brought tea to our tent door to wake us up! Now this
Outside a Chicha house - Pisac
Spot the red bag - the sign of Chicha! is camping in style :-) Our tent had leaked in the night but we had a prior warning as it was already raining during dinner the night before so we saw a few drips inside and wrapped everything in plastic bags. The only casualty was my tent buddy Anna´s toilet roll which she forgot to put in a bag!! Apparently she had a small river running down her side of the tent in the night so we were lucky that was the only thing that got wet. I was even luckier as the water seemed to stay away from my side. Lots of up today, mainly steps, I knew there were some climbs on this trail but somehow I expected more flat bits in between. But no, it´s all up or down, and most of it quite steep, or so it feels!!! So, up and over Dead Woman´s pass (4200m!) before lunch, at which point I really did not want to see another upwards step as long as I live. I mean I only have little legs, and some of these steps were up to my knees!!! But anyway we all got there and then it was a nice downhill
Ready to start the trail!
Me and Anna in Ollantaytambo marketplace section on the other side. Still steps for most of it tho!!
3rd day quite a long one, again more up and down but more flattish sections so felt more gentle. Final campsite had a bar!! Should have been hot showers too but some problem with the electrics for the shower. Many people decided time better spent in the bar anyway! ;-) No wine available so a couple of Pisco sours for me :-)
Up at 4.15 on day 4 to see Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate. Lots of mist but it did clear briefly to allow us our first glimpse of the ruins. Very impressive even from a distance, and quite magical with all the mist around. After that it was just another 30 mins walk to the actual site, where we spent the rest of the morning wandering around and taking heaps of photos!! Not too many tourists around as most of them come up on the train and don´t arrive until lunchtime. Got a bus down into Aguas Calientes village in the afternoon and visited the hot springs - just the job after 4 days walking. Shame we had to put our smelly clothes
back on again afterwards tho! Arrived back in Cusco in the evening in time for proper showers and then out for food and a few drinks. I fully intended to stay up late but the 4am start finally caught up with me.... maybe I´ll manage tonight instead!
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